Life-Threatening Foot Disease Found in Endangered Huemul Deer in Chile
Virus Could Pose Conservation Threat to Huemul Populations
Scientists report the first cases of foot disease for endangered huemul deer in Chilean Patagonia in a study led by the Wildlife Conservation Society and the University of California, Davis’ One Health Institute, with partnering institutions in Chile and the United States.
In the study, published April 17 in the journal PLOS ONE, researchers found foot lesions in 24 huemul deer in Chile’s Bernardo O’Higgins National Park between 2005 and 2010. The park remains one of the few strongholds for the species, which lives in the rugged mountainous terrain of southern Argentina and Chile.
The foot disease causes severe pain, swelling, partial or complete loss of the hoof and in many cases, death. Affected animals become unable to move and forage, leaving them susceptible to starvation and predation.
Researchers identified parapoxvirus as the likely cause of the disease.