Overview
An insect-driven virus that infects both wildlife and livestock remains rare in New York state. The disease presents significant health impacts across affected animal populations, causing fatal outcomes in wildlife while inducing severe clinical signs in domestic livestock.
Findings
The disease is characterized by distinct impacts across different species:
- In white-tailed deer, the virus causes high mortality.
- In cattle, infection leads to illness that mimics the clinical symptoms of foot-and-mouth disease.
- Current surveillance indicates that the presence of the virus remains rare within New York state boundaries.
Why This Matters
Although documented occurrences are currently limited in New York state, the trajectory of the disease could shift. A warming climate may facilitate and increase the future geographic spread of the insect-driven pathogen, posing ongoing risks to white-tailed deer populations and cattle herds.