Core Research Teams
Currently, three core research teams (CRTs) are working on CWD projects from the aspects of (1) deer movement and genetics, (2) human dimension and economic impacts, and (3) prion detection and environmental manipulation.
Summary: Understanding nuanced aspects of the biology and ecology of deer is key to managing and modeling the spread of CWD. However, socioeconomic and human behaviors associated with recreational and subsistence hunting must also be considered if management strategies are to be effective.
We hypothesize that deer ecology and behavior, genetic variation, landscape features, and public support of management can be used to predict the local and regional transmission of CWD. We will build models of CWD transmission at the local scale by tracking deer movements and survival with satellite-GPS; quantifying deer and environment interactions; monitoring female reproduction and recruitment; and measuring population density and sex ratios. Regional models will combine this information with geospatial analysis of gene flow; genetic analysis of prion protein genes (markers that may be under selection to provide resistance to CWD); and effects of landscape features on CWD spread in collared deer. Effective strategies for disease mitigation must also include hunter and landowner willingness to participate in deer management actions. We ultimately expect to estimate how individual, local, and regional processes affect the spatial and temporal dynamics of CWD prevalence on the landscape.
This information will be the basis for all management recommendations. Combining disease modeling with human participation in management will provide a framework for mitigating CWD in a wild animal. This project is being conducted in collaboration with not only UT scientists but also experts in TWRA, Virginia Tech, and Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.
Status: A proposal for this study was submitted to the National Science Foundation Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Disease Program on November 24, 2021.
Summary: Policy efforts to invest in CWD control and to engage hunters and landowners to manage CWD face multiple challenges, as we currently do not know: 1- how CWD outbreaks induce externality on the demand and value of hunting as an ecosystem service, 2- how resulting change in hunting demand impacts the hunting lease market and sectors of the regional economy, and 3- what psychosocial factors (e.g. risk perception, attitudes, trust) drive hunter behavior and landowner behavior regarding CWD best management practices. We address this critical need by conducting social survey of hunters and non-hunting local public including the landowners, economically modeling the externality of CWD prevalence in stated as well as revealed preference methods of non-market valuation and regional economic input-output models of hunting economy, and by applying collective interest theory to understand landowner behavior regarding CWD management. Our analysis will shed light on how hunters and local population perceive the risk of CWD, how they may adjust their hunting (short and long term intentions), and land management behavior in response to CWD emergence, evaluate the relatively preferences and acceptability of various management actions to contain CWD, quantify CWD impact on hunters welfare, evaluate how hunters tradeoff between CWD risk and key hunting lease attributes, and quantify the anticipated economic impacts of CWD on local and regional economy.
Status: Projects under this objective are funded by multiple sources. First, a baseline survey of hunters and non-hunting public including the landowners in the CWD counties was funded by TWRA and completed in 2020. Research findings have been published in multiple journal articles. Second, a newly funded NIFA project in collaboration with Mississippi State University is looking deeper into the economic implications of CWD in Tennessee and Mississippi.
Summary: CWD causes drastic weight loss, stumbling, listlessness, and eventually death infected animals. Even in the face of National effort, CWD has continued to spread. Early detection, and management of CWD-affected animals is critically important for mitigation of the significant ongoing and future impacts of the disease. The methods currently used for detection of CWD prion include immunohistochemistry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Western blotting, protein misfolding cyclic amplification, and real-time quaking-induced conversion. The last two methods have improved sensitivity compared to that of the other methods; however, they require a laboratory setting, skilled examiner, and lengthy assay procedure. Based on our 15-year experience in the development of a rapid and sensitive protein detection platform, we propose to develop a new platform for detecting CWD prion in live animal samples. Live animal testing for CWD will help not only allow diagnosing wild cervids on-site; but will enable identification of degrees of resistance or effective immunity to the disease. Live animal testing opens the door to identify and track locally adapted disease pedigrees. The platform utilizes a combination of magnetic nanoparticles and our newly invented electrochemical detection method, which enables rapid detection of the protein with a higher sensitivity than ELISA. We also aim to develop an inexpensive portable device for the electrochemical detection of CWD prion protein. Once a detection platform is developed for live animal sample testing, we will aim to improve and validate the platform for detection of CWD prions in the environment and then test various land management strategies (e.g., controlled burn, crop rotation) to find ways to either remove the pathogen from the environment or render inaccessible to deer (and others, including other animals and humans).
Status: This project has been funded by UTIA AgResearch, OHI and the USDA Agricultural Research Service. Proof-of-concept has been shown by using a model system (non-pathogenic prion), and the team will visit Kord Animal Health Diagnostic Lab in November 2021 – February 2022 to evaluate and validate the new test with live animal tissues.
Hivi sasa, timu tatu za utafiti wa msingi (CRT) zinafanya kazi kwenye miradi ya CWD kutoka kwa mambo ya (1) harakati za nyati na urithi, (2) mwelekeo wa binadamu na athari za kiuchumi, na (3) kugundua prion na udanganyifu wa mazingira. Kuelewa mambo ya maumbile ya biolojia na ikolojia ya nyati ni muhimu kwa usimamizi na kuiga kuenea kwa CWD. Hata hivyo, tabia za kijamii na kiuchumi na za kibinadamu zinazohusiana na uwindaji wa burudani na wa kujiruzuku lazima pia zizingatiwe ikiwa mikakati ya usimamizi inapaswa kuwa na ufanisi. Kwa hivyo, tunaweza kufikiria kwamba ikolojia ya nyati na tabia, tofauti za maumbile, sifa za mazingira, na msaada wa umma wa usimamizi wa nyati unaweza kutumika kutabiri maambukizi ya ndani na ya kikanda ya CWD. "Tutajenga mifano ya maambukizi ya CWD katika kiwango cha ndani kwa kufuatilia harakati za nyati na kuishi kwa satellite-GPS; kuhesabu mwingiliano wa nyati na mazingira; kufuatilia uzazi wa wanawake na kuajiri; na kupima wiani wa idadi ya watu na uwiano wa jinsia. """ Mifano ya mkoa itashirikiana na habari hii na uchambuzi wa kijiografia wa mtiririko wa jeni; uchambuzi wa maumbile ya prion (viashiria ambavyo vinaweza kuwa chini ya uteuzi ili kutoa upinzani kwa CWD); na athari za sifa za mazingira kwenye kuenea kwa CWD katika nyati za collared. Mkakati mzuri wa kupunguza magonjwa lazima pia ujumuishe utayari wa wawindaji na wamiliki wa ardhi kushiriki katika hatua za usimamizi wa nyati. Kwa hivyo, kwa hivyo, tunatarajia kukadiria jinsi mchakato wa mtu binafsi, wa ndani na wa kikanda unavyoathiri mienendo ya nafasi na ya muda ya kuenea kwa CWD kwenye mazingira. Habari hii itakuwa msingi wa mapendekezo yote ya usimamizi. Kuunganisha muundo wa ugonjwa na ushiriki wa binadamu katika usimamizi utatoa mfumo wa kupunguza CWD katika mnyama wa mwituni. Utafiti huo unafanywa kwa kushirikiana na wanasayansi wa UT na wataalamu wa TWRA, Virginia Tech na Idara ya Rasilimali za Wanyamapori ya Virginia. """Tunaomba kwamba utafiti huu ufikishwe kwa Shirika la Sayansi la Kitaifa la Ecology na Evolution of Infectious Diseases mnamo Novemba 24, 2021." "Kama ilivyoelezwa hapo juu, ""Mafunzo ya sera ya kuwekeza katika udhibiti wa CWD na kuhusisha wawindaji na wamiliki wa ardhi kusimamia CWD inakabiliwa na changamoto nyingi, kwani kwa sasa hatujui: jinsi milipuko ya CWD inavyofanya athari za nje kwa mahitaji na thamani ya uwindaji kama huduma ya ikolojia, jinsi mabadiliko yanayotokana na mahitaji ya uwindaji yanaathiri soko la kukodisha uwindaji na sekta za uchumi wa mkoa." Uwezo wa kugundua hatari, mtazamo, uaminifu, na tabia ya uwindaji na tabia ya mmiliki wa ardhi kuhusu mazoea bora ya usimamizi wa CWD. Kwa kuzingatia mahitaji haya muhimu, tunafanya uchunguzi wa kijamii wa wawindaji na umma wa eneo lisilo la uwindaji, pamoja na wamiliki wa ardhi, kuunda mfano wa kiuchumi wa hali ya nje ya kuenea kwa CWD katika mbinu za thamani ya soko na mbinu za kiuchumi za uingizaji wa uchumi wa uwindaji, na kwa kutumia nadharia ya maslahi ya pamoja kuelewa tabia ya wamiliki wa ardhi kuhusu usimamizi wa CWD. Uchunguzi wetu utaonyesha jinsi wawindaji na watu wa eneo hilo wanavyoona hatari ya ugonjwa wa CWD, jinsi wanaweza kurekebisha uwindaji wao (makusudi ya muda mfupi na ya muda mrefu) na tabia ya usimamizi wa ardhi kwa kukabiliana na kuibuka kwa ugonjwa wa CWD, kutathmini upendeleo wa kiasi na kukubalika kwa hatua mbalimbali za usimamizi ili kuzuia ugonjwa wa CWD, kupima athari za CWD kwa ustawi wa wawindaji, na kupima jinsi wawindaji wanavyopambana na hatari ya CWD. Hali: Miradi chini ya lengo hili ni kufadhiliwa na vyanzo mbalimbali. Uchunguzi wa msingi wa wawindaji na umma usiowindaji, pamoja na wamiliki wa ardhi katika kaunti za CWD, ulifadhiliwa na TWRA na kukamilika mnamo 2020. Matokeo ya utafiti yamechapishwa katika makala nyingi za jarida. Kwa upande mwingine, mradi wa NIFA uliofadhiliwa hivi karibuni kwa kushirikiana na Chuo Kikuu cha Jimbo la Mississippi unaangalia kwa undani zaidi athari za kiuchumi za CWD huko Tennessee na Mississippi. Kwa mfano, ugonjwa wa CWD husababisha kupoteza uzito, kuanguka, kutokuwa na hamu, na hatimaye kifo cha wanyama walioambukizwa. Hata katika hali ya hali ya chini, ugonjwa wa CWD umeendelea kuenea. Ugunduzi wa mapema na usimamizi wa wanyama walioathiriwa na CWD ni muhimu sana kwa kupunguza athari kubwa za sasa na za baadaye za ugonjwa huo. Njia za sasa zinazotumiwa kugundua prion ya CWD ni pamoja na immunohistochemistry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Western blotting, protein misfolding cyclic amplification, na wakati halisi ya kutikisa-induced conversion. Mbinu mbili za mwisho zimeongeza unyeti ikilinganishwa na mbinu nyingine; hata hivyo, zinahitaji mazingira ya maabara, mtafiti mwenye ujuzi, na utaratibu mrefu wa kupima. Kwa kuzingatia uzoefu wetu wa miaka 15 katika maendeleo ya jukwaa la kugundua protini ya haraka na nyeti, tunapendekeza kuendeleza jukwaa jipya la kugundua prion ya CWD katika sampuli za wanyama walio hai. Uchunguzi wa wanyama walio hai kwa CWD utasaidia sio tu kuwezesha utambuzi wa cervids ya mwituni mahali hapo; lakini utawezesha utambulisho wa viwango vya upinzani au kinga ya ufanisi kwa ugonjwa huo. Majaribio ya wanyama walio hai hufungua mlango wa kutambua na kufuatilia ukoo wa magonjwa yaliyobadilishwa mahali hapo. "Platform hutumia mchanganyiko wa nanoparticles ya sumaku na mbinu yetu mpya ya kugundua electrochemical, ambayo inaruhusu kugundua haraka ya protini na unyeti wa juu kuliko ELISA. """ Pia, ni muhimu kuunda kifaa cha kuaminika cha kugundua prion ya CWD. Baada ya kuundwa kwa jukwaa la kugundua kwa ajili ya majaribio ya sampuli ya wanyama hai, tutajaribu kuboresha na kuthibitisha jukwaa kwa ajili ya kugundua prions CWD katika mazingira na kisha kujaribu mikakati mbalimbali ya usimamizi wa ardhi (kwa mfano, kuchoma kudhibitiwa, mzunguko wa mazao) kupata njia ya ama kuondoa vimelea kutoka mazingira au kufanya haiwezekani kwa punda (na wengine, ikiwa ni pamoja na wanyama wengine na watu). Utafiti huu umefadhiliwa na UTIA AgriResearch, OHI na Huduma ya Utafiti wa Kilimo ya USDA. "Kuchunguza kwa ""mfano wa prion isiyo ya pathogenic"" ni muhimu kwa utafiti wa majaribio ya majaribio ya wanyama ya Kord, ambayo itafanyika mnamo Novemba 2021 na Februari 2022 ili kutathmini na kuthibitisha majaribio ya majaribio ya majaribio ya majaribio ya majaribio ya majaribio ya majaribio ya majaribio."