U of M researcher spearheads first-of-its-kind study

WINNIPEG — A researcher at the University of Manitoba is spearheading a first-of-its-kind study into how people are affected by chronic wasting disease (CWD), a highly-contagious, environmentally-transmitted prion disease found in wild animals, particularly deer and elk in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Prof. Stéphane McLachlan of the Environmental Conservation Lab, Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth and Resources at U of M, has been awarded $400,000 to research the implications of CWD for people most vulnerable to the adverse impacts of the disease, especially aboriginal communities.

The funding is being provided by PrioNet Canada in an effort to address the health-related risks posed by bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, commonly known as mad cow disease), CWD and other prion diseases, and to accelerate discoveries in these areas.

The research, co-funded by the Alberta Prion Research Institute, is part of a total infusion of $1.6 million to support three projects, including two additional Alberta-based projects.

"Although no evidence indicates whether or not CWD is transmissible to humans, it may still have severe socioeconomic consequences for hunters, for those in the tourism and nature industries, and especially for aboriginal communities," said McLachlan.

For example, he explained that many aboriginal communities are concerned about contamination and diseases of wildlife and therefore distrust the safety of wild food, which may undermine traditional livelihoods and lead to stress and compromised health.

This multidisciplinary project involves social scientists, wildlife biologists, and veterinarians and will work in close partnership with aboriginal communities in Alberta and Saskatchewan to study the biological, socioeconomic, and cultural implications of CWD. It will also address communication gaps among communities, experts, and other stakeholders about CWD that may have significant implications for human and environmental health.

Prion diseases are fatal and infectious diseases in humans and animals associated with a "sponge-like" degeneration of brain tissue. In some cases, such as BSE, prion diseases can spread from animals to humans.

The 2003 discovery of a Canadian case of BSE cost Canada billions of dollars, with rural communities and the agriculture, food and export industries hit the hardest.

PrioNet Canada, a federal Networks of Centres of Excellence, was created in 2005 in response to this crisis. Since that time, PrioNet has evolved into one of the largest prion research networks in the world, working to mitigate and prevent the harmful effect of these diseases on society.

city.desk@freepress.mb.ca