this post was submitted on 22 Dec 2023
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[–] Wahots@pawb.social 108 points 11 months ago (9 children)

This is literally why we have apex predators such as wolves. They help clamp down on the old and the sick so that prions (mad cow disease) does not spread to other species or humans. It cannot infect wolves.

When you kill off all the apex predators, like when Montana governor Greg Gianforte authorized the massacre of 100 wolves, you see explosions of extremely dangerous diseases and land degradation as deer damage tree roots, gardens, meadows, streams, and farms.

Not only that, but killing members of wolf packs causes their families to fall apart and everyone to scatter. That means wolves alone. Which cannot hunt pack animals which require coordination. So then they go after the easiest meal: dumbass farm animals who have zero survival instincts and whose ranchers no longer employ people to look after the herds in great enough numbers like the olden days. The cycle then perpetuates, as mad-cow contaminated soils spread and spread....

[–] otterpop@lemmy.world 16 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Can't infect wolves? I'm no expert here but I don't feel like a vertebrate mammal with a brain could be completely immune to prions. Do you have any more information on that claim?

[–] Wahots@pawb.social 19 points 11 months ago (3 children)

It's in the OP article. They haven't found any infections yet, and it doesn't appear to affect them. Apex predators have, prior to human intervention, always hunted the old, the young, and the sick. Mother nature appears to have found a way around apex predators all dying from disease to balance the environment.

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[–] guacupado@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago

Yeah! Fuck deer!

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[–] vexikron@lemmy.zip 45 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

If a mad-cow-like disease jumped the barrier to humans and began spreading through Americans, the main problem in eradicating it would be that basically no one would be able to tell the difference from the average 'Enthusiastic' Republican Voter and someone whose brain is melting due to an actual pathogen.

[–] sharkfucker420@lemmy.ml 2 points 11 months ago (4 children)

I don't think enough people are eating venison regularly for a this prion to be a serious threat even if it manages to transmit to humans

[–] vexikron@lemmy.zip 6 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Have you seen zombie movies? It only takes ONE unassuming hunter... and then it immediately mutates into blah blah magic nonsense ensues...

and then it is airborne, and bloodborne

...

You are correct of course. =P

[–] sharkfucker420@lemmy.ml 3 points 11 months ago

Reminds me of train to busan because of the opening lol

[–] Wahots@pawb.social 6 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Shoot an infected deer in the head or have it otherwise die violently on the ground. Prions can last in the soil for years and years. Misfolded proteins are basically invulnerable, even in shit like autoclaves. If cows eat grass that has prions on them, that shit could potentially jump. And a lot of people ranch their cattle on public lands where infected deer are, and where wolves are unavailable due to politicians, who would otherwise prevent infected deer from spreading.

The best thing that we can do is have wolves clamp down on the few infected deer immediately rather than generate large pools of infection that then start cross-contaminating domestic livestock. Prions and ebola are the two things that really keep me up at night.

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[–] wildginger@lemmy.myserv.one 4 points 11 months ago

Deer arent eating venison regularly enough to explain the rate of its spread among deer.

Its moving through them someplace else. Which means if it jumps to us, its moving through us someplace else too. And we dont actually know for sure how its moving through them.

[–] Fondots@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

It probably depends on where you are, different parts of the country and different social circles have more or less hunters and different hunting cultures.

I know that around me in the circles I run in I pretty much everyone I know either hunts or has a friend (or multiple friends) who does and can/will hook them up with venison now and then.

If you have a couple hunters in a family, they fill all of their tags, are generous about sharing their venison with family and friends, if they're unlucky enough that those deer have CWD, then that could potentially be dozens of people exposed.

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[–] BeautifulMind@lemmy.world 14 points 11 months ago (1 children)

scientists raise fears it may jump to humans

Who says it hasn't? I mean, have you looked at our politics lately?

[–] catsarebadpeople@sh.itjust.works 11 points 11 months ago

POLITICS! Amiright folks?!

[–] Cyberflunk@lemmy.world 12 points 11 months ago (1 children)
[–] afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago

Agreed. Kinda wonder if this is going to be what takes us out as a species one day.

A truck with all the proper paperwork arrives at the border and drops a trailer in the middle of a lot. The doors open and an automated lab just continues to selectively breed up prions in its thousands of samples of human brain cells. Eventually something wanders in, maybe a hungry animal, maybe a curious person. The prion soup enters into the ecosystem.

[–] FaceDeer@kbin.social 12 points 11 months ago

A particularly concerning illness for me.

[–] yourNewFavouriteUser@sh.itjust.works 11 points 11 months ago (2 children)

who had zombie invasion on their 2024 bingo card?

[–] RickyRigatoni@lemmy.ml 6 points 11 months ago (1 children)

it's always on my bingo card. i am a very hopeful person.

[–] Reckless_Moose@ttrpg.network 3 points 11 months ago

It's nice to finally see some optimism.

[–] Astronautical@sh.itjust.works 5 points 11 months ago

Honestly, natural disaster/Apocalypse has been on mine since 2021

[–] CobblerScholar@lemmy.world 10 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Oh its totally fine it's not like we've made the planet warmer allowing viruses to mutilate easier and for longer or like how we haven't been taking part in a centuries long destruction of the deers native habitat forcing them into populated areas right?... Right?

[–] rtxn@lemmy.world 11 points 11 months ago (1 children)
[–] MotoAsh@lemmy.world 4 points 11 months ago (2 children)

I mean, doesn't that reinforce their point, since many other pathogens are even more touchy on heat?

[–] girlfreddy@lemmy.ca 13 points 11 months ago (1 children)

It's actually worse than a virus.

Once an environment is infected, the pathogen is extremely hard to eradicate. It can persist for years in dirt or on surfaces, and scientists report it is resistant to disinfectants, formaldehyde, radiation and incineration at 600C (1,100F).

[–] match@pawb.social 8 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

The pathogen in question is a prion (a mutant contagious protein molecule)

[–] rtxn@lemmy.world 5 points 11 months ago

Not this pathogen. Prions are not living organisms, not even as much as viruses, and are extremely resistant to both heat and cold. It's the same stuff that caused the mad cow disease in Britain.

[–] otterpop@lemmy.world 7 points 11 months ago

I believe it's made the jump into a certain species of monkey in a lab environment last I knew, but the jump to humans hasn't been seen and isn't a given. This is a clickbait title. If you're hunting game, make sure to get it tested with samples taken at a wildlife check station before consuming and you're likely safe here.

[–] Saltycracker@lemmy.world 5 points 11 months ago

I know this has been going on for years. Still needs more research

[–] Cosmicomical@kbin.social 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)
[–] GeekFTW@kbin.social 4 points 11 months ago (1 children)

(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻

[–] USSEthernet@startrek.website 2 points 11 months ago

┬──┬ ノ( ゜-゜ノ)

[–] Mighty@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

One estimate in 2017 suggested humans could be eating up to 15,000 CWD-infected animals a year in the

Yeah, no, eating animals is surely never a bad idea. They compare it to the BSE cases that caused years and years of consequences.

[–] girlfreddy@lemmy.ca 3 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

The biggest problem with BSE was the idjit who decided that grinding up the offal from butchered cattle (even the sick and dead ones) should then be mixed into cattle feed.

It was a self-propagating hot mess that affected multiple nations, including Canada.

[–] snooggums@kbin.social 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Industrially applied cannibalism is a terrible idea for multiple reasons.

[–] girlfreddy@lemmy.ca 2 points 11 months ago

Yup. Just capitalism trying to save money on disposal fees while simultaneously making money selling infected shit as feed.

[–] Davel23@kbin.social 2 points 11 months ago

Can't say this is entirely what I expected from 2024, but I will say it is completely on-brand.

[–] theodewere@kbin.social 2 points 11 months ago

Once an environment is infected, the pathogen is extremely hard to eradicate. It can persist for years in dirt or on surfaces, and scientists report it is resistant to disinfectants, formaldehyde, radiation and incineration at 600C (1,100F).

right, prions officially suck.. also no known cure or vaccine..

[–] AnneBonny@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 11 months ago

It'd be an improvement for some people.

[–] WhyYesZoidberg@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago

Yeah here we go! We all wanted a zombie outbreak and all we got was corona lockdowns. This is more like it! Bring it on!

/s

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