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A midgut-transmitted virus has killed several deer in central Minnesota, the DNR said.
The DNR claims to have confirmed the first two cases of epizootic haemorrhagic disease (EHD) in wild deer in Stearns County.
The viral disease is transmitted by the gnat, a stinging insect, and is believed to have caused the death of several cervids in the St. Stephen area.
Although only two deer died of the virus, the others were "too decomposed to be tested," although the outbreak is currently limited to Stearns County.
"All neighboring states have been using the JEP for years," said Lou Cornicelli, head of wildlife research at DNR. "So, it was always about when it would happen in Minnesota."
Cornicelli notes that the EHD is natural and seasonal, so the DNR is waiting for the epidemic to be shortened, because the gel that will soon appear should kill the virus and the midges that carry it.
The disease incubates for 5 to 10 days, the deer usually dying within 36 hours of the onset of symptoms.
Two other JEP cases were confirmed in captive deer in Houston County on September 5, but these cases are unrelated to Stearns County.
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Neighboring states, including Wisconsin and Iowa, as well as several other Midwestern states, report deaths from the JEP each year, which can result in hundreds of deaths among the local population, although this is not the case. Generally does not affect the deer population.
This comes as Minnesota continues to mitigate the effects of another more common deer virus, the chronic wasting disease, which has been detected in several counties and has resulted in a change in hunting guidelines.
Deer infected by the JEP tend to be near water sources, as this causes a fever that causes them to seek water, but they eventually die of "internal lesions and wounds". ; bleeding. "
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