Zombie deer disease "could spread in humans through infected meat"

A deadly disease that has devastated deer in 24 US states could someday spread to humans, an expert warned.

It was previously thought that the so-called zombie deer disease could not be passed on to the population, unlike the mad cow disease epidemic in the 1980s and 90s.

However, an expert has now stated that cases of humans infected with chronic debilitating disease (CDD) may occur in the next few years.

Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, issued this warning to state lawmakers last week.

"It is likely that human cases of chronic wasting disease associated with the consumption of contaminated meat will be documented in the years to come."

"It is possible that the number of human cases is substantial and not an isolated event."

He added: "It's like throwing at the genetic roulette table."

"If Stephen King could write a novel about an infectious disease, he would write about prions."

MDC is a kind of disease known as prion disease. It is spread by deer in body fluids, drinking water and contaminated food.

The disease attacks the brain of infected deer and spinal cord tissue, causing the prion protein cells to explode.

In his speech, reported by USA Today, Osterholm also compared the threat to that of mad cow disease that killed 156 people in the UK in the 1990s.

There is no known case of CWD in humans after its discovery in wild animals 40 years ago and in deer in captivity in the late 1960s.

However, studies have shown that it can be transmitted to animals other than deer, including primates.

In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that contaminated meat is the most likely means to transmit it to the population.

In the United States, about 7,000 to 16,000 animals are infected with CWD each year.

Many national regulations prevent people from eating infected meat.