EHD Continues to Gain Ground in Research Importance

I met a young woman at the TDA convention who is working on her Ph, D . She is taking on a big task in the big state of Texas. Her research will determine the distribution of the Culicoides. She has a daunting job but it shows that EHD is continually getting more attention. I put her in contact with Dr. Lane Foil at LSU. Dr. Foil is an expert veterinary entomologist with a long background in work with the Culicoides. Good news for all of us in the deer industry.

EHD Research Funding for Louisiana State University

LSU is conducting extensive research on EHD and how the vector Culicoides sp. causes the virus to infect whitetails.  This work is extremely important to deer breeders and sportsman alike because large numbers of deer can die from EHD and Blue Tongue each year whether they are in breeding operations or in the wild.  The deaths in the wild may go largely unnoticed because when a deer is sick it seeks out dense cover to hide in.  If they die there, within days the carcass is reduced to bones in the heat of summer.  In the fall during hunting season the remains would seldom be discovered.

LSU has taken a different approach to their research at their newly established Wildlife Institute.  Vaccines produced so far have been largely unsuccessful.  Instead of culturing the virus from infected deer to produce a vaccine, they will determine why the virus doesn't infect the deer if injected into them.  For the deer to become infected it seems that the gnat has to bite them.  They believe that there may be a component of the saliva that is triggering something that allows the virus to become infectious in the animal.  If they can isolate what causes the infection, they can produce a vaccine that can be challenge-tested.  If successful, this may be the first vaccine that is actually effective in controlling these devastating diseases.  If a vaccine can be produced and made for oral use, it may prove to be very important in preventing catastrophic deaths in the wild.

Any sportsman that loves the whitetail and wants to keep a healthy population to hunt should be interested in this new research.  If you know of anyone, a company or organization that can help with funding please contact me and I'll get you in touch with someone at LSU that will be happy for the assistance.  Their research facility will not be a fancy new building.  Their money will go to staff and equipment.  It will not be wasted.  They have been very eager to work with our Whitetails of Louisiana organization.  We hope to form a close working relationship with them because we see first hand how devastating this disease is.  Thanks for your interest in this new era of EHD research.

EHD research on the Culicoides sp. midge

I'm trapping insects every 2 weeks until it freezes for the summer and fall of 2012 at our Whitetail Rack Ranch for LSU.  LSU established a new Wildlife Institute under their Ag Dept and will be doing intensive EHD research.  If you have information on which species of the Culicoides are in your area at various times of the year and which serotype of EHD or BT please let me know.  The data will be valuable to their study.  They have suggested that the reason the current vaccines are not very effective is that there is a component that is yet undiscovered causing the infectious stage of the virus.  LSU has injected the pure virus into deer without them getting sick.  Culicoides biting the deer does get them sick.  They believe there is something going on with the insect that causes the infection.  It could be a component of the saliva.  A breakthrough in what triggers the virus to become infectious will be a huge step towards producing a vaccine that can be challenge tested.  If it works, we can all benefit from an effective vaccine.  I'll be happy to forward information to them but it has to be EHD cases that have been verified through a diagnostic lab.  Thanks!!!