2009 journal article

Intracranial Abscessation as a Natural Mortality Factor for Adult Male White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) in Kent County, Maryland, USA

JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE DISEASES, 45(1), 196–200.

By: G. Karns n, R. Lancia n, C. DePerno n , M. Conner* & M. Stoskopf n

author keywords: Arcanobacterium pyogenes; intracranial abscessation; Maryland; Odocoileus virginianus; Texas; white-tailed deer
MeSH headings : Actinomycetales Infections / epidemiology; Actinomycetales Infections / mortality; Actinomycetales Infections / veterinary; Age Factors; Animals; Animals, Wild / microbiology; Arcanobacterium / isolation & purification; Brain Abscess / epidemiology; Brain Abscess / microbiology; Brain Abscess / mortality; Brain Abscess / veterinary; Cause of Death; Deer / microbiology; Male; Maryland / epidemiology; Prevalence; Sex Factors; Texas / epidemiology
TL;DR: The rate of intracranial abscess among adult male white-tailed deer at the Maryland, USA, site (35%) exceeds reported rates for other regions of the United States (9%). (via Semantic Scholar)
UN Sustainable Development Goal Categories
3. Good Health and Well-being (Web of Science; OpenAlex)
Source: Web Of Science
Added: August 6, 2018

Intracranial abscessation is a cause of natural mortality among free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) across portions of the United States and Canada. Intracranial abscesses caused by Arcanobacterium pyogenes disproportionately affect adult male white-tailed deer. From 2003–08, we evaluated the occurrence of intracranial abscessation among adult (≥2.5 yr) radiocollared male white-tailed deer (n=33) at a large private property in Kent County, Maryland, USA. We documented mortality and necropsied 26 (79%) of the 33 deer. In 2007, we collected swabs from the antler bases and nasopharyngeal membranes of living male white-tailed deer in Maryland, USA (n=9), and Texas, USA (n=10), and from freshly rubbed (n=7) and unrubbed (n=7) trees in Maryland, USA. Swabs were cultured for the presence or absence of A. pyogenes. In Maryland, USA, nine (35%) of the 26 necropsied radiocollared male deer had intracranial abscesses. Five (56%) of nine Maryland, USA, males, and none (0%) of 10 Texas, USA, males cultured positive for A. pyogenes. No rubbed or unrubbed trees at the Maryland site cultured positive for A. pyogenes. The rate of intracranial abscess among adult male white-tailed deer at the Maryland, USA, site (35%) exceeds reported rates for other regions of the United States (9%).