Data from: Endemic chronic wasting disease causes mule deer population decline in Wyoming

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal transmissible spongiform encephalopathy affecting white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni), and moose (Alces alces shirasi) in North America. In southeastern Wyoming average annual CWD prevalence in mule deer exceeds 20% and appears to contribute to regional population declines. We determined the effect of CWD on mule deer demography using age-specific, female-only, CWD transition matrix models to estimate the population growth rate (λ). Mule deer were captured from 2010–2014 in southern Converse County Wyoming, USA. Captured adult (≥ 1.5 years old) deer were tested ante-mortem for CWD using tonsil biopsies and monitored using radio telemetry. Mean annual survival rates of CWD-negative and CWD-positive deer were 0.76 and 0.32, respectively. Pregnancy and fawn recruitment were not observed to be influenced by CWD. We estimated λ = 0.79, indicating an annual population decline of 21% under current CWD prevalence levels. A model derived from the demography of only CWD-negative individuals yielded; λ = 1.00, indicating a stable population if CWD were absent. These findings support CWD as a significant contributor to mule deer population decline. Chronic wasting disease is difficult or impossible to eradicate with current tools, given significant environmental contamination, and at present our best recommendation for control of this disease is to minimize spread to new areas and naïve cervid populations.慢性消耗病（Chronic wasting disease, CWD）是一种致命的传染性海绵状脑病，在北美地区可感染白尾鹿（*Odocoileus virginianus*）、骡鹿（*Odocoileus hemionus*）、落基山马鹿（*Cervus elaphus nelsoni*）及北美驼鹿（*Alces alces shirasi*）。在美国怀俄明州东南部，骡鹿的CWD年均流行率超过20%，且该疾病似乎是当地种群数量下降的重要诱因。本研究采用仅针对雌性的年龄特异性CWD转移矩阵模型，估算种群增长率（λ），以明确CWD对骡鹿种群统计学特征的影响。研究样本于2010—2014年间在美国怀俄明州康弗斯县南部捕获，对其中年龄≥1.5岁的成年个体采用扁桃体活检开展CWD生前检测，并通过无线电遥测技术进行追踪监测。CWD阴性与CWD阳性个体的年均存活率分别为0.76与0.32；研究未发现CWD对妊娠率及幼鹿种群补充率存在显著影响。本研究估算得到λ=0.79，表明在当前CWD流行水平下，骡鹿种群年均下降幅度达21%。仅基于CWD阴性个体种群统计学特征构建的模型估算得到λ=1.00，提示若不存在CWD，骡鹿种群将维持稳定。上述结果证实，CWD是导致骡鹿种群数量下降的关键诱因。鉴于环境中存在大量污染物，当前的防控手段难以甚至无法根除CWD；目前针对该疾病的最优防控策略为，尽可能减少其向新区域及易感鹿类种群的传播。