Trueperella (Arcanobacterium pyogenes) in Farmed White-Tailed Deer

A fawn at a private deer farm. Photo by Tyler Jones taken on 10-13-15

Trueperella is a harmless bacterium in intestinal tracts of ruminants like deer, cattle, and pigs, but if it migrates out of the intestine to other areas of an animal’s body and proliferates, it can make the animal sick. Trueperella causes many problems in deer, including lesions, abscesses, and pneumonia, and it is one of the types of bacteria that is known to contribute to the disease lumpy jaw. In young fawns, it is a common cause of death. This 3-page fact sheet written by Kathryn D. Pothier, Katherine A. Sayler, and Samantha M. Wisely and published by the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation explains how to spot and treat trueperella, or, better yet, prevent it in the first place.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw427

Facts about Wildlife Diseases: Hemorrhagic Fever in White-Tailed Deer

deer

The viruses that cause hemorrhagic disease (HD) in deer do not cause illness in people, but they are a growing problem. HD is the most important viral disease of white-tailed deer in the United States. Large outbreaks have occurred in the northern Midwest and western United States. In Florida outbreaks are fewer and less severe in populations of wild white-tailed deer than are outbreaks among wild deer in other areas of the United States, but farm-raised deer in the state are proving vulnerable to epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus: one of the viruses that cause HD. This 6-page fact sheet written by Katherine A. Sayler, Charlotte Dow, and Samantha M. Wisely and published by the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation describes best management techniques for outbreaks of HD in farm-raised deer. It includes strategies for best supportive care for sick animals, diagnostics, and integrated pest management to control biting midges that spread the viruses that cause HD, because the best way to manage HD is to prevent it.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw411