PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State University pathologists have identified a rare case of plague in a mule deer found in Idaho.
This instance marks the first documented occurrence of deer plague in the state. The deer was discovered blind and emaciated in Custer County on June 9.
The animal was euthanized by an Idaho Department of Fish and Game officer the following day, with tissue samples sent to the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (WADDL) for testing.
Elie Fisk a pathology resident at WADDL, noted the strange observations the deer had when testing.
“When we received the samples, the eyes appeared highly abnormal. Usually, when you cut into the eye, it contains clear fluid, but in this case, it was filled with thick, reddish-brown debris,” Fisk said.
Testing confirmed the plague was, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, occurs naturally in the western United States and typically affects wild rodents and other animals.
The disease was found in the deer’s eye but was not present in the other tissue samples.
Human exposure to plague can result in severe illness or death without antibiotic treatment and wildlife officials advise avoiding any blind or abnormal-behaving animals and reporting sightings to state wildlife agencies.
Despite the rarity of plague in deer, WSU reported the case to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as required. All samples were destroyed after testing for safety reasons.
