Pennsylvania Project: Landscape genetics of white-tailed deer to assess population structure for surveillance of chronic wasting disease

Pennsylvania Project

Landscape genetics of white-tailed deer to assess population structure for surveillance of chronic wasting disease

July 2014 - June 2017

Personnel

Participating Agencies

Pennsylvania Game Commission

Research on surveillance strategies, that consider demographic and environmental factors, is lacking in most states CWD has not been found. Developing surveillance strategies to maximize efficiency of sampling white-tailed deer has been recommended but requires knowledge of deer behavior, movements, and spatial connectivity of populations. Landscape genetics can provide the necessary framework to understand landscape features, dispersal characteristics of deer, and transmission and spread of CWD through assessment of population structure throughout a region.

Research Publications

Research Publications	Publication Date
Miller, W.M., C.M. Miller-Butterworth, D.R. Diefenbach, and W.D. Walter. 2020. Assessment of spatial genetic structure to identify populations at risk for infection of an emerging epizootic disease. Ecology and Evolution 10(9):3977–3990; https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.6161 \| Download	May 2020
Miller, W.L., J. Edson, P. Pietrandrea, C. Miller-Butterworth, and W. David Walter. 2019. Identification and evaluation of a core microsatellite panel for use in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). BMC Genetics 20:49.	June 2019
Miller, W.L. and W.D. Walter. 2020. Can genetic assignment tests provide insight on the influence of captive egression on the epizootiology of chronic wasting disease? Evolutionary Applications. 13:715–726; https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.12895. \| Publisher Website	March 2020
Miller, W.L. and W. D. Walter. 2019. Spatial heterogeneity of prion gene polymorphisms in an area recently infected by chronic wasting disease. Prion 13: 65-76. \| Abstract	February 2019	Genetic variability in the prion protein (PRNP) gene influences host susceptibility to many pathogenic prion diseases. Understanding the distribution of susceptible PRNP variants and determining factors influencing spatial genetic patterns are important components of many chronic wasting disease mitigation strategies. Here, we describe PRNP variability in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) from the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States of America, an area with a recent history of infection and low disease incidence. This population is characterized by lower rates of polymorphism and significantly higher frequencies of the more susceptible 96GG genotype compared to previously surveyed populations. The prevalence of the most susceptible genotypes at disease-associated loci did vary among subregions, indicating that populations have innate differences in genotype-dictated susceptibility.
Edson, J., J. Brown, W.L. Miller, and W. D. Walter. 2021. Comparison of sample types from white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) for DNA extraction and analyses. Scientific Reports 11, 10003. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-89390-2 \| Abstract	May 2021	Collection of biological samples for DNA is necessary in a variety of disciplines including disease epidemiology, landscape genetics, and forensics. Quantity and quality of DNA varies depending on the method of collection or media available for collection (e.g., blood, tissue, fecal). Blood is the most common sample collected in vials or on Whatman FTA cards with short- and long-term storage providing adequate DNA for study objectives. The focus of this study was to determine if biological samples other than blood stored on Whatman FTA Elute cards were a reasonable alternative to traditional DNA sample collection, storage and extraction. Tissue, nasal swabs, and ocular fluid were collected from white-tailed deer (<i>Odocoileus virginianus</i>). Tissue samples acted as a control to compare extraction and DNA suitability for microsatellite analysis for nasal swabs and nasal swabs and ocular fluid extracted from FTA Elute cards. We determined that FTA Elute cards improved the extraction time and storage of samples and that nasal swabs and ocular fluid containing pigmented fluid were reasonable alternatives to traditional tissue DNA extractions. Also, DNA extractions from nasal swabs provided ample DNA but did not improve extraction time or storage of samples.

Presentations

Presentations	Presentation Date
Fameli, A., C.S. Rosenberry, K.L. Schuler, M.J. Tonkovich, J.E. Edson, and W.D. Walter. 2024. Large-scale assessment of genetic structure of white-tailed deer: applications to genetic assignment tests. Joint Meeting of The Pennsylvania Chapter of Wildlife Society and the Pennsylvania Biological Survey, State College, PA, 22-23 March 2024.	March 2024

Theses and Dissertations

Theses and Dissertations	Publication Date
Miller, W.L. 2018. The genetic structure of white-tailed deer to evaluate the potential epizootiology of chronic wasting disease in an area of recent emergence. The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 212 pp.	December 2018

Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Pennsylvania Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources