Graduate Research Assistant, Pursuing M.S. in Wildlife, Aquatic and Wildland Sciences

Surveillance and prevalence of potential disease in pronghorn and mule deer in sympatry with livestock

Growing up in Durango, CO, I was able to experience the best mountain living had to offer with numerous opportunities for hiking, wildlife viewing, trail running, and camping. For college, I chose to remain in Durango and attend Fort Lewis College, earning a B.S. in Biology in 2018. I moved to Texas thereafter to pursue my M.S. in Wildlife Biology at West Texas A&M University but transferred to Texas Tech University in 2020 to pursue my interest in chronic wasting disease and other wildlife diseases.

My thesis research focuses on utilizing PCR-based methods to ascertain prion disease susceptibility in pronghorn and disease risk of both pronghorn and mule deer to Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus. Pronghorn are known to be sympatric with known CWD-susceptible species such as elk, white-tailed deer, and mule deer. Additionally, on both a national level and in Texas, pronghorn inhabit much of the established chronic wasting disease-endemic areas and containment zones. Understanding some level of susceptibility to CWD in pronghorn is important for their conservation. Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus  (BVDV) typically occurs in cattle, but studies from many western states have documented spillover into various wild ungulates including mule deer, white-tailed deer, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, and mountain goats; all of which have become heterologous hosts for this virus. This chapter of my thesis aims to use two screening methods to identify if BVDV has spilled over into mule deer and pronghorn as well as identify if there are any persistently infected individuals, which is indicative of wildlife being endemic. No such study has been conducted in Texas, and the impacts of this disease on wildlife are largely unknown.