Publications by authors named "Marianne Gagnier"
Article Synopsis
- White-tailed deer (WTD) were studied for SARS-CoV-2 infection in a sample of 258 collected from Québec, Canada, revealing the presence of Delta variant RNA.
- Viral genomic analysis showed clusters of infected deer sequences matched human cases from Vermont, indicating potential cross-species transmission.
- The study identified differences in immune response between humans and infected WTD, highlighting unique host responses to the virus and providing important information for disease surveillance in wildlife.
Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, is capable of infecting a variety of wildlife species. Wildlife living in close contact with humans are at an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 exposure and, if infected, have the potential to become a reservoir for the pathogen, making control and management more difficult. The objective of this study is to conduct SARS-CoV-2 surveillance in urban wildlife from Ontario and Québec, increasing our knowledge of the epidemiology of the virus and our chances of detecting spillover from humans into wildlife.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRabies virus (RABV) is a deadly zoonosis that circulates in wild carnivore populations in North America. Intensive management within the USA and Canada has been conducted to control the spread of the raccoon () variant of RABV and work towards elimination. We examined RABV occurrence across the northeastern USA and southeastern Québec, Canada during 2008–2018 using a multi-method, dynamic occupancy model.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWildlife reservoirs of broad-host-range viruses have the potential to enable evolution of viral variants that can emerge to infect humans. In North America, there is phylogenomic evidence of continual transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from humans to white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) through unknown means, but no evidence of transmission from deer to humans. We carried out an observational surveillance study in Ontario, Canada during November and December 2021 (n = 300 deer) and identified a highly divergent lineage of SARS-CoV-2 in white-tailed deer (B.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) was first detected in Québec, Canada, in a red deer farm in September 2018, prompting immediate action to assess and control its spread among white-tailed deer.
- The Ministry of Forests, Wildlife, and Parks initiated a response plan that included enhanced surveillance, culling 750 deer, and testing a significant number of them for CWD to monitor prevalence.
- Despite no cases of CWD being found in free-ranging deer during testing, the absence of immediate cases does not eliminate the possibility of the disease being present, though current data indicates low infection rates.