The disease turns deer into living corpses that can infect humans

Scientists fear a neuropathy that kills North American deer can spread to humans.

This is an infectious disease, often spread through infected saliva and stools.

Chronic cachexia (CWD) , also known as "dead deer" disease, is caused by prions. Prions are heterologous proteins that accumulate in certain organs. The infected deer can live for two years before the symptoms appear: weight loss, lots of drool and behavioral changes.

This is an infectious disease, often spread through infected saliva and droppings of deer, which can contaminate the environment and transmit diseases to other animals.

Prion diseases are often limited in some species, but can evolve to overcome barriers between species and transmit diseases to new hosts.

Although no one has been infected with CWD, there have been monkeys in a recent study infected after eating infected deer meat.