2026: Is Chronic Wasting Disease Spreading Like Wildfire? Or Is Wildfire Spreading CWD?
This project investigates whether wildfire smoke could serve as a previously unrecognized pathway for spreading chronic wasting disease (CWD), a fatal prion disease affecting deer and related species across North America. Climate-driven megafires are increasing in scale and intensity, while CWD outbreaks continue to appear in disconnected locations without clear explanation. Building on evidence that wildfire smoke can aerosolize microbial life, researchers hypothesize that smoke may also transport infectious prions from contaminated soil, vegetation, or animal remains. The team will conduct controlled combustion experiments using CWD-contaminated materials under wildfire-like conditions and test smoke emissions for the presence of prions using highly sensitive molecular assays. Statistical modeling will identify the fire conditions most likely to facilitate airborne transmission. If confirmed, the findings could fundamentally reshape wildlife disease management, wildfire policy, and ecosystem resilience planning under accelerating climate change, advancing One Health resilience at continental scale.
Investigators: Alyssa Kaganer (Veterinary College/Public and Ecosystem Health) Brenda Hanley (Veterinary College/Public and Ecosystem Health), Alistair Hayden (Veterinary College/Public and Ecosystem Health), Angela Fuller (Cornell CALS/Ashley School/Natural Resources and the Environment), Dominic Balog-Way (Cornell CALS/Communication)