WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A mountain lion from Colorado has become the first recorded case of staggering disease in North America, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
On May 12, 2023, the year-old mountain lion was found partially paralyzed in a residential area in Douglas County.
'The animal was reluctant to rise and had markedly decreased capacity to move or bear weight on the hind end,' the early CDC study published in the journal 'Emerging Infectious Diseases' stated.
'The animal moved by pulling itself forward with the front legs, while minimally propelling itself forward with the hind legs. The animal appeared depressed but was still responsive to stimuli.'
The wildlife officers tranquilized and then euthanized the animal.
A year later, researchers revealed that the lion's 'histopathology, and metatranscriptome sequencing suggested staggering disease,' which is caused by rustrela virus.
'We found particularly abundant or large, dot-like signals in the granule cell layer of the hippocampus and in Purkinje cells of the cerebellum, similar to findings from staggering disease cases in cats from Europe,' the study stated.
Staggering disease is generally seen in domestic cats in Europe, particularly Sweden and Austria. It is now also found in horses, possums, and lions. The virus attacks muscles and nervous system, causing abnormal gait, ataxia progressing to paralysis, lower back pain and behavioral changes.
'Of note, a remarkably broad range of other mammalian RusV hosts have been identified in Germany, including equids, mustelids, rodents, and marsupials, raising concerns about a zoonotic potential of RusV,' the study continued. 'Given the wide host range of the virus in Europe, RusV should be considered as a possible cause for neurologic diseases in all mammal species in North America.'
The lead author of the paper and former Colorado Parks and Wildlife pathologist Karen Fox, said that the diagnosis was possible due to collaboration with researchers at the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut in Germany.
'Now that we know what we're looking for, it should be easier to find new cases if they are out there,' Fox commented. 'With continued collaboration, we plan to learn what we can from our colleagues in Europe while we continue to look for new cases of staggering disease here in Colorado.'
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