What are prion diseases? Hunters died of fatal disorder [Video]

(NEXSTAR) – A recent report published in the medical journal Neurology suggests that two hunters contracted Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a fatal neurological disorder, after eating venison obtained from deer infected with chronic wasting disease.

For years, researchers have thought cross-species transmission of chronic wasting disease (CWD) to be plausible. But this latest report, describing what researchers call a “cluster” of cases, presents some of the strongest evidence yet of possible animal-to-human transmission.

“Although causation remains unproven, this cluster emphasizes the need for further investigation into the potential risks of consuming CWD-infected deer and its implications for public health,” researchers at the University of Texas at San Antonio, who authored the report, said of their findings.

The two hunters described in report’s case studies had been from the same lodge, and were both known to consumer meat from deer belonging to a CWD-infected population.

Both of the hunters contracted fatal cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, …