Did you know white-tailed deer, often seen as a lean and healthy wild game, can carry many parasites? Parasites in white-tailed deer are usually harmless to humans but affect the deer’s health and meat quality.
In this article, we will explore the world of parasites in white-tailed deer. We’ll look at their prevalence, life cycles, and how they affect the deer and the meat we eat.
The big question is, whenever you’re about to enjoy your next venison meal, will you think about the parasites that might be in your deer?
Parasite Diversity and Abundance
Generally, deer can have a variety of parasites like ticks, keds, mites, lice, and more. These include nasal bots, lungworms, and over 32 types of worms in their stomachs. Although most deer have some parasites, they usually do not have too many.
Some parasites however, can make deer sick. For example, Haemonchus contortus and Strongyloides papillosus. Haemonchus contortus larvae thrive in warm, moist places and can infect deer easily in such areas.
Other parasites like Moniezia spp., Taenia hydatigena, and Taenia omissa are found in deer too. They act as final hosts for Moniezia spp. and intermediate hosts for other tapeworms.
Deer and livestock can spread parasites to each other therefore deer near sheep farms will often have more parasites than those far away. Let’s examine the following 5 important things you need to know about parasites in white-tailed deer.
1. Prevalent Parasites in White-Tailed Deer
There are many internal and external parasites in White-tailed deer. On average, each deer has almost 4,000 different parasites. This is because deer play a key role in the life cycles of these parasites.
White-tailed deer host a variety of parasites like liver flukes, lungworms, meningeal worms, and abdominal worms. These parasites have complex life cycles, involving multiple hosts, and can harm the deer’s health.
They cause issues from neurological problems to wasting away. Don’t be scared! Cooking deer meat properly can remove any health risks to humans.
2. Role Of Parasite In White-Tailed Deer
Parasites make up 40 to 50 percent of all animal species. There are up to 300,000 types of worms that live on vertebrates. These parasites come from 15 different groups, including humans, insects, and jellyfish.
Parasites are key in the food web, making up 75 percent of food web links. They help control pests, saving billions of dollars. But, they face threats like climate change and habitat loss, with many specialist parasites at risk.
Every endangered species has parasites that depend on it. If the host species disappears, they could too. Sadly, less than 10 percent of parasite species are well-studied.
Parasites in white-tailed deer form a complex network of interactions which are crucial in the ecosystem. They act as both predators and prey. Deer serve as the main hosts for many parasites, most of which have evolved to use deer and other hosts to survive.
This relationship between parasites and deer affects deer health and the environment. There however, still exists a big gap in knowledge about wildlife parasites and how their populations change.
It is therefore important to understand parasites to keep deer healthy and stop disease spread.
External Parasites in White-Tailed Deer: Ticks and Keds
White-tailed deer have many external parasites, but ticks are the biggest worry. These tiny pests can spread serious diseases like Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever to people. Ticks can stay alive on the ground for a long time without eating.
This means you need to treat areas often to stop them from coming back. Tick infestations don’t usually kill adult deer. But, they can cause a lot of death in fawns in some places.
There are also deer keds, a fly that sucks the blood of deer. Deer keds can live up to six months and multiply quickly, making them hard to control.
In extreme cases, these parasites in white-tailed deer can make them lose hair and get anemia. But if not properly handled, they can be a bigger threat to humans. It’s important to check for ticks and avoid touching deer to prevent getting sick.
Knowing how to spot and understand these parasites is key for hunters and general wildlife enthusiasts. By being careful, you can lower the risk of getting diseases from ticks and deer keds.
Internal Parasites In White-tailed Deer: A Grotesque World
Internal parasites in white-tailed deer can look scary but are mostly harmless to humans. They might look bad, but they don’t harm individuals who eat the meat. Just make sure it’s cooked well.
Let’s examine the following internal parasites;
Nasal Bots and Lungworms
Nasal bot larvae are one of the most shocking parasites in deer. They look like maggots and come out of the deer’s nose. Lungworms on the other hand are also common but live in the deer’s lungs and make breathing difficult.
These parasites may look and feel bad for deer but do not really threaten humans who eat venison. Once you cook the meat well, it kills the parasites, making it safe to eat.
For your part, you will need to check the meat for parasites when butchering. But don’t throw away the whole deer because of a few parasites. Internal parasites in white-tailed deer might seem scary, but they’re mostly safe for humans.
By cooking the meat well, you can enjoy venison safely. This way, you avoid any risks from these parasites.
With the right handling and cooking, your meat is safe to eat!
3. Parasite Transmission and Life Cycles
White-tailed deer serve as a host for many parasites with complex life cycles. Knowing about parasite life cycles helps stop the spread of diseases. This is key when moving deer between areas.
Many parasites need parasite intermediate hosts like snails, slugs, and insects. For example, the meningeal worm uses snails and slugs before infecting deer. Liver flukes use aquatic snails, and arterial worms use horseflies.
Deer play a big role in these complex systems because they help these parasites survive. For humans to reduce the risk of parasite transmission, it’s important to properly dispose of deer remains.
Knowing how parasite life cycles work with deer is key to preventing disease spread. By understanding the different hosts and how they transmit, we can protect deer and human health from zoonotic parasites and also help limit the introduction of potential intermediate hosts.
4. Impact on Deer Health and Meat Quality
Most parasites in white-tailed deer don’t hurt them. But, heavy infestations can cause health issues. For example, Arterial worms can block blood flow to the jaw muscles, leading to food impaction and starvation.
Severe lungworm or liver fluke infestations can also weaken deer, making them more likely to get other infections from the environment. This may reduce the quality of deer meat if not properly managed.
5. Effects of Parasites in White-tailed Deer
Parasites can cause organ damage and emaciation, making deer look sick. Once you see a deer that looks sick or thin, you should not eat it. This is because the meat quality and safety may be compromised.
The Michigan DNR reported record mortality in summer 2012 due to epizootic hemorrhagic disease. This disease usually kills less than 15 percent of deer in the South. But, deer from the North are 2-3 times more likely to get it, according to a study by the MSU Deer Lab.
Although there are over 100 species of internal or external parasites in white-tailed deer, heavier parasite loads are often seen in deer that don’t have good nutrition, due to poor habitat or too much browsing.
Common across the southeastern United States are the large stomach worm and the large lungworm. These are the most harmful parasites in those areas.
Conclusion
White-tailed deer carry many parasites, both inside and out, which can be alarming for hunters. But, most of these parasites don’t threaten human health if the venison is cooked well.
The knowledge contained in this article about parasites in white-tailed deer will help you make smart choices about handling and eating their deer.
In the end, the fact that white-tailed deer have parasites doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy venison. Even though these parasites might look scary, they don’t take away from the good taste and health benefits of deer meat.
Just cook your meat well, stay updated on safe ways to make your venison tasty and you can enjoy this natural and green food safely.
