Vector-borne Infections in Deer – Threat to Deer Health and Role of Deer in Transmission of Diseases of Veterinary and Medical Importance

This chapter offers an in-depth analysis of deer as reservoir hosts for vector-borne parasites and pathogens of veterinary and medical significance. The study is structured into three sections: Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia species, and Borrelia burgdorferi. Section one discusses A. phagocytophilum, a tick-transmitted bacterium causing tickborne fever in livestock and human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA). The chapter reviews various studies to discuss the epidemiology, transmission, and zoonotic implications of this pathogen. Section two focuses on Babesia species, apicomplexan protozoa causing redwater fever in cattle and babesiosis in humans. The chapter highlights the economic impact of Babesia divergens and the role of deer as potential reservoir hosts for various Babesia species, as supported by research. Section three delves into B. burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease in humans. The chapter discusses its symptoms, transmission, and lack of association with deer as reservoir hosts, but emphasizes deer's role in maintaining tick populations and increasing human encounters with infected ticks. The chapter concludes with a brief examination of Bartonella species, bacteria that persist within deer erythrocytes. The study explores their transmission, reservoir hosts, and potential zoonotic implications, particularly Bartonella cap.