Category: News

News related to our research in infectious diseases and other environmental contaminants that affect wildlife.

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One Small Protein Worth a Whole Herd of Trouble: prion disease advantage in Illinois white-tailed deer

By Evan London, Trisha Mendoza, Tooba Latif, Nelda A. Rivera 

“After 20 years of research, a light of hope appears in the story of CWD: the genetic variation in the prion protein gene (PRNP).”

Figure 2: Inherited via DNA information from parents, each deer is born with one of the two possible prion protein variants sharing the same function. Those protein variants can be A, C, or F. (Illustration by Trisha Mendoza, Wildlife Veterinary Epidemiology Laboratory – INHS).

For more details about the recent study published by London et al., 2026, in the journal Veterinary Research, visit the Illinois Outdoor Journal [Here].

The study: London, E.W., Roca, A.L., Ishida, Y., Latif, T., Novakofski, J.E. and Mateus-Pinilla, N.E., 2026. Odocoileus virginianus PRNP sequencing reveals AF (Q95G96/H95G96) advantage over AC (Q95G96/Q95S96) against chronic wasting disease. Veterinary Research, 57(1), p.84. [PDF]

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Jameson Mori | 2024 PRI Early Career Investigator Award recipient

Amber Zilinger (left) and Jameson Mori (right) at the PRI award ceremony on May 14, 2024. 

Congratulations, Jameson, for receiving the 2024 Early Career Investigator Award from the Prairie Research Institute (PRI) for their outstanding contributions to environmental science and interdisciplinary research. Jameson Mori is a Wildlife Veterinary Epidemiology Laboratory member at the Illinois Natural History Survey.
Keep up the good work!!!

For the complete story, please visit the People of PRI news, here.

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Dr. Nohra Mateus-Pinilla | 2024 Distinguished Research Scientist Award recipient

Congratulations to Dr. Nohra Mateus-Pinilla, who received the Prairie Research Institute’s 2024 Distinguished Research Scientist Award for her exceptional contributions to research, the environment, and society.

Dr. Nohra Mateus-Pinilla (back row, third from left) alongside members of the INHS Wildlife Veterinary Epidemiology Laboratory.

Dr. Mateus-Pinilla is the director of the Wildlife Veterinary Epidemiology Laboratory at the Illinois Natural History Survey, a multi-disciplinary and multicultural laboratory whose research focuses on epidemiology, conservation, restoration, and preservation of Natural Resources while encouraging a responsible response to societal needs concerning disease impact on human, livestock, and wildlife health.

For the complete story, please visit the People of PRI news, here.

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2023 International Freezer Challenge

Congratulations, team, for winning first place in the academic sector for medium-sized laboratories in the 2023 freezer challenge. 

Amber Zilinger accepted the I2SL Sustainable Laboratories Award on behalf of the Wildlife Veterinary Epidemiology Laboratory at the 2023 Annual Conference and Technology Fair, October 22 - 25 | Anaheim, CA

This year, My Green Lab and the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories recognized your team efforts internationally. Well done!!!

To learn more about the Freezer Challenge at UIUC, please visit the Freezer Challenge-University of Illinois website here.

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Are Illinois farmers aware of the risk of tick-borne diseases?

By DIANA YATES | Life Sciences Editor

Ph.D. candidate Sulagna Chakraborty, center, led a study of farmer awareness of ticks and tick-borne diseases with U. of I. pathobiology professor Rebecca Smith, left, and Illinois Natural History Survey wildlife veterinary epidemiologist Nohra Mateus-Pinilla.
Photo by Fred Zwicky

CHAMPAIGN, lL. – Tick-borne illnesses like ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever are on the rise in Illinois, and outdoor workers like farmers are at higher risk than those who spend more time indoors. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Ph.D. candidate Sulagna Chakraborty and her colleagues at Illinois led a new study on the subject that surveyed 50 Illinois farmers to learn about their awareness of the problem and engagement in tick-prevention efforts. Chakraborty spoke to News Bureau life sciences editor Diana Yates about what they found.

Read the whole story by the University of Illinois News Bureau here.

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Impact of CWD on Fetal Growth and Pregnancy Rates in Illinois White-tailed Deer

By Jameson Mori, Nelda A. Rivera, Jan Novakofski and Nohra E. Mateus-Pinilla

Deer behavior that may impact indirect transmission and exposure to CWD from an infected habitat (Tian et al., 2022). Photos: Key Deer by W. Tipton; Fawn with Mother by USFWS Midwest region.

CHAMPAIGN, IL – Understanding the role of diseases on reproduction is essential for safeguarding the reproductive health of wildlife populations. Furthermore, it enables informed decision-making, effective interventions, and targeted approaches to support reproductive health. In the article Impact of CWD on Fetal Growth and Pregnancy Rates in Illinois White-tailed Deer, Mori et al. summarize the latest research and their results related to the effect of CWD on Illinois white-tailed deer reproductive health.

For the complete story, please visit the Illinois Outdoor Journal, here.

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Deer protected from deadly disease by newly discovered genetic differences.

By LAUREN QUINN | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

CHAMPAIGN, lL. – It was the height of summer 2022 when the calls started coming in. Scores of dead deer suddenly littered rural properties and park preserves, alarming the public and inconveniencing landowners. According to officials at the Urbana Park District, it was Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD), a midge-borne viral illness that pops up in white-tailed deer populations around the state every few years. And when susceptible deer are infected, they die within days.

deer

Now, University of Illinois scientists have found gene variants in deer associated with the animals’ susceptibility to EHD.

Read the whole story by Phys.org here.

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UI researchers express concern about COVID-19 spread in deer populations

By VIVIAN LA | Assistant Daytime Editor

White-tailed deer in Illinois and other states can be infected with COVID-19, and Illinois researchers have concerns about how humans passed on the virus and what it means for the future of pandemic.

©Wildlife Veterinary Epidemiology Laboratory – Illinois Natural History Survey

In November, hundreds of white-tailed deer in Iowa tested positive for COVID-19, suggesting that humans are spreading the virus to animal populations and among one another.

This came after the U.S. Department of Agriculture released a study in August stating that COVID-19 antibodies were found in deer populations in Illinois, Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania. These antibodies suggested that deer were exposed but potentially not infected.

Read the whole story at The Daily Illini website, here.

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Adjusting to these ‘ever-changing times’

By Rachel Lupas | Undergraduate Student, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology

“My training in this lab makes me more conscious of the proper ways to deal with infectious biological material, an invaluable benefit during COVID-19. “

Lupas processes a tissue sample for analysis.
Lupas processes a tissue sample for analysis. Photo by L. Brian Stauffer

CHAMPAIGN, IL – Inspired by the challenges we are all confronting due to the COVID-19 pandemic, undergraduate student Rachel Lupas shares her experiences as a biosafety level two epidemiology laboratory member. Rachel is and undergraduate student and member of the Wildlife Veterinary Epidemiology Laboratory led by Dr. Nohra Mateus-Pinilla.

Read the whole story at the Illinois New Bureau website, here.