##  [High Prevalence of Prion Protein Genotype Associated with Resistance to Chronic Wasting Disease in One Alberta Woodland Caribou Population](/resource/high-prevalence-prion-protein-genotype-associated-resistance-chronic-wasting-disease-one) 

Organization

[University of Calgary (UofC)](/organization/university-calgary-uofc)

 

 

Resource Type

[Peer reviewed article](/taxonomy/term/37)

 

 

Author(s)

Yo Ching Cheng

Marco Musiani

Maria Cavedon

Sabine Gilch

 

 

Original Authors

Yo Ching Cheng

Marco Musiani

Maria Cavedon

Sabine Gilch

 

 

Contacts

[Sabine Gilch](/contact/sabine-gilch)

 

 

Resource Date:

March

2017

 

 

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease found in deer, elk and moose in North America and since recently, wild reindeer in Norway. Caribou are at-risk to encounter CWD in areas such as Alberta, Canada, where the disease spreads toward caribou habitats. CWD susceptibility is modulated by species-specific polymorphisms in the prion protein gene (*Prnp*). We sequenced *Prnp* of woodland caribou from 9 Albertan populations. In one population (Chinchaga) a significantly higher frequency of the 138N allele linked to reduced CWD susceptibility was observed. These data are relevant for developing CWD management strategies including conservation of threatened caribou populations.