Antanas Staskevicius
Current Organizations / Institutes
The organizations/institutes from the scholar's latest article
Research Subjects
Antanas Staskevicius has a total of 5 co-authors. Here are the top co-authors by number of shared publications:
- Gordon Mitchell
National and WOAH Reference Laboratory for Scrapie and CWD, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Ottawa, ON K2J 4S1, Canada
1 shared publication - Jiewen Guan
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
1 shared publication - Maria I. Arifin
National and WOAH Reference Laboratory for Scrapie and CWD, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Ottawa, ON K2J 4S1, Canada
1 shared publication - Nicholas J. Haley
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Graduate Studies, Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ 85331, USA
1 shared publication - William Pilot
National and WOAH Reference Laboratory for Scrapie and CWD, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Ottawa, ON K2J 4S1, Canada
1 shared publication
Latest Publications
- Open Access
White-Tailed Deer Prion Protein Gene Variability Suggests Selection Against Chronic Wasting Disease in Canada’s Prairies
Chronic wasting disease (CWD), a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy that targets cervids, has become a significant threat to both free-ranging and captive populations of Canadian white-tailed deer. In an effort to mitigate its spread, research in the past 20 years has demonstrated that the genetic background of deer may influence the pathogenesis of CWD. Specifically, variants located on the 95-, 96-, 116- and 226-codon of the prion protein gene seem to attenuate disease progression in white-tailed deer. The influence of these alleles on the likelihood of being found CWD-positive on Saskatchewan and Albertan farms was assessed using a Bayesian logistic regression model. To assess the presence of selection for favourable prion protein gene alleles, shifts in variant genotype frequencies were examined over the last seventeen years. Our results show that deer harboring the G96S allele have significantly lowered odds of infection within Canadian herds. Furthermore, the prevalence of this allele has increased significantly in farmed deer over the past seventeen years. Establishing the dynamic genetic background of Canadian deer populations will inform future disease management initiatives.
Open AccessWhite-Tailed Deer Prion Protein Gene Variability Suggests Selection Against Chronic Wasting Disease in Canada’s Prairies
Chronic wasting disease (CWD), a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy that targets cervids, has become a significant threat to both free-ranging and captive populations of Canadian white-tailed deer. In an effort to mitigate its spread, research in the past 20 years has demonstrated that the genetic background of deer may influence the pathogenesis of CWD. Specifically, variants located on the 95-, 96-, 116- and 226-codon of the prion protein gene seem to attenuate disease progression in white-tailed deer. The influence of these alleles on the likelihood of being found CWD-positive on Saskatchewan and Albertan farms was assessed using a Bayesian logistic regression model. To assess the presence of selection for favourable prion protein gene alleles, shifts in variant genotype frequencies were examined over the last seventeen years. Our results show that deer harboring the G96S allele have significantly lowered odds of infection within Canadian herds. Furthermore, the prevalence of this allele has increased significantly in farmed deer over the past seventeen years. Establishing the dynamic genetic background of Canadian deer populations will inform future disease management initiatives.