November 16, 2018 at 11:15 am
[caption id="attachment_3202" align="alignright" width="520"]
Photo courtesy of Carl Tugend of Holden[/caption]
By MDIFW Wildlife Biologist Kendall Marden
Every year, we receive phone calls and emails at our regional office about deer that have unusual growths on their head or body. With hunting season in full swing, some successful hunters are occasionally noticing this odd-looking phenomenon.
These growths are cutaneous fibroma, or more commonly known as warts. It tends to occur in 1-5 percent of the deer population and it is more common where there are higher densities of deer. These warts are caused by a papilloma virus and cannot be transmitted to humans.
Meat from deer with these cutaneous fibromas is safe to eat. Generally, these growths are limited to the hide, and are not connected to the deer’s muscle or tissue. As with any injury, however, if the warts are large and infected they may cause a secondary infection that is often accompanied by inflammation and yellowish puss in which case it is best to avoid consumption of this area.
In most cases, these growths do not harm the deer, although in rare circumstances the number and size of warts can be severe enough to obscure the deer’s vision or mobility and affect its ability to eat or escape predators.
Since bucks tend to fight more and have more frequent cuts in their skin, they tend to have more growths since the virus enters the body through those cuts. These growths are often found around the eyes and face but can be anywhere on the body. They are most often black, round, almost scaly lumps but occasionally have more pronounced papillae which give them a hairbrush like appearance.
Quite often cutaneous fibroma regresses or goes away after a while, and the deer continues to remain healthy as these growths are really nothing more than a skin blemish.
[caption id="attachment_3208" align="aligncenter" width="344"]
An example of more advanced cutaneous fibroma.[/caption]
Photo courtesy of Carl Tugend of Holden[/caption]
By MDIFW Wildlife Biologist Kendall Marden
Every year, we receive phone calls and emails at our regional office about deer that have unusual growths on their head or body. With hunting season in full swing, some successful hunters are occasionally noticing this odd-looking phenomenon.
These growths are cutaneous fibroma, or more commonly known as warts. It tends to occur in 1-5 percent of the deer population and it is more common where there are higher densities of deer. These warts are caused by a papilloma virus and cannot be transmitted to humans.
Meat from deer with these cutaneous fibromas is safe to eat. Generally, these growths are limited to the hide, and are not connected to the deer’s muscle or tissue. As with any injury, however, if the warts are large and infected they may cause a secondary infection that is often accompanied by inflammation and yellowish puss in which case it is best to avoid consumption of this area.
In most cases, these growths do not harm the deer, although in rare circumstances the number and size of warts can be severe enough to obscure the deer’s vision or mobility and affect its ability to eat or escape predators.
Since bucks tend to fight more and have more frequent cuts in their skin, they tend to have more growths since the virus enters the body through those cuts. These growths are often found around the eyes and face but can be anywhere on the body. They are most often black, round, almost scaly lumps but occasionally have more pronounced papillae which give them a hairbrush like appearance.
Quite often cutaneous fibroma regresses or goes away after a while, and the deer continues to remain healthy as these growths are really nothing more than a skin blemish.
[caption id="attachment_3208" align="aligncenter" width="344"] An example of more advanced cutaneous fibroma.[/caption]
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