Eleaophorosis: Signs and Symptoms

Signs of the disease in white-tailed deer include facial swelling due to food impactions, tooth loss, and degeneration or fracture of jaw. In elk, the disease causes muzzle and ear necrosis, malformed antlers, blindness, lack of coordination (ataxia), facial or lower limb dermatitis and death. Mule deer are generally resistant to heavy infections and often show no clinical signs of infection.

The onset of eleaphorosis occurs during the late summer and early fall when the conditions are favorable for increased horsefly activity. The disease can be introduced to naïve native species by domestic sheep and goats and is likely to occur in areas where wild and domestic ruminants overlap. Animals reported to be showing signs of the disease can be targeted and tested on a case by case basis and can be diagnosed by organized scars in the carotid arteries.