A new study published this week in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, the first North American finding of the neurological disease Rustrela Virus, also known as staggering disease, was confirmed in a mountain lion in Colorado.
In May 2023, Colorado Parks & Wildlife officers euthanized an extremely sick mountain lion in Douglas County that had loss use its hind legs. At the time CPW was unable to identify what was causing the partial paralysis.
Further analysis later found the presence of the rustrela virus, a usually deadly neurologic syndrome recognized in domestic cats. This case is considered the first evidence of staggering disease in North America.
It is not known how widespread the virus is in domestic and wild cats in North America. Staggering disease has been found in cats and other species like rodents, donkeys and marsupials in Europe. Colorado State University veterinarians at and CPW are on alert for new cases.
“Now that we know what we’re looking for, it should be easier to find new cases if they are out there. With continued collaboration, we plan to learn what we can from our colleagues in Europe while we continue to look for new cases of staggering disease here in Colorado.” –CPW Wildlife Pathologist Dr. Karen Fox
If you notice a mountain lion behaving abnormally (staggering, having trouble walking) please call your local CPW office and report it immediately.
COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE PRESS RELEASE:
DENVER- A new study published this week in the journal “Emerging Infectious Diseases” reports the first finding of rustrela virus in a mountain lion in North America.
In May of 2023, Colorado Parks and Wildlife euthanized a sick mountain lion in Douglas County that was unable to use its hind legs. An analysis of tissues from the mountain lion revealed the presence of the rustrela virus, which was recently identified as the cause of “staggering disease,” a usually fatal neurologic syndrome recognized in domestic cats.
The lead author on the paper, former CPW Wildlife Pathologist Dr. Karen Fox, said that the diagnosis of staggering disease was challenging, and final confirmation was only possible through collaboration with researchers at the Friedrich-Leoffler-Institut in Germany.
Fox, currently a research scientist with Colorado State University, emphasized that scientists don’t yet know how widespread the virus is in either domestic cats or wildlife populations. In Europe, rustrela virus causes staggering disease in cats, but also has been found in a wide range of other species, including rodents, a donkey and marsupials.
“Now that we know what we’re looking for, it should be easier to find new cases if they are out there,” Fox said. “With continued collaboration, we plan to learn what we can from our colleagues in Europe while we continue to look for new cases of staggering disease here in Colorado.”
Veterinarians at Colorado State University and Colorado Parks and Wildlife will be looking carefully for new cases. If members of the public observe mountain lions that are staggering, having trouble walking or behaving abnormally, they should contact their local Colorado Parks and Wildlife office to speak with a wildlife officer and report the behavior.
