biostudies-literatureSoto PNIA NIH HHSU.S. Department of AgricultureNIAID NIH HHSHHS | NIH | National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases334-350https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC10883265biostudies-literatureUnknown25(1)Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease affecting farmed and free-ranging cervids. CWD is rapidly expanding across North America and its mechanisms of transmission are not completely understood. Considering that cervids are commonly afflicted by nasal bot flies, we tested the potential of these parasites to transmit CWD. Parasites collected from naturally infected white-tailed deer were evaluated for their prion content using the protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) technology and bioassays. Here, we describe PMCA seeding activity in nasal bot larvae collected from naturally infected, nonclinical deer. These parasites efficiently infect CWD-susceptible mice in ways suggestive of high infectivity titers. To further mimic environmental transmission, bot larvae homogenates EMBO reportsNasal bots carry relevant titers of CWD prions in naturally infected white-tailed deer.PMC10883265RF1 AG072491AP20VSSPRS00C143R01AI132695R01 AI132695Soto PGamez NKramm CReed JHBenavente RBonilla DLLockwood MBravo-Risi FSpraker TRMorales RNichols TfalseNasal bots carry relevant titers of CWD prions in naturally infected white-tailed deer.Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease affecting farmed and free-ranging cervids. CWD is rapidly expanding across North America and its mechanisms of transmission are not completely understood. Considering that cervids are commonly afflicted by nasal bot flies, we tested the potential of these parasites to transmit CWD. Parasites collected from naturally infected white-tailed deer were evaluated for their prion content using the protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) technology and bioassays. Here, we describe PMCA seeding activity in nasal bot larvae collected from naturally infected, nonclinical deer. These parasites efficiently infect CWD-susceptible mice in ways suggestive of high infectivity titers. To further mimic environmental transmission, bot larvae homogenates 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z2024 Jan2026-07-15T03:00:04.498Z2025-04-07T03:12:04.005ZS-EPMC108832653819187210.1038/s44319-023-00003-7