This article is part of the Forest Scene newsletter, Issue 31.
“People in Minnesota value their water,” observes hydrologist Dr. Diana Karwan, Associate Professor with the Department of Forest Resources. So when the Minnesota Center for Prion Research and Outreach (MNPRO) received a state mandate to investigate chronic wasting disease (CWD), many questions from the public and legislators kept returning to the subject of our lakes, wells, marshes, and streams. In response, the team agreed to learn how prions move in waterways, recruiting Dr. Karwan to lead the effort. A 2024 report to the Minnesota Clean Water Council delivered on that promise.
Land that has seen CWD can store that risk for a long time, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t going anywhere. Besides through animal movement, researchers hypothesized that prions could be transported by water, potentially increasing their threat across the landscape. Borne by water, prions might travel to places where CWD had previously been undetected or concentrate in an area where it makes infection more likely. At the end of a two-year study, MNPRO scientists gained clarity about how prions behave in water. One critical insight emerged: prions travel with a partner.
The report revealed how prions in water stick to soil particles they encounter. The outcome is that when snowmelt introduces sediment to Minnesota waterways, it may also carry CWD. The discovery does have some positive implications, however. Knowledge that prions tend to bind with particles can guide water resource managers as they assess ways to mitigate the risk. It helps them know how to sample waterways for protein-misfolding disease, for example, and establishes the first steps toward informing accurate models of where water may move CWD throughout the landscape.
This study is an example of timely science. While the report was in preparation for release, another county was added to the list for CWD detections in wild deer.
“Now we need to start integrating what we know about CWD behavior with what we know about water behavior. Models allow us to put these knowledge bases together,” says Dr. Karwan. “I feel like what we've done is come up with very important first-point findings. I'm excited to take the next steps with this research.”
Watch Prions in Our Waterways, a short video by the research team, to learn more.
~Story by Thomas Seiler, MNPRO. This article originally appeared in the March 2024 MNPRO newsletter and has been adapted for this publication.
The Forest Scene newsletter is published biannually in the spring and fall, featuring stories and updates from the Department of Forest Resources. Read Issue 31 (2024):