Stilwell, N. K., Clarke, L. L., Howerth, E. W., Kienzle-Dean, C., Fojtik, A., Hollander, L. P., … & Stallknecht, D. E. (2020). The Effect of Maternal Antibodies on Clinical Response to Infection with Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease Virus in White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) Fawns. Journal of Wildlife Diseases.

Study Highlights:

Compared viremia and clinical response in 27–47-d-old, experimentally infected fawns with and without maternally derived antibodies to EHDV-2.

Mild to moderate clinical signs were observed in four seronegative (maternal antibody-negative) fawns

In contrast, clinical signs were not observed in seropositive (maternal antibody-positive) fawns

Results indicated that the presence of maternally derived EHDV-2 antibodies in fawns prevents or greatly reduces clinical disease and the level and duration of EHDV-2 viremia.