Disease outbreak suspected in 200 Wyoming pronghorn deaths

An outbreak of Mycoplasma bovis is being blamed for an estimated 200 pronghorn deaths in western Wyoming.

WGFD

An estimated 200 Wyoming pronghorns have died since mid-February due to an outbreak of Mycoplasma bovis, according to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

The disease has been preliminarily identified as the cause of death by the agency, working in collaboration with the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory, in animals found south of Pinedale, the west-central area of the state.

“While reported M. bovis outbreaks causing mortality in wildlife are rare, this is not the first occurrence of M. bovis being linked to pronghorn mortalities in Wyoming,” said Wyoming Game and Fish wildlife disease specialist Hank Edwards in a press release.

The first reported cases of pneumonia in pronghorn occurred during the winters of 2019 and 2020 near Gillette, involving at least 460 animals. Those outbreaks started at a similar time in mid-February and then tapered down by the beginning of April.

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