Researchers Discover First-Ever Malaria Parasite in Whitetail Deer

   Researchers at the University of Vermont (UVM) and the Smithsonian’s Conservation Biology Institute recently published a study on the first-ever malaria parasite known to live in a deer species. According to a press release from UVM, a malaria parasite called Plasmodium odocoilei was found in whitetail deer, and these were not isolated cases. Researchers believe the parasite is actually incredibly widespread and is estimated to be present in roughly 25 percent of all whitetail deer on the East Coast. Fortunately, the parasite is not believed to be much of a threat to humans.  READ MORE