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What Are They?
Fibromatosis is the name of the infection characterized by the emergence of fibromas on the skin of deer. Fibromas appear as fleshy, nodular growths occurring around the eyes, face and forelegs. They can be up to 10 centimeters in diameter and are usually black or gray. The type of tissue the tumors are made from determines whether they are called papillomas, papillofibromas or simply fibromas. The varying tissue types reflect the different ages at which deer are infected.
What Causes Them?
Fibromas are brought on by a kind of virus believed to be transmitted by biting insects or close contact with contaminated materials that scratch or penetrate the skin. Experimental transmission of fibromas, caused by rubbing fibroma tissue onto scratched deer skin, has revealed that the tumors usually occur seven weeks after exposure. Other wild animals and livestock sometimes develop wart-like tumors, but these are distinct from fibromas and so not spread by deer.
A Serious Health Risk?
The more tumors that appear on a deer's body, the more heavily infected the animal. Rarely, however, do fibromas cause deer serious harm. However, their placement on the body can lead to sight, feeding, breathing and walking difficulties. Large fibromas can induce bacterial infections through a break in the skin, thus making a hunted animal with such a condition unsuitable for human consumption. There are no reports of human infection from deer fibromas.
How Are They Eradicated?
In most cases fibromas on deer develop to only a few millimeters in diameter. They appear to regress after just two months, drying up and disappearing. Research has indicated that wild deer develop an immune response to the fibroma virus after catching it early in life. It's possible to remove tumors from captive animals. Such an action is rarely justified.