Researchers are investigating the potential threat of vampire bats spreading chronic wasting disease (CWD), a deadly wildlife disease affecting deer, moose, and elk. The study was led by Peter Larsen, co-director of the Minnesota Center for Prion Research and Outreach (MNPR), whose interest in the topic was partly influenced by firsthand fieldwork experiences. CWD is caused by misfolded proteins that attack the brain and nervous system, and has been detected in Texas and New Mexico, with a prevalence as high as 11% in one mule deer population. Warm temperatures are expected to push vampire bats further north, increasing the interaction between the species and animals infected with CWD. The major fear of the vampire bat transmitting the disease is that prions may shift at a molecular level in the species' digestive tract, making the effects unpredictable.