HARRISBURG — The deaths of more than 50 deer in Southwestern Pennsylvania could be the result of an insect-borne virus, state wildlife officials said Monday.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission is investigating the deaths of dozens of white-tailed deer in Greene and Washington counties since the start of the month.

Based on what officials are seeing, the deer probably died of epizootic hemorrhagic disease, said Dr. Walter Cottrell, wildlife veterinarian for the commission.

EHD is a common, seasonal virus among white-tailed deer, contracted by the bite of insects called biting midges.

The virus can kill the animal in five to 10 days. EHD cannot be spread through contact and is not passed from deer to deer, Feaser said.

"It is fairly common in the southeast, north-central and West Coast of the U.S., and is rarely found north of Virginia," Feaser said. The midges might have been carried north by a strong weather front, he said.

Cottrell said the virus should stop spreading after the first hard frost, which will kill the insects.

Samples taken from four deer were being examined by the Penn State University Animal Diagnostics Laboratory and Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study at the University of Georgia.

While EHD is not infectious to humans, deer displaying severe symptoms of the virus might not be suitable to eat, officials said.