Chronic Wasting Disease

Aka: Chronic Wasting Disease

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II. Epidemiology

  1. Broad range of positive cases in United States
    1. Identified in deer and elk in 1967
    2. Identified in deer and elk in 1980's
    3. Identified in Mt Horeb area: 14 per 500 deer
  2. Associated with captive elk on game farm (NE, MO, SD)
    1. Passed to free deer via salt licks, baiting

III. Pathophysiology

  1. Primary hosts (U.S.)
    1. White-tailed deer
    2. Mule deer
    3. Elk
    4. Moose
  2. Transmission
    1. Could theoretically be passed to cattle
    2. Possible transmission to humans from exposure to neurologic tissue (butchering) or contaminated meat ingestion

IV. Signs: Deer and Elk

  1. Muscle wasting
  2. Ataxia
  3. Difficulty SwallowingSaliva
  4. Confusion
  5. Seizures

V. Labs: Analysis of animal source

  1. Tonsil biopsy for Prion Protein
  2. CSF Protein analysis

VI. Prevention

  1. Close deer and elk game farms in endemic areas
  2. Avoid deer and elk meat intake in endemic areas
  3. Do not dress deer in the field
  4. Know how meat is butchered
    1. Does butcher prepare deer or elk and beef?

VII. References

  1. Proctor (2003) UW-Madison New Therapeutics, Cable, WI

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