salivation, drinking, and urination. Neurological signs of Hunters should not CWD include stumbling, trembling, and lack of fear of shoot, handle, or humans and predators. Most animals will die within consume any animal several months following the onset of clinical signs. that appears sick. In order to prevent Diagnosis THE NORTHEAST WILDLIFE DISEASE COOPERATIVE exposure to any Special laboratory techniques are used to diagnose http://sites.tufts.edu/nwdc disease-causing CWD from postmortem samples of brain, lymph node, organism, including or tonsil tissue. Because an animal can be the prion of CWD, hunters should wear gloves while simultaneously infected with several diseases, it is dressing game and should wash hands and Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) important to distinguish CWD from the many other instruments thoroughly after eld dressing. Hunters diseases that have similar clinical signs. should also minimize handling of brain and spinal cord tissues. For more information about precautions Cause Transmission Treatment hunters should take in relation to CWD go to: Chronic wasting disease is caused by a prion, which is CWD is transmitted both directly via contact with There is currently no treatment or vaccine for CWD. www.portal.state.pa.us/portal an abnormal protein that behaves like an infectious infected animals and indirectly through contaminated server.ptopen=514&objID=587240&mode=2. agent. CWD is a neurological disease of cervids (deer, feces, urine, saliva, and infected carcasses or Management/Prevention elk and moose) categorized as a transmissible environments. Though it is still uncertain, current Management of chronic wasting disease has proven Suggested Reading spongiform encephalopathy (TSE). Other known TSE’s research suggests that the minimum incubation period di cult and eradication of this disease is unlikely. Many Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 2011. include scrapie in sheep, bovine spongiform from time of infection to the presentation of clinical agencies are working together on a national Chronic wasting disease (CWD). encephalopathy (mad cow disease) in cattle, and signs is around 16 months. Animals can directly management plan in hopes of containing CWD and www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/cwd/ Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans. CWD was transmit the disease to other animals during this time. preventing its further spread. Several states including Chronic wasting disease. United States Department of rst reported in captive mule deer in 1967 in Colorado, Infected animals can also begin shedding prions as Pennsylvania, New York, Colorado, and Wyoming have Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection but was not recognized as a TSE until 1978. early as 11 months prior to showing any symptoms of established long-term surveillance programs to Service. www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/animal_ the disease. The prions that cause CWD are very monitor wild cervid populations. These states, along diseases/cwd/ Significance di cult to kill and can remain infective in soil for many with many other states including Maine, Iowa, and years. Chronic wasting disease has had a major impact on Texas are also continuously monitoring captive cervid Chronic wasting disease Response Plan. July 2011. hunting and cervid farming in a ected states. Because Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Clinical Signs populations for CWD. Most states have adopted of a long shedding period and the resilience of the regulation that prohibits the importation and Gilch, S., N. Chitoor, Y. Taguchi, M. Stuart, J. E. Jewell, prion responsible for CWD, it is very di cult to control Clinical signs usually appear 24 to 48 months following exportation of cervid body parts that are more likely to and H. M. Schatzl. 2011. Chronic wasting disease. Topics and eradicate the disease. exposure to prions, though signs may also appear harbor prions, including the spinal column, the brain, in Current Chemistry. Springer-Verlag Berlin much later after infection. Clinical signs include weight and lymph tissues. In endemic regions like Colorado, Heidelberg. Species Affected loss, loss of body condition, depression, and excessive additional regulation is in place regarding removal of National Wildlife Health Center. Chronic wasting CWD is known to a ect free-ranging and captive any parts of deer, elk or moose from CWD areas. white-tailed deer, mule deer, Rocky Mountain elk, disease (CWD). United States Geological Survey. moose, and red deer, though it is likely that other Other possible management actions to control the www.nwhc.usgs.gov/disease_information/chronic_ species of cervid are also susceptible. This disease is not spread of CWD include quarantining and depopulating wasting_disease/ known to infect humans or domestic animals. captive herds that test positive for the disease, Plan for Assisting States, Federal Agencies, and Tribes in prohibiting import of cervids from states with Managing Chronic wasting disease in Wild and Captive Distribution con rmed cases of CWD, and prohibiting feeding of Cervids. June 2002. United States Department of Chronic wasting disease was originally found in a wild cervids. Wild cervids should be kept away from Agriculture. captive mule deer herd in Colorado and was reported captive cervid populations to reduce the risk of Williams, E. S., J. K. Kirkwood, and M. W. Miller. 2001. in Wyoming soon after. The disease has since become infection. Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies. Pages established in free-ranging deer and elk in these states CWD is not currently believed to cause disease in 292-301 in E. S. Williams and I. K. Barker, editors. and has spread to several other states and 2 Canadian humans, though hunters are encouraged to take Infectious diseases of wild mammals. Iowa State provinces (see map for the 2013 distribution of the routine precautions when handling their deer or elk. University Press, Ames, Iowa, USA. disease in the United States). CWD has also been reported in South Korea following importation from Canada. Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)
salivation, drinking, and urination. Neurological signs of Hunters should not CWD include stumbling, trembling, and lack of fear of shoot, handle, or humans and predators. Most animals will die within consume any animal several months following the onset of clinical signs. that appears sick. In order to prevent Diagnosis exposure to any Special laboratory techniques are used to diagnose disease-causing CWD from postmortem samples of brain, lymph node, organism, including Photo by Dr. Mike Miller, Colorado Division of Wildlife or tonsil tissue. Because an animal can be the prion of CWD, hunters should wear gloves while simultaneously infected with several diseases, it is dressing game and should wash hands and important to distinguish CWD from the many other instruments thoroughly after eld dressing. Hunters diseases that have similar clinical signs. should also minimize handling of brain and spinal cord tissues. For more information about precautions Cause Transmission Treatment hunters should take in relation to CWD go to: Chronic wasting disease is caused by a prion, which is CWD is transmitted both directly via contact with There is currently no treatment or vaccine for CWD. www.portal.state.pa.us/portal an abnormal protein that behaves like an infectious infected animals and indirectly through contaminated server.ptopen=514&objID=587240&mode=2. agent. CWD is a neurological disease of cervids (deer, feces, urine, saliva, and infected carcasses or Management/Prevention elk and moose) categorized as a transmissible environments. Though it is still uncertain, current Management of chronic wasting disease has proven Suggested Reading spongiform encephalopathy (TSE). Other known TSE’s research suggests that the minimum incubation period di cult and eradication of this disease is unlikely. Many Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 2011. include scrapie in sheep, bovine spongiform from time of infection to the presentation of clinical agencies are working together on a national Chronic wasting disease (CWD). encephalopathy (mad cow disease) in cattle, and signs is around 16 months. Animals can directly management plan in hopes of containing CWD and www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/cwd/ Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans. CWD was transmit the disease to other animals during this time. preventing its further spread. Several states including Chronic wasting disease. United States Department of rst reported in captive mule deer in 1967 in Colorado, Infected animals can also begin shedding prions as Pennsylvania, New York, Colorado, and Wyoming have Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection but was not recognized as a TSE until 1978. early as 11 months prior to showing any symptoms of established long-term surveillance programs to Service. www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/animal_ the disease. The prions that cause CWD are very monitor wild cervid populations. These states, along diseases/cwd/ Significance di cult to kill and can remain infective in soil for many with many other states including Maine, Iowa, and years. Chronic wasting disease has had a major impact on Texas are also continuously monitoring captive cervid Chronic wasting disease Response Plan. July 2011. hunting and cervid farming in a ected states. Because Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Clinical Signs populations for CWD. Most states have adopted of a long shedding period and the resilience of the regulation that prohibits the importation and Gilch, S., N. Chitoor, Y. Taguchi, M. Stuart, J. E. Jewell, prion responsible for CWD, it is very di cult to control Clinical signs usually appear 24 to 48 months following exportation of cervid body parts that are more likely to and H. M. Schatzl. 2011. Chronic wasting disease. Topics and eradicate the disease. exposure to prions, though signs may also appear harbor prions, including the spinal column, the brain, in Current Chemistry. Springer-Verlag Berlin much later after infection. Clinical signs include weight and lymph tissues. In endemic regions like Colorado, Heidelberg. Species Affected loss, loss of body condition, depression, and excessive additional regulation is in place regarding removal of National Wildlife Health Center. Chronic wasting CWD is known to a ect free-ranging and captive any parts of deer, elk or moose from CWD areas. white-tailed deer, mule deer, Rocky Mountain elk, disease (CWD). United States Geological Survey. moose, and red deer, though it is likely that other Other possible management actions to control the www.nwhc.usgs.gov/disease_information/chronic_ species of cervid are also susceptible. This disease is not spread of CWD include quarantining and depopulating wasting_disease/ known to infect humans or domestic animals. captive herds that test positive for the disease, Plan for Assisting States, Federal Agencies, and Tribes in prohibiting import of cervids from states with Managing Chronic wasting disease in Wild and Captive Distribution con rmed cases of CWD, and prohibiting feeding of Cervids. June 2002. United States Department of Chronic wasting disease was originally found in a wild cervids. Wild cervids should be kept away from Agriculture. captive mule deer herd in Colorado and was reported captive cervid populations to reduce the risk of Williams, E. S., J. K. Kirkwood, and M. W. Miller. 2001. in Wyoming soon after. The disease has since become infection. Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies. Pages established in free-ranging deer and elk in these states CWD is not currently believed to cause disease in 292-301 in E. S. Williams and I. K. Barker, editors. and has spread to several other states and 2 Canadian humans, though hunters are encouraged to take Infectious diseases of wild mammals. Iowa State provinces (see map for the 2013 distribution of the routine precautions when handling their deer or elk. University Press, Ames, Iowa, USA. disease in the United States). CWD has also been reported in South Korea following importation from Canada. NWDC http://sites.tufts.edu/nwdc 2