Chronic Wasting Disease

[Wirehair]

Two things: I have a friend who is a big time deer skater and he says there’s some good evidence that a lot of road kill has cwd. I don’t know, but it’s make some sense as it seems to be getting worse; the road kill deer I mean.

As to testing: why would one not get it done?Does it cost a lot of money? Is there something I’m missing about getting one kill tested?

Wisconsin DNR provides drop sites for testing at no cost. Just fill out a form and leave the head. It may take a week or two for the results.

 

[PathfinderNC]

Two things: I have a friend who is a big time deer skater and he says there’s some good evidence that a lot of road kill has cwd. I don’t know, but it’s make some sense as it seems to be getting worse; the road kill deer I mean.

As to testing: why would one not get it done?Does it cost a lot of money? Is there something I’m missing about getting one kill tested?

We are required to have all killed between November 18 and December 3 tested, no later than two weeks after dropping the deer. That means bringing in the head to some designated place. I don’t know how long it takes to get results though.
It seems there is no urgency if hunters can wait two weeks to have the harvest tested.

 

[Patocazador]

We now have a verified case of CWD in Fla. Road kill in the panhandle along the Alabama line. There were a few reports from the state to take a blood sample and have it tested. I haven't the foggiest on where to take the samples.

I killed a deer last week and have it aging but it can't age forever. Our FWC was caught flat-footed and didn't seem to have a clue on what to do either.

 

[gunpa]

2 hunting units in northern Idaho have verified cases. I've got a blood test kit from Fish and Game to test my elk ( should I get one) here in South East Idaho.

 

[Sam squanch]

Get your deer tested if it makes you feel better. The next country over from me requires CWD testing, it will be state wide in a few years. I see a market for a home, do it yourself testing kit! I think the anti hunting news media has overblown this problem, just like anything else they hate and want to see abolished…..

 

[Jaeger]

Get your deer tested if it makes you feel better. The next country over from me requires CWD testing, it will be state wide in a few years. I see a market for a home, do it yourself testing kit! I think the anti hunting news media has overblown this problem, just like anything else they hate and want to see abolished…..

I don't agree. What "anti-hunting news media"? I don't hear much of anything about this from regular news. I hear information about CWD from hunting and sporting sources, and from Michigan's DNR.

 

[Sam squanch]

It was common when CWD was first identified, some news idiot covered a story about a man who ate venison and got it, no proof that he got it from infected venison, they just assumed it was deer hunting that did it. Then the rest jumped on the wagon, almost celebrating the idea a Bambi killer could die a horrible slow death from eating his quarry…… cosmopolitan magazine actually DID celebrate that idea….. it’s old news now, they have moved on to why you don’t NEED a gun , just talk to your attackers……

 

[SDSmlf]

It was common when CWD was first identified, some news idiot covered a story about a man who ate venison and got it, no proof that he got it from infected venison, they just assumed it was deer hunting that did it. Then the rest jumped on the wagon, almost celebrating the idea a Bambi killer could die a horrible slow death from eating his quarry…… cosmopolitan magazine actually DID celebrate that idea….. it’s old news now, they have moved on to why you don’t NEED a gun , just talk to your attackers……

Could you cite the source of case of the man who got CWD? I’m sure the CDC would be interested, because to date the CDC is saying there have been no reported cases of CWD infection in people.

 

[longcruise]

So, how much of this spread is being caused by hunters using scents and lures based on deer fluids from farms with deer they don't know are infected? Many times this disease seemingly jumps by hundreds of miles...WAY outside the range deer travel. My contention is that one of the causes of the disease spread is via use of contaminated deer lure products. Personally, I won't use those poisons and if the entire deer lure industry went belly up I'd lose no sleep at all.

The prion resides in the brain stem and and other neurological pathways. So, a hunter who kills a cwd infected deer, field dresses it, takes it home hundreds of miles away and then.skins it and disposes of the head can be a method for spread.

I don't agree. What "anti-hunting news media"?

There has been a lot of that type of reporting over the years. Much of it downright hysterical and strongly supported and referenced by avowed AR activists.

Colorado has done a lot of research since it has been a Hotspot of CWD. Some problematic areas have been game farming and the trading and selling of game farm animals across the country. These are operations run for high fence hunting operations and pen shooting of deer and elk by "hunters"!

Another problem area is the pens themselves. One pen that was inhabited by cwd 8nfected deer was closed and then reopened several years later. The deer placed in the pen rapidly became infected.

Feeding wild deer and elk is a problem. Saliva spreads CWD and bringing animals together Feeding in close proximity spreads it. This points a sticky finger at baiting and feeders which is very popular in some parts of the country.

A long term CWD Hotspot in Colorado has been along the course of the S Platte River. A study was done of prion disease amon the overall population of people who live in this area. This is a predominantly rural population and hunting and consumption of deer is a strong tradition. It looked at the prevalence of brain disease and there was no difference in the rate from the national norm.

A misunderstanding about CWD is that you can't disinfect for it or clean up after it . The only way to kill it for sure is to burn it.

Most of the hunters in my area take their animals to a commercial processor. There would be no way that cwd infected animals were processed without cross contamination by knives, hands, grinders packaging equipment, etc. Yet, my local community doesn't seem to be experiencing a rash of brain disease.

There is no known mechanism for the spread of creutzfeld Jakob. Maybe because cannibalism is so unpopular. It seems to be a spontaneous event. The prion is an unnaturally folded protein that replicates. This is similar to how cancer gets started and grows.

I don't get anything tested unless it's mandatory. That's been only a few times but none has ever tested for the presence of CWD.

Here's some interesting use of language used for test results here in Colorado. If CWD turns up in.a test, the result is reported as CWD detected. If cwd is not shown it is reported as "CWD not detected". A subtle bit of CYA.

 

[longcruise]

Could you cite the source of case of the man who got CWD?

We had a similar claim made here in Colorado. The daughter of a hunter who died from a brain disease sued the Division of Wildlife as being the cause. This was very widely reported and it turned out that the daughter was a strong animal activist. That wasn't so widely reported though. Quite a few "experts" came out of the woodwork to support her.

Of course the lawsuit went nowhere. It was obvious that the poor guy died of CJD.

 

[brushblind]

Here are some quotes from various medical sources:

"CWD is similar to “mad cow disease” in cattle, scrapie in sheep, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans."

"Is Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease the same as mad cow?

CJD is not the same as mad cow disease or CWD. All three diseases are in the TSE family and can cause related illnesses and brain lesions. However, they are caused by three different prions that can be differentiated from one another in a laboratory."

"What happens if a human eats beef with mad cow disease?

People cannot get mad cow disease. But in rare cases they may get a human form of mad cow disease called variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), which is fatal. Over time, vCJD destroys the brain and spinal cord."

"Has a human ever gotten mad cow disease?

One case has now been detected in the United States. Strong evidence indicates that BSE has been transmitted to humans through the consumption of BSE-tainted beef and beef products, causing a human form of the disease known as variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), which is a rare, fatal brain disorder."

"Does CWD infect people?

There is no direct evidence that CWD has ever been transmitted to humans like mad cow disease (as vCJD). However, some research shows that CWD can be transmitted to monkeys closely related to humans by feeding them meat or brain tissue from deer and elk infected with CWD. Because of this, health organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest being careful if you eat meat from animals harvested from areas where CWD has been found."

The majority of sources about CWD I have read, since it was first detected no more than 50 miles from my home in Minnesota and within a few miles of a place I hunted, agree mad cow has transmitted to humans as a variant and monkeys have gotten CWD from being fed contaminated deer/elk meat. To me it's not a great leap to assume that CWD, being from the same family of TSEs and considering mad cow transfer & mutation to vJCD in humans and/or monkeys getting CWD directly, that there is some level of risk to eating meat from a deer known to be CWD positive.

I am now in a full fledged CWD area as it has slowly spread across SE MN and is now also in Central MN, albeit at VERY low test counts. Everyone can have their deer kill tested to be sure. Testing in Minnesota is mandatory the first two days of each modern gun season.

The MN DNR's position on eating an infected deer simply refers to the CDC's position:

"...public health officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that hunters do not consume meat from animals known to be infected."

My final thought: It is well documented that the prions are spread via deer fluids, including their urine. It is also well known that symptoms do not appear for two to three years. So, how much of this spread is being caused by hunters using scents and lures based on deer fluids from farms with deer they don't know are infected? Many times this disease seemingly jumps by hundreds of miles...WAY outside the range deer travel. My contention is that one of the causes of the disease spread is via use of contaminated deer lure products. Personally, I won't use those poisons and if the entire deer lure industry went belly up I'd lose no sleep at all.

High fenced hunting sites are big contributors of the CWD not just in Mi. but all over the country. They import wild caught deer from who knows where for breeding along with trophy hunting and aren't regulated enough in my opinion! The whole industry should be looked after more closely but there's not enough Fed. and State employees that actually leave their desk or have the desire to maintain much scrutiny over these operations.

 

[brushblind]

Two things: I have a friend who is a big time deer skater and he says there’s some good evidence that a lot of road kill has cwd. I don’t know, but it’s make some sense as it seems to be getting worse; the road kill deer I mean.

As to testing: why would one not get it done?Does it cost a lot of money? Is there something I’m missing about getting one kill tested?

Testing is limited to study areas but you can pay for a test on your own if you choose. From what my friends have told me the results take a while to get but on the brighter side, the no baiting ban has been lifted for now. This is the CWD study area in the southern Upper Peninsula of Mi. The Mi. DNR's advice was to avoid eating prion infected deer but these are the same people that tell you that wolves survive the winter by eating voles and mice.

 

[Sam squanch]

All I remember is the guy was from Oklahoma. It was at least 15 years ago , probably more when the show aired. They had no definitive proof, just going off the fact the guy hunted deer and ate them. It was strongly hinted you could get it from eating poor Bambi…… and it served you right!

 

[akroguy]

When I first read this post title, I thought it was something about the brains of the average democrat/communist but now that it references game animals, it is actually something to be concerned about.

 

[Sam squanch]

Now I remember that you could get a brain disease from fried squirrel brains, supposedly.

 

[Spikebuck]

Regarding burning prions:

"Incineration of prion-contaminated material is considered the most effective method of disposal. Combustion at 1,000°C can destroy prion infectivity, however, low infectivity remains after treatment at 600°C. Despite its effectiveness, incineration may not be a practical solution, such as during a large outbreak of BSE, scrapie or CWD requiring a mass culling. Incineration of contaminated soil, vegetation and farm infrastructure (paddocks, fences) to eliminate CWD or scrapie environmental infectivity is also not practical."

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/ar...ncineration may,CWD requiring a mass culling.
That's over 1800 F. That's within the range of human cremation.

 

[Gun Tramp]

Your right, stop eating all deer meat. Your the best at being safe for your family, make sure you teach your kids the same,

And you're right! I'm from Minnesota also and absolutely wouldn't touch the stuff from my area. Too many deer crowded into less and less habitat; not interested in being a DNR guinea pig.

 

[Horizontal Hunter]

2 hunting units in northern Idaho have verified cases. I've got a blood test kit from Fish and Game to test my elk ( should I get one) here in South East Idaho.

I was always under the belief that it was contained in the nervous system tissue (brain and spine) so I felt there was some measure of protection in processing them bonelessly and avoiding the nervous system tissue and bone marrow…..until I read your post. If it can be found in detectible amounts in the animals blood it is completely distributed throughout the animals flesh.

Fortunately, there hasn’t been any CWD detected here…….yet.

Get your deer tested if it makes you feel better. The next country over from me requires CWD testing, it will be state wide in a few years. I see a market for a home, do it yourself testing kit! I think the anti hunting news media has overblown this problem, just like anything else they hate and want to see abolished…..

After reading the post by @gunpa above I went and looked and there is indeed a home test. Just send in a chunk of meat, $45 and you will get your answer in a few weeks.

Bob

PrioSense CWD Venison Test Kit

 

[Jaeger]

Regarding burning prions:

"Incineration of prion-contaminated material is considered the most effective method of disposal. Combustion at 1,000°C can destroy prion infectivity, however, low infectivity remains after treatment at 600°C. Despite its effectiveness, incineration may not be a practical solution, such as during a large outbreak of BSE, scrapie or CWD requiring a mass culling. Incineration of contaminated soil, vegetation and farm infrastructure (paddocks, fences) to eliminate CWD or scrapie environmental infectivity is also not practical."

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/ar...ncineration may,CWD requiring a mass culling.
That's over 1800 F. That's within the range of human cremation.

Wow......takes 1000 degrees C to incinerate prions....and there is STILL low infectivity after 600 C? That is freakin' amazing....and that is why prions are scary to me.

 

[necchi]

And you're right! I'm from Minnesota,, Too many deer crowded into less and less habitat;

Then don't feed the poor starving deer in the winter, or when they yard-up in the spring. let'm die,,