TAHC Proposes Modifications to Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Rules September 27, 2012
NEWS RELEASE
Texas Animal Health Commission
“Serving Texas Animal Agriculture Since 1893”
Dee Ellis, DVM, MPA ● Executive Director
P.O. Box l2966 ● Austin, Texas 78711 ● (800) 550-8242 http://www.tahc.state.tx.us
For more information contact the Communication & PR Dept. at
1-800-550-0710 or at bonnie.ramirez@tahc.state.tx.us
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 27, 2012
TAHC Proposes Modifications to Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Rules
AUSTIN – The Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) will soon be accepting
public comments on rules proposed at its September 18 meeting to amend Chapter
40, entitled “Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)”. Publication of the proposed rules
is expected to be in mid-October with a 45 day comment period to follow.
The proposed rules revise numerous current requirements in an effort to
address recent developments involving CWD. This includes the diagnosis of CWD in
two mule deer near the New Mexico border and the addition of red deer and Sika
deer to the list of species susceptible to CWD. The amendments would also bring
Texas rules into alignment with the recently released Federal CWD interim final
rule, which sets the minimum standards for interstate movement of cervid
species.
The proposed TAHC rules apply to the non-indigenous cervid species of Texas
under its jurisdiction. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is also
in the process of evaluating its rules for the cervid species it regulates
(indigenous to Texas), including white-tailed deer and mule deer.
Below are key points of the proposed rules to Chapter 40:
• Require additional cervid species such as North American Elk or Wapiti,
red deer and Sika deer to participate in surveillance for CWD if they are being
moved or transported within the state.
• Provide enrollment requirements for the TAHC Complete Monitored Herd
Program for CWD, based in large part on the USDA interim final rule on
CWD.
o Complete physical inventory of the herd every three years
o Fences must be 8 feet in height for herds enrolling after the rule is
effective
o Require 30 feet of separation between herds, with no shared working
facilities
o Requires reporting of all CWD suspicious animals and testing of all death
losses in animals 12 months of age or older (changed from 16 months).
• Delegates authority to the Executive Director to issue an order to
declare a CWD high risk area or county based on sound epidemiological principles
for disease detection, control and eradication.
“The rule proposals are written to meet the federal standards but they can
be adapted to recognize comments received,” Dr. Andy Schwartz, Assistant
Executive Director, said. “The TAHC is committed to hosting as many meetings as
necessary with the cervid industry and stakeholder groups to ensure that a
successful Texas specific program is created that matches the USDA interim final
rule. The TAHC’s ultimate goal is to enhance marketability.” CWD has never been
shown to affect people or domestic livestock. The progressively fatal disease
causes chronic weight loss and abnormal behavior such as disorientation. Prions
(the infectious agent of CWD), are present in the body fluids of infected
animals, and can be shed onto the soil where they may remain infectious to other
susceptible animals for many years. For this reason the proposed TAHC rules
apply to land, as well as cervids where CWD has been found or is likely to be
found.
At its September 18 meeting, the Commission also passed a rule proposed at
their previous meeting, establishing movement restriction zones in the
Trans-Pecos Region of far West Texas. This will allow a coordinated effort
between the TAHC and TPWD to control and contain CWD in the Hueco Mountains
where it was recently discovered. The two agencies are currently working on
plans for enhanced hunter kill surveillance and movement control enforcement for
the coming hunting season.
“The TAHC will continue to work closely with Texas Parks and Wildlife and
the CWD Task Force to ensure alignment of our rules and cooperation to protect
the health of the entire cervid population of Texas,” said Dr. Dee Ellis, State
Veterinarian and TAHC Executive Director.
A detailed explanation of the rule proposals will be available soon on the
TAHC web site at http://www.tahc.state.tx.us/regs/proposals.html
.
The TAHC rule proposals have a comment period of 45 days once they have
been published. The TAHC encourages and appreciates all comments.
Comments on the TAHC’s proposed regulations must be submitted in writing to
Carol Pivonka, Texas Animal Health Commission, 2105 Kramer Lane, Austin, Texas
78758, by fax at (512) 719-0721 or by e-mail to comments@tahc.state.tx.us .
Founded in 1893, the Texas Animal Health Commission works to protect the health
of all Texas livestock, including: cattle, swine, poultry, sheep, goats, equine
animals, and exotic livestock.
###
Wisconsin : Six White-Tailed Deer Fawns Test Positive for CWD
Date: May 13, 2003 Source: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Contacts: Julie Langenberg Wildlife Veterinarian 608-266-3143 Tom Hauge
Director, Bureau of Wildlife Management 608-266-2193
MADISON -- Six fawns in the area of south central Wisconsin where chronic
wasting disease has been found in white-tailed deer have tested positive for the
disease, according to Department of Natural Resources wildlife health officials.
These are the youngest wild white-tailed deer detected with chronic wasting
disease (CWD) to date.
Approximately 4,200 fawns, defined as deer under 1 year of age, were
sampled from the eradication zone over the last year. The majority of fawns
sampled were between the ages of 5 to 9 months, though some were as young as 1
month. Two of the six fawns with CWD detected were 5 to 6 months old. All six of
the positive fawns were taken from the core area of the CWD eradication zone
where the highest numbers of positive deer have been identified.
"This is the first intensive sampling for CWD in fawns anywhere," said Dr.
Julie Langenberg, Department of Natural Resources wildlife veterinarian, "and we
are trying to learn as much as we can from these data".
"One noteworthy finding is simply the fact that we found positive fawns,"
Dr. Langenberg said. "These results do show us that CWD transmission can happen
at a very young age in wild white-tailed deer populations. However, we found
that the percentage of fawns infected with CWD is very low, in the area of 0.14
percent. If there was a higher rate of infection in fawns, then fawns dispersing
in the spring could be much more worrisome for disease spread."
Dr. Langenberg noted that while the youngest CWD-positive fawns had
evidence of disease-causing prions only in lymph node tissue, several of the
older CWD-positive fawns had evidence of CWD prions in both lymph node and brain
tissues -- suggesting further progression of the disease.
"Finding CWD prions in both lymph and brain tissues of deer this young is
slightly surprising," said Langenberg, "and provides information that CWD
infection and illness may progress more rapidly in a white-tailed deer than
previously suspected. Published literature suggests that CWD doesn't cause
illness in a deer until approximately 16 months of age. Our fawn data shows that
a few wild white-tailed deer may become sick from CWD or may transmit the
disease before they reach that age of 16 months."
One of the positive fawns was shot with a doe that was also CWD positive.
Information about these fawn cases combined with will help researchers who are
studying the age and routes of CWD transmission in wild deer populations. "More
data analysis and ongoing deer movement studies should give us an even better
understanding of how this disease moves across the landscape", said Langenberg.
"Thanks to eradication zone hunters who submitted deer of all ages for
sampling, we have a valuable set of fawn data that is contributing to our
state's and the nation's understanding about CWD," Langenberg said.
> > > Two of the six fawns with CWD detected were 5 to 6 months
old. < < <
Why doesn't the Wisconsin DNR want to routinely test fawns ?
The DNR highly discourages the testing of any fawns regardless of where
they were harvested. Of the more than 15,000 fawns from the CWD-MZ that have
been tested, only 23 were test positive, and most of those were nearly one year
old. It is exceedingly unlikely that a deer less than one year old would test
positive for CWD, even in the higher CWD prevalence areas of southern Wisconsin.
Few fawns will have been exposed to CWD, and because this disease spreads
through the deer's body very slowly, it is very rare in a fawn that the disease
has progressed to a level that is detectable. This means that testing a fawn
provides almost no information valuable to understanding CWD in Wisconsin's deer
herd and does not provide information of great value to the hunter in making a
decision about venison consumption.
> > > It is exceedingly unlikely that a deer less than one year
old would test positive for CWD < < < ???
Chronic Wasting Disease in a Wisconsin White-Tailed Deer Farm
and 15 of 22 fawns aged 6 to 9 months (68.2%) were positive.
specific susceptibility? 194. It is probable, based on age-class specific
prevalence data from wild cervids and epidemiological evidence from captive
cervids in affected research centres, that both adults and fawns may become
infected with CWD (Miller, Wild & Williams, 1998; Miller et al., 2000).
198. In Odocoileus virginianus – white tailed deer, out of 179 white-tailed
deer which had become enclosed by an elk farm fence, in Sioux County,
northwestern Nebraska, four fawns only eight months old were among the 50% of
CWD-positive animals; these fawns were not showing any clinical signs of CWD
(Davidson, 2002).
see full text ;
Saturday, February 04, 2012
Wisconsin 16 MONTH age limit on testing dead deer Game Farm CWD Testing
Protocol Needs To Be Revised
Last year, only one deer was removed from the airport. It was unclear how
the deer got past the wildlife fence — there might have been a small opening in
the fence, or the deer might have simply jumped the 10 feet. Scherschligt said
wildlife studies indicate that deer can sometimes jump 12-foot-tall
obstructions, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture rates some whitetail deer
as capable of jumping 15 feet.
Jumping to a vertical height of at least eight feet, deer can scale over
barriers you may think are impossible. Watching a deer confronted with a
vertical, eight-foot tall, hight-tensile wire fence then
watching it leap over from a standing position makes a startling
impression. A frightened deer mhurdle a fence as high as 12 feet if given a
running start and enough adrenalin. Horizontally, a deer may leap 15 to 30 feet,
the longer distance only when frightened. In general, a deer may jump high or
long, but not both at the same time. Deer have also been known to crawl under
fences and through openings as small as 7.5 inches. The will of a deer to
penetrate a fence is dependent on the force of the motivation behind it.
Sauer (1984) reported white-tailed deer could jump a 2.1-m fence from a
standing start and could jump a 2.4-m fence from a running start. In
contradiction, Fitzwater (1972) indicates that a 2.4-m fence is sufficient to
prevent deer from jumping. Ludwig and Bremicker (1981) concluded that 2.4-m
fencing was effective at keeping deer out of roadways as long as the length of
the fence is extended well beyond the high-risk area for deer-vehicle
collisions.
Monday, June 11, 2012
OHIO Captive deer escapees and non-reporting
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
TPWD Gearing Up for CWD Response during Deer Season
Monday, September 17, 2012
New Mexico DGF EXPANDS CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE CONTROL AREAS, while Texas
flounders
Monday, March 26, 2012
Texas Prepares for Chronic Wasting Disease CWD Possibility in Far West
Texas
Monday, March 26, 2012
3 CASES OF CWD FOUND NEW MEXICO MULE DEER SEVERAL MILS FROM TEXAS BORDER
Saturday, June 09, 2012
USDA Establishes a Herd Certification Program for Chronic Wasting Disease
in the United States
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
TAHC Modifies Entry Requirements Effective Immediately for Cervids DUE TO
CWD
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Saturday, July 07, 2012
TEXAS Animal Health Commission Accepting Comments on Chronic Wasting
Disease Rule Proposal
Considering the seemingly high CWD prevalence rate in the Sacramento and
Hueco Mountains of New Mexico, CWD may be well established in the population and
in the environment in Texas at this time.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Chronic Wasting Disease Detected in Far West Texas
key word here is _considering_. so consider this, CWD still spreading in
Texas. ...TSS
Friday, September 07, 2012
Texas Wildlife Officials Considering New Deer Movement Rules in Response to
CWD
Friday, August 31, 2012
COMMITTEE ON CAPTIVE WILDLIFE AND ALTERNATIVE LIVESTOCK and CWD 2009-2012 a
review
Friday, June 01, 2012
TEXAS DEER CZAR TO WISCONSIN ASK TO EXPLAIN COMMENTS
Friday, August 24, 2012
Diagnostic accuracy of rectal mucosa biopsy testing for chronic wasting
disease within white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) herds in North America
Saturday, September 01, 2012
Resistance of Soil-Bound Prions to Rumen Digestion
Monday, September 17, 2012
Rapid Transepithelial Transport of Prions Following Inhalation
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Genetic Depletion of Complement Receptors CD21/35 Prevents Terminal Prion Disease in a Mouse Model of Chronic Wasting Disease
http://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2012/09/genetic-depletion-of-complement.html
CDC
October 2012
Synopsis Occurrence, Transmission, and Zoonotic Potential of Chronic
Wasting Disease
Controlling the spread of CWD, especially by human action, is a more
attainable goal than eradication. Human movement of cervids has likely led to
spread of CWD in facilities for captive animals, which has most likely
contributed to establishment of new disease foci in free-ranging populations
(Figure 1, panel A). Thus, restrictions on human movement of cervids from
disease-endemic areas or herds continue to be warranted. Anthropogenic factors
that increase cervid congregation such as baiting and feeding should also be
restricted to reduce CWD transmission. Appropriate disposal of carcasses of
animals with suspected CWD is necessary to limit environmental contamination
(20), and attractive onsite disposal options such as composting and burial
require further investigation to determine contamination risks. The best options
for lowering the risk for recurrence in facilities for captive animals with
outbreaks are complete depopulation, stringent exclusion of free-ranging
cervids, and disinfection of all exposed surfaces. However, even the most
extensive decontamination measures may not be sufficient to eliminate the risk
for disease recurrence (20; S.E. Saunders et al. unpub. data)
Wednesday, June 01, 2011
Management of CWD in Canada: Past Practices, Current Conditions, Current
Science, Future Risks and Options
Thursday, June 09, 2011
Detection of CWD prions in salivary, urinary, and intestinal tissues of
deer: potential mechanisms of prion shedding and transmission
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Environmental Sources of Scrapie Prions
CWD, GAME FARMS, BAITING, AND POLITICS
TSS
posted by Terry S. Singeltary Sr. at
8:52 PM
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