Chronic Wasting Disease: MDC needs hunter help with CWD sampling in north-central Missouri

MDC needs hunter help with CWD sampling in north-central Missouri

Effort is for deer harvested in Adair, Chariton, Linn, Macon, Randolph and Sullivan counties.

KIRKSVILLE, Mo.— The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is again working with hunters and landowners from around the state, along with taxidermy shops and meat processors in north-central Missouri, to collect tissue samples from adult deer harvested during the fall archery and firearms deer seasons. The cooperative effort is part of MDC’s ongoing work to detect cases of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Missouri’s free-ranging deer.

The Conservation Department encourages hunters to take deer harvested in MDC’s CWD Containment Zone of Adair, Chariton, Linn, Macon, Randolph and Sullivan counties to one of numerous cooperating locations in the region to have a tissue sample taken for testing. Sampling locations include area taxidermists and meat processors, and the Northeast Regional MDC office in Kirksville during normal business hours.

Removing a tissue sample is free, takes only a few minutes and will not reduce the food or taxidermy value of harvested deer. The sampling effort is taking place Sept. 15 to Jan. 15, 2015. Test results typically take 3-4 weeks and are posted for participating hunters on the MDC website at http://mdc4.mdc.mo.gov/applications/cwdSurveillance/cwdSurveillance.aspx.

In addition to the hunter-harvested deer samples collected within the six-county CWD Containment Zone, MDC also conducts routine statewide CWD surveillance. For 2014, the northern half of the state will be sampled throughout the duration of the archery and firearms seasons. This large-scale testing effort is made possible through the cooperation of many of the state’s hunters, landowners, and taxidermists—proving once again that Missourians care about conserving forest, fish, and wildlife.

During and after the 2013-2014 deer hunting seasons, a total of 3,666 free-ranging deer were tested statewide for chronic wasting disease, including more than 200 deer in the CWD Core Area (a 30-square-mile area that surrounds the Linn-Macon county line where CWD–positive deer have been found), and all tests came back negative. To date, MDC has tested over 40,000 free-ranging white-tailed deer for CWD.

“While we are cautiously optimistic that these latest results suggest our efforts to limit the spread of chronic wasting disease may be working, the threat of this infectious disease remains significant,” says MDC State Wildlife Veterinarian Kelly Straka. “Therefore, continued surveillance is important.”

Dr. Straka encourages anyone seeing deer that appear sick or displaying abnormal behavior to call their local conservation agent or MDC office.

CWD is always fatal to white-tailed deer and other members of the deer family, called cervids. There is no evidence that the disease can affect humans or domestic animals. CWD was first found in Missouri in 2010 and remains confined to 21 confirmed cases in both captive and free-ranging deer in a small area that borders northeastern Linn and northwestern Macon counties.

More information on CWD and a list of sample-collection locations can be found in MDC’s 2014 Fall Deer & Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet available at MDC offices and nature centers, from permit vendors, and online. 10-point buck The Conservation Department encourages hunters to take deer harvested in Adair, Chariton, Linn, Macon, Randolph and Sullivan counties to one of numerous cooperating locations in the region to have a tissue sample taken for CWD testing. The sampling effort is taking place Sept. 15 to Jan. 15, 2015.

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MEDIA CONTACT: Joanie Straub Media Specialist 573-815-7901 x3872 Joanie.Straub@mdc.mo.gov

http://mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/deer-hunting/deer-diseases/chronic-wasting-disease

Thursday, September 18, 2014

*** Risk behaviors in a rural community with a known point-source exposure to chronic wasting disease

http://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2014/09/risk-behaviors-in-rural-community-with.html

Saturday, September 20, 2014

*** North Carolina Captive cervid licenses and permits Senate Bill 744 Singeltary Submission

Description The proposed changes to 15A NACA 10H .0301 would allow the Commission to issue new captivity licenses and permits for the purpose of holding cervids in captivity and allow certified herd owners to sell or transfer cervids to any licensed facility. Also, mandatory testing for CWD will be raised from all cervids that die at age 6 months or older to all cervids that die at age 12 months or older. Rule Text Click here http://www.ncwildlife.org/Portals/0/ProposedRegulations/15A%20NCAC%2010H%20.0301%20for%20web%20posting.pdf

North Carolina Captive cervid licenses and permits Senate Bill 744 Singeltary Submission

*** p.s. please add this to my submission, very important information...

Saturday, February 04, 2012

*** Wisconsin 16 age limit on testing dead deer Game Farm CWD Testing Protocol Needs To Be Revised

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.

Saturday, February 04, 2012

*** Wisconsin 16 age limit on testing dead deer Game Farm CWD Testing Protocol Needs To Be Revised

http://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2012/02/wisconsin-16-age-limit-on-testing-dead.html

*** Conclusion. CWD prions (as inferred by prion seeding activity by RT-QuIC) are shed in urine of infected deer as early as 6 months post inoculation and throughout the subsequent disease course. Further studies are in progress refining the real-time urinary prion assay sensitivity and we are examining more closely the excretion time frame, magnitude, and sample variables in relationship to inoculation route and prionemia in naturally and experimentally CWD-infected cervids.

https://www.landesbioscience.com/journals/prion/6.Poster_Topic%202_Prion%20Diseases%20in%20Animals.pdf

SNIP...SEE FULL TEXT ;

Saturday, September 20, 2014

*** North Carolina Captive cervid licenses and permits Senate Bill 744 Singeltary Submission

http://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2014/09/north-carolina-captive-cervid-licenses.html

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

*** Cervid Health Business Plan Fiscal Years 2014 to 2018 Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Veterinary Services ***

http://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2014/09/cervid-health-business-plan-fiscal.html

Friday, September 05, 2014

*** CFIA CWD and Grain Screenings due to potential risk factor of spreading via contamination of grain, oil seeds, etc. ***

http://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2014/09/cfia-cwd-and-grain-screenings-due-to.html

Wednesday, September 17, 2014