Kansas Ten Deer Test Positive for CWD in 2014-2015 7-16-15 News
Kansas Ten Deer Test Positive for CWD in 2014-2015
PRATT – A total of 640 deer were tested for chronic wasting disease (CWD)
during the 2014-2015 seasons, and 10 of those were confirmed positive. Samples
were obtained from deer killed by hunters in southcentral and southwest parts of
Kansas and from sick and/or suspect deer observed in the eastern, northcentral
and northwest parts of the state. The 10 confirmed positives included two mule
deer, one from Rawlins County and one from Scott County; and eight whitetails
including two from Decatur County and one from each of the following counties,
Norton, Meade, Hodgeman, Pawnee, Kearny, and Gray.
CWD testing began in 1996 to help track the occurrence of CWD in the
state’s wild deer, and nearly 25,000 tissue samples have undergone lab analysis
since. The first CWD occurrence documented in a wild Kansas deer was a whitetail
doe killed by a hunter in 2005 in Cheyenne County. Seventy-four deer have tested
positive since testing began, and most have occurred in northwest Kansas,
specifically Decatur, Rawlins, Sheridan and Norton counties.
Although research is underway, there is currently no vaccine or other
biological method of preventing CWD. The only tool is to prevent the spread of
CWD to new areas. Once the infective particle (an abnormal prion) is deposited
into the environment – either through an infected carcass or from a live animal
– it may exist for a decade or more, capable of infecting a healthy deer.
Despite the recent occurrences, the likelihood of finding CWD in a wild
deer harvested in Kansas is small. That small likelihood decreases even more the
farther from northwestern Kansas the deer live. In recent years, numerous cases
of CWD have been documented in neighboring areas of Colorado, Nebraska and
Wyoming.
While CWD is fatal to infected deer and elk, humans have never been known
to contract the disease. CWD is a member of the group of diseases called
transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). Other diseases in this group
include scrapie in sheep and goats, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE or mad
cow disease) in cattle, and Cruetzfeldt-Jacob disease in people.
CWD is a progressive, fatal disease that results in small holes developing
in the brain, giving it a sponge-like appearance under the microscope. Decreased
brain function causes the animal to display neurological signs such as
depression, droopy head, staggering, loss of appetite, and a lack of response to
people. The continuing deterioration of the brain leads to other signs such as
weight loss, drooling, rough coat, and excessive thirst. Caution is advised
because of unknown factors associated with prion diseases, but no human health
risks have been discovered where CWD occurs. Any sick deer or elk with signs
listed above or exhibiting behaviors such as stumbling, holding the head at an
odd angle, walking in circles, entangled in fences or staying near farm
buildings for extended periods of time should be reported to the nearest KDWPT
office or the Emporia Research Office, 620-342-0658.
Hunters can help protect the health of the Kansas deer herd and slow CWD’s
spread by not introducing the disease to new areas in Kansas through disposal of
deer carcass waste. Avoid transporting a deer carcass from the area where it was
taken, especially from areas where CWD has been detected. If the carcass is
transported, dispose of carcass waste by double-bagging it and taking it to a
landfill. Landowners can also bury carcasses on their own property.
The Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance maintains an online clearinghouse of
information about the disease. More information is also available at
www.ksoutdoors.com.
-30-
Back to 7-16-15 News
Kansas Chronic Wasting Disease CWD
The first case of CWD was found in a captive bull elk in Harper County in
2001. Since that time, CWD has been detected in 62 wild, free-ranging
white-tailed and 1 mule deer in Deer Management Units (DMU) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
17.
In 2010-2011 the first positive mule deer was detected in Decatur County.
Currently, the total number of positives since surveillance started in 1996 is
64 (1 captive elk, 1 mule deer, and 62 white-tailed deer). Hunters and other
wildlife enthusiasts can avoid the human-assisted spread of CWD by not
transporting a live or dead deer or elk from areas where CWD occurs to those
areas which are CWD-free. There is currently no known treatment or eradication
method for CWD, so preventing the introduction of the the disease into new areas
is of utmost importance to the health of local deer herds. Baiting and feeding
deer tend to concentrate deer at small point on the landscape, often with the
trails leading to the feeding sites resembling the wheel spokes of a bicycle.
Anytime animals are concentrated at this type of "hub," the likelihood of
disease transmission increases in a deer herd. More alarming, CWD is not the
only serious disease of concern. Diseases such as bovine tuberculosis, bacterial
infections such as pneumonia and foot rot, and a host of detrimental parasites,
including exotic lice, meningeal worms, flukes, and barberpole worms are
transmitted more efficiently when deer are concentrated in a small area,
especially around feeding stations.
Another major concern is the potential for spread of CWD from captive
cervid farms into the wild cervid population. Once a disease gets into a wild
population, it is virtually impossible eradicate. The only thing that can be
done is control the spread of the disease at great expense. KDWPT recommends
that every captive cervid operator enroll in the voluntary CWD monitoring
program administered by the Kansas Department of Agriculture's Kansas Animal
Health Division. The sooner diseases such as CWD can be detected in captives,
the sooner control efforts can begin and possibly prevent the spread of disease
to wild populations of the state. CWD is only one of many diseases that could go
undetected in an unmonitored captive cervid herd. Bovine tuberculosis and Foot
and Mouth Disease, for example, are serious diseases that could seriously damage
not only populations of deer and an annual 350 million-dollar hunting economy,
but could also threaten the 6 billion-dollar Kansas cattle industry via
quarantines and loss of accreditation.
2013-2014 CWD CONFIRMED POSITIVES by County
Decatur = 2
Sheridan = 1
Sherman = 1
Rawlins = 5
Kansas Counties with CWD Detections (County and Number of Positives To
Date)
Decatur = 27
Rawlins = 11
Norton = 4
Sheridan = 4
Sherman = 3
Cheyenne = 2
Graham = 2
Trego = 2
Thomas = 1
Logan = 1
Ford = 1
Stafford = 1
Wallace = 1
Smith = 1
Ellis = 1
Gove = 1
Harper = 1
CWD Regulations for Kansas and Other States
Click HERE for information concerning CWD Regulations for Resident and
Non-Resident Hunters
CWD Test Stations
Click HERE for the list of CWD Test Stations operating during the current
year
The TSE prion disease survives ashing to 600 degrees celsius, that’s
around 1112 degrees farenheit.
you cannot cook the TSE prion disease out of meat.
you can take the ash and mix it with saline and inject that ash into a
mouse, and the mouse will go down with TSE.
Prion Infected Meat-and-Bone Meal Is Still Infectious after Biodiesel
Production as well.
the TSE prion agent also survives Simulated Wastewater Treatment Processes.
IN fact, you should also know that the TSE Prion agent will survive in the
environment for years, if not decades.
you can bury it and it will not go away.
The TSE agent is capable of infected your water table i.e. Detection of
protease-resistant cervid prion protein in water from a CWD-endemic area.
it’s not your ordinary pathogen you can just cook it out and be done with.
that’s what’s so worrisome about Iatrogenic mode of transmission, a simple
autoclave will not kill this TSE prion agent.
New studies on the heat resistance of hamster-adapted scrapie agent:
Threshold survival after ashing at 600°C suggests an inorganic template of
replication
The infectious agents responsible for transmissible spongiform
encephalopathy (TSE) are notoriously resistant to most physical and chemical
methods used for inactivating pathogens, including heat. It has long been
recognized, for example, that boiling is ineffective and that higher
temperatures are most efficient when combined with steam under pressure (i.e.,
autoclaving). As a means of decontamination, dry heat is used only at the
extremely high temperatures achieved during incineration, usually in excess of
600°C. It has been assumed, without proof, that incineration totally inactivates
the agents of TSE, whether of human or animal origin.
Prion Infected Meat-and-Bone Meal Is Still Infectious after Biodiesel
Production
Histochemical analysis of hamster brains inoculated with the solid residue
showed typical spongiform degeneration and vacuolation. Re-inoculation of these
brains into a new cohort of hamsters led to onset of clinical scrapie symptoms
within 75 days, suggesting that the specific infectivity of the prion protein
was not changed during the biodiesel process. The biodiesel reaction cannot be
considered a viable prion decontamination method for MBM, although we observed
increased survival time of hamsters and reduced infectivity greater than 6 log
orders in the solid MBM residue. Furthermore, results from our study compare for
the first time prion detection by Western Blot versus an infectivity bioassay
for analysis of biodiesel reaction products. We could show that biochemical
analysis alone is insufficient for detection of prion infectivity after a
biodiesel process.
Detection of protease-resistant cervid prion protein in water from a
CWD-endemic area
The data presented here demonstrate that sPMCA can detect low levels of
PrPCWD in the environment, corroborate previous biological and experimental data
suggesting long term persistence of prions in the environment2,3 and imply that
PrPCWD accumulation over time may contribute to transmission of CWD in areas
where it has been endemic for decades. This work demonstrates the utility of
sPMCA to evaluate other environmental water sources for PrPCWD, including
smaller bodies of water such as vernal pools and wallows, where large numbers of
cervids congregate and into which prions from infected animals may be shed and
concentrated to infectious levels.
A Quantitative Assessment of the Amount of Prion Diverted to Category 1
Materials and Wastewater During Processing
Keywords:Abattoir;bovine spongiform encephalopathy;QRA;scrapie;TSE
In this article the development and parameterization of a quantitative
assessment is described that estimates the amount of TSE infectivity that is
present in a whole animal carcass (bovine spongiform encephalopathy [BSE] for
cattle and classical/atypical scrapie for sheep and lambs) and the amounts that
subsequently fall to the floor during processing at facilities that handle
specified risk material (SRM). BSE in cattle was found to contain the most oral
doses, with a mean of 9864 BO ID50s (310, 38840) in a whole carcass compared to
a mean of 1851 OO ID50s (600, 4070) and 614 OO ID50s (155, 1509) for a sheep
infected with classical and atypical scrapie, respectively. Lambs contained the
least infectivity with a mean of 251 OO ID50s (83, 548) for classical scrapie
and 1 OO ID50s (0.2, 2) for atypical scrapie. The highest amounts of infectivity
falling to the floor and entering the drains from slaughtering a whole carcass
at SRM facilities were found to be from cattle infected with BSE at rendering
and large incineration facilities with 7.4 BO ID50s (0.1, 29), intermediate
plants and small incinerators with a mean of 4.5 BO ID50s (0.1, 18), and
collection centers, 3.6 BO ID50s (0.1, 14). The lowest amounts entering drains
are from lambs infected with classical and atypical scrapie at intermediate
plants and atypical scrapie at collection centers with a mean of 3 × 10−7 OO
ID50s (2 × 10−8, 1 × 10−6) per carcass. The results of this model provide key
inputs for the model in the companion paper published here.
*** Infectious agent of sheep scrapie may persist in the environment for at
least 16 years***
Gudmundur Georgsson1, Sigurdur Sigurdarson2 and Paul Brown3
Longitudinal Detection of Prion Shedding in Saliva and Urine by
CWD-Infected Deer by RT-QuIC
Davin M. Henderson1, Nathaniel D. Denkers1, Clare E. Hoover1, Nina
Garbino1, Candace K. Mathiason1 and Edward A. Hoover1# + Author
Affiliations
1Prion Research Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and
Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado
State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523 ABSTRACT Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)
is an emergent, rapidly spreading prion disease of cervids. Shedding of
infectious prions in saliva and urine is thought to be an important factor in
CWD transmission. To help elucidate this issue, we applied an in vitro
amplification assay to determine the onset, duration, and magnitude of prion
shedding in longitudinally collected saliva and urine samples from CWD-exposed
white-tailed deer. We detected prion shedding as early as 3 months after CWD
exposure and sustained shedding throughout the disease course. We estimated that
a 50% lethal dose (LD50) for cervidized transgenic mice would be contained in 1
ml of infected deer saliva or 10 ml or urine. Given the average course of
infection and daily production of these body fluids, an infected deer would shed
thousands of prion infectious dosesover the course of CWD infection. The direct
and indirect environmental impact of this magnitude of prion shedding for cervid
and non-cervid species is surely significant.
Importance: Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is an emerging and uniformly
fatal prion disease affecting free ranging deer and elk and now recognized in 22
United States and 2 C anadian Provinces. It is unique among prion diseases in
that it is transmitted naturally though wild populations. A major hypothesis for
CWD's florid spread is that prions are shed in excreta and transmitted via
direct or indirect environmental contact. Here we use a rapid in vitro assay to
show that infectious doses of CWD prions are in fact shed throughout the
multi-year disease course in deer. This finding is an important advance in
assessing the risks posed by shed CWD prions to animals as well as humans.
FOOTNOTES
↵#To whom correspondence should be addressed: Edward A. Hoover, Prion
Research Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado
State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, US Email: edward.hoover@colostate.edu
what about CWD infection rates on some of these game farms ???
CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE CWD WISCONSIN Almond Deer (Buckhorn Flats)
FarmUpdate DECEMBER 2011The CWD infection rate was nearly 80%, the highest ever
in a North American captive herd. RECOMMENDATION: That the Board approve the
purchase of 80acres of land for $465,000 for the Statewide Wildlife Habitat
Program inPortage County and approve the restrictions on public use of the
site.SUMMARY:
For Immediate Release Thursday, October 2, 2014
Dustin Vande Hoef 515/281-3375 or 515/326-1616 (cell) or
Dustin.VandeHoef@IowaAgriculture.gov
TEST RESULTS FROM CAPTIVE DEER HERD WITH CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE RELEASED
79.8 percent of the deer tested positive for the disease
DES MOINES – The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship today
announced that the test results from the depopulation of a quarantined captive
deer herd in north-central Iowa showed that 284 of the 356 deer, or 79.8% of the
herd, tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). The owners of the
quarantined herd have entered into a fence maintenance agreement with the Iowa
Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship,which requires the owners to
maintain the 8’ foot perimeter fence around the herd premises for five years
after the depopulation was complete and the premises had been cleaned and
disinfected CWD is a progressive, fatal, degenerative neurological disease of
farmed and free-ranging deer, elk, and moose. There is no known treatment or
vaccine for CWD. CWD is not a disease that affects humans.On July 18, 2012, USDA
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (APHIS)National Veterinary Services
Lab in Ames, IA confirmed that a male whitetail deer harvested from a hunting
preserve in southeast IA was positive for CWD. An investigation revealed that
this animal had just been introduced into the hunting preserve from the
above-referenced captive deer herd in north-central Iowa.The captive deer herd
was immediately quarantined to prevent the spread of CWD. The herd has remained
in quarantine until its depopulation on August 25 to 27, 2014.The Iowa
Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship participated in a joint operation
to depopulate the infected herd with USDA Veterinary Services, which was the
lead agency, and USDA Wildlife Services.Federal indemnity funding became
available in 2014. USDA APHIS appraised the captive deer herd of 376 animals at
that time, which was before depopulation and testing, at $1,354,250. At that
time a herd plan was developed with the owners and officials from USDA and the
Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.Once the depopulation was
complete and the premises had been cleaned and disinfected, indemnity of
$917,100.00 from the USDA has been or will be paid to the owners as compensation
for the 356 captive deer depopulated.The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land
Stewardship operates a voluntary CWD program for farms that sell live animals.
Currently 145 Iowa farms participate in the voluntary program. The
above-referenced captive deer facility left the voluntary CWD program prior to
the discovery of the disease as they had stopped selling live animals. All deer
harvested in a hunting preserve must be tested for CWD. -30-
*** see history of this CWD blunder here ;
On June 5, 2013, DNR conducted a fence inspection, after gaining approval
from surrounding landowners, and confirmed that the fenced had beencut or
removed in at least four separate locations; that the fence had degraded and was
failing to maintain the enclosure around the Quarantined Premises in at least
one area; that at least three gates had been opened;and that deer tracks were
visible in and around one of the open areas in the sand on both sides of the
fence, evidencing movement of deer into the Quarantined Premises.
Friday, December 14, 2012
DEFRA U.K. What is the risk of Chronic Wasting Disease CWD being introduced
into Great Britain? A Qualitative Risk Assessment October 2012
snip...
In the USA, under the Food and Drug Administration’s BSE Feed Regulation
(21 CFR 589.2000) most material (exceptions include milk, tallow, and gelatin)
from deer and elk is prohibited for use in feed for ruminant animals. With
regards to feed for non-ruminant animals, under FDA law, CWD positive deer may
not be used for any animal feed or feed ingredients. For elk and deer considered
at high risk for CWD, the FDA recommends that these animals do not enter the
animal feed system. However, this recommendation is guidance and not a
requirement by law.
Animals considered at high risk for CWD include:
1) animals from areas declared to be endemic for CWD and/or to be CWD
eradication zones and
2) deer and elk that at some time during the 60-month period prior to
slaughter were in a captive herd that contained a CWD-positive animal.
Therefore, in the USA, materials from cervids other than CWD positive
animals may be used in animal feed and feed ingredients for non-ruminants.
The amount of animal PAP that is of deer and/or elk origin imported from
the USA to GB can not be determined, however, as it is not specified in TRACES.
It may constitute a small percentage of the 8412 kilos of non-fish origin
processed animal proteins that were imported from US into GB in 2011.
Overall, therefore, it is considered there is a __greater than negligible
risk___ that (nonruminant) animal feed and pet food containing deer and/or elk
protein is imported into GB.
There is uncertainty associated with this estimate given the lack of data
on the amount of deer and/or elk protein possibly being imported in these
products.
snip...
36% in 2007 (Almberg et al., 2011). In such areas, population declines of
deer of up to 30 to 50% have been observed (Almberg et al., 2011). In areas of
Colorado, the prevalence can be as high as 30% (EFSA, 2011). The clinical signs
of CWD in affected adults are weight loss and behavioural changes that can span
weeks or months (Williams, 2005). In addition, signs might include excessive
salivation, behavioural alterations including a fixed stare and changes in
interaction with other animals in the herd, and an altered stance (Williams,
2005). These signs are indistinguishable from cervids experimentally infected
with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). Given this, if CWD was to be
introduced into countries with BSE such as GB, for example, infected deer
populations would need to be tested to differentiate if they were infected with
CWD or BSE to minimise the risk of BSE entering the human food-chain via
affected venison.
snip...
The rate of transmission of CWD has been reported to be as high as 30% and
can approach 100% among captive animals in endemic areas (Safar et al., 2008).
snip...
In summary, in endemic areas, there is a medium probability that the soil
and surrounding environment is contaminated with CWD prions and in a
bioavailable form. In rural areas where CWD has not been reported and deer are
present, there is a greater than negligible risk the soil is contaminated with
CWD prion.
snip...
In summary, given the volume of tourists, hunters and servicemen moving
between GB and North America, the probability of at least one person travelling
to/from a CWD affected area and, in doing so, contaminating their clothing,
footwear and/or equipment prior to arriving in GB is greater than negligible.
For deer hunters, specifically, the risk is likely to be greater given the
increased contact with deer and their environment. However, there is significant
uncertainty associated with these estimates.
snip...
Therefore, it is considered that farmed and park deer may have a higher
probability of exposure to CWD transferred to the environment than wild deer
given the restricted habitat range and higher frequency of contact with tourists
and returning GB residents.
snip...
Friday, December 14, 2012
DEFRA U.K. What is the risk of Chronic Wasting Disease CWD being introduced
into Great Britain? A Qualitative Risk Assessment October 2012
CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE CWD TSE PRION, how much does it pay to find CWD
$$$
CWD, spreading it around...
for the game farm industry, and their constituents, to continue to believe
that they are _NOT_, and or insinuate that they have _NEVER_ been part of the
problem, will only continue to help spread cwd. the game farming industry, from
the shooting pens, to the urine mills, the antler mills, the sperm mills, velvet
mills, shooting pens, to large ranches, are not the only problem, but it is
painfully obvious that they have been part of the problem for decades and
decades, just spreading it around, as with transportation and or exportation and
or importation of cervids from game farming industry, and have been proven to
spread cwd. no one need to look any further than South Korea blunder ;
===========================================
spreading cwd around...
Between 1996 and 2002, chronic wasting disease was diagnosed in 39 herds of
farmed elk in Saskatchewan in a single epidemic. All of these herds were
depopulated as part of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) disease
eradication program. Animals, primarily over 12 mo of age, were tested for the
presence CWD prions following euthanasia. Twenty-one of the herds were linked
through movements of live animals with latent CWD from a single infected source
herd in Saskatchewan, 17 through movements of animals from 7 of the secondarily
infected herds.
***The source herd is believed to have become infected via importation of
animals from a game farm in South Dakota where CWD was subsequently diagnosed
(7,4). A wide range in herd prevalence of CWD at the time of herd depopulation
of these herds was observed. Within-herd transmission was observed on some
farms, while the disease remained confined to the introduced animals on other
farms.
spreading cwd around...
Friday, May 13, 2011
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) outbreaks and surveillance program in the
Republic of Korea
Hyun-Joo Sohn, Yoon-Hee Lee, Min-jeong Kim, Eun-Im Yun, Hyo-Jin Kim,
Won-Yong Lee, Dong-Seob Tark, In- Soo Cho, Foreign Animal Disease Research
Division, National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service, Republic of Korea
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been recognized as an important prion
disease in native North America deer and Rocky mountain elks. The disease is a
unique member of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), which
naturally affects only a few species. CWD had been limited to USA and Canada
until 2000.
On 28 December 2000, information from the Canadian government showed that a
total of 95 elk had been exported from farms with CWD to Korea. These consisted
of 23 elk in 1994 originating from the so-called “source farm” in Canada, and 72
elk in 1997, which had been held in pre export quarantine at the “source
farm”.Based on export information of CWD suspected elk from Canada to Korea, CWD
surveillance program was initiated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
(MAF) in 2001.
All elks imported in 1997 were traced back, however elks imported in 1994
were impossible to identify. CWD control measures included stamping out of all
animals in the affected farm, and thorough cleaning and disinfection of the
premises. In addition, nationwide clinical surveillance of Korean native
cervids, and improved measures to ensure reporting of CWD suspect cases were
implemented.
Total of 9 elks were found to be affected. CWD was designated as a
notifiable disease under the Act for Prevention of Livestock Epidemics in 2002.
Additional CWD cases - 12 elks and 2 elks - were diagnosed in 2004 and
2005.
Since February of 2005, when slaughtered elks were found to be positive,
all slaughtered cervid for human consumption at abattoirs were designated as
target of the CWD surveillance program. Currently, CWD laboratory testing is
only conducted by National Reference Laboratory on CWD, which is the Foreign
Animal Disease Division (FADD) of National Veterinary Research and Quarantine
Service (NVRQS).
In July 2010, one out of 3 elks from Farm 1 which were slaughtered for the
human consumption was confirmed as positive. Consequently, all cervid – 54 elks,
41 Sika deer and 5 Albino deer – were culled and one elk was found to be
positive. Epidemiological investigations were conducted by Veterinary
Epidemiology Division (VED) of NVRQS in collaboration with provincial veterinary
services.
Epidemiologically related farms were found as 3 farms and all cervid at
these farms were culled and subjected to CWD diagnosis. Three elks and 5
crossbreeds (Red deer and Sika deer) were confirmed as positive at farm 2.
All cervids at Farm 3 and Farm 4 – 15 elks and 47 elks – were culled and
confirmed as negative.
Further epidemiological investigations showed that these CWD outbreaks were
linked to the importation of elks from Canada in 1994 based on circumstantial
evidences.
In December 2010, one elk was confirmed as positive at Farm 5.
Consequently, all cervid – 3 elks, 11 Manchurian Sika deer and 20 Sika deer –
were culled and one Manchurian Sika deer and seven Sika deer were found to be
positive. This is the first report of CWD in these sub-species of deer.
Epidemiological investigations found that the owner of the Farm 2 in CWD
outbreaks in July 2010 had co-owned the Farm 5.
In addition, it was newly revealed that one positive elk was introduced
from Farm 6 of Jinju-si Gyeongsang Namdo. All cervid – 19 elks, 15 crossbreed
(species unknown) and 64 Sika deer – of Farm 6 were culled, but all confirmed as
negative.
*** LATE-BREAKING ABSTRACTS PRION 2015 CONFERENCE ***
O18
Zoonotic Potential of CWD Prions
Liuting Qing1, Ignazio Cali1,2, Jue Yuan1, Shenghai Huang3, Diane Kofskey1,
Pierluigi Gambetti1, Wenquan Zou1, Qingzhong Kong1 1Case Western Reserve
University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA, 2Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy,
3Encore Health Resources, Houston, Texas, USA
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a widespread and expanding prion disease
in free-ranging and captive cervid species in North America. The zoonotic
potential of CWD prions is a serious public health concern. Current literature
generated with in vitro methods and in vivo animal models (transgenic mice,
macaques and squirrel monkeys) reports conflicting results. The susceptibility
of human CNS and peripheral organs to CWD prions remains largely unresolved. In
our earlier bioassay experiments using several humanized transgenic mouse lines,
we detected protease-resistant PrPSc in the spleen of two out of 140 mice that
were intracerebrally inoculated with natural CWD isolates, but PrPSc was not
detected in the brain of the same mice. Secondary passages with such
PrPSc-positive CWD-inoculated humanized mouse spleen tissues led to efficient
prion transmission with clear clinical and pathological signs in both humanized
and cervidized transgenic mice. Furthermore, a recent bioassay with natural CWD
isolates in a new humanized transgenic mouse line led to clinical prion
infection in 2 out of 20 mice. These results indicate that the CWD prion has the
potential to infect human CNS and peripheral lymphoid tissues and that there
might be asymptomatic human carriers of CWD infection.
==================
***These results indicate that the CWD prion has the potential to infect
human CNS and peripheral lymphoid tissues and that there might be asymptomatic
human carriers of CWD infection.***
==================
P.105: RT-QuIC models trans-species prion transmission
Kristen Davenport, Davin Henderson, Candace Mathiason, and Edward Hoover
Prion Research Center; Colorado State University; Fort Collins, CO USA
The propensity for trans-species prion transmission is related to the
structural characteristics of the enciphering and heterologous PrP, but the
exact mechanism remains mostly mysterious. Studies of the effects of primary or
tertiary prion protein structures on trans-species prion transmission have
relied primarily upon animal bioassays, making the influence of prion protein
structure vs. host co-factors (e.g. cellular constituents, trafficking, and
innate immune interactions) difficult to dissect. As an alternative strategy, we
used real-time quakinginduced conversion (RT-QuIC) to investigate trans-species
prion conversion.
To assess trans-species conversion in the RT-QuIC system, we compared
chronic wasting disease (CWD) and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) prions,
as well as feline CWD (fCWD) and feline spongiform encephalopathy (FSE). Each
prion was seeded into each host recombinant PrP (full-length rPrP of
white-tailed deer, bovine or feline). We demonstrated that fCWD is a more
efficient seed for feline rPrP than for white-tailed deer rPrP, which suggests
adaptation to the new host.
Conversely, FSE maintained sufficient BSE characteristics to more
efficiently convert bovine rPrP than feline rPrP. Additionally, human rPrP was
competent for conversion by CWD and fCWD. ***This insinuates that, at the level
of protein:protein interactions, the barrier preventing transmission of CWD to
humans is less robust than previously estimated.
================
***This insinuates that, at the level of protein:protein interactions, the
barrier preventing transmission of CWD to humans is less robust than previously
estimated.***
================
Willingham, Erin McNulty, Kelly Anderson, Jeanette Hayes-Klug, Amy Nalls,
and Candace Mathiason Colorado State University; Fort Collins, CO USA
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is the transmissible spongiform
encephalopathy (TSE), of free-ranging and captive cervids (deer, elk and moose).
The presence of infectious prions in the tissues, bodily fluids and
environments of clinical and preclinical CWD-infected animals is thought to
account for its high transmission efficiency. Recently it has been recognized
that mother to offspring transmission may contribute to the facile transmission
of some TSEs. Although the mechanism behind maternal transmission is not yet
known, the extended asymptomatic TSE carrier phase (lasting years to decades)
suggests that it may have implications in the spread of prions.
Placental trafficking and/or secretion in milk are 2 means by which
maternal prion transmission may occur. In these studies we explore these avenues
during early and late infection using a transgenic mouse model expressing cervid
prion protein. Na€ıve and CWD-infected dams were bred at both timepoints, and
were allowed to bear and raise their offspring. Milk was collected from the dams
for prion analysis, and the offspring were observed for TSE disease progression.
Terminal tissues harvested from both dams and offspring were analyzed for
prions.
We have demonstrated that
(1) CWDinfected TgCerPRP females successfully breed and bear offspring, and
(2) the presence of PrPCWD in reproductive and mammary tissue from
CWD-infected dams.
We are currently analyzing terminal tissue harvested from offspring born to
CWD-infected dams for the detection of PrPCWD and amplification competent
prions. These studies will provide insight into the potential mechanisms and
biological significance associated with mother to offspring transmission of
TSEs.
==============
P.157: Uptake of prions into plants
Christopher Johnson1, Christina Carlson1, Matthew Keating1,2, Nicole
Gibbs1, Haeyoon Chang1, Jamie Wiepz1, and Joel Pedersen1 1USGS National Wildlife
Health Center; Madison, WI USA; 2University of Wisconsin - Madison; Madison, WI
USA
Soil may preserve chronic wasting disease (CWD) and scrapie infectivity in
the environment, making consumption or inhalation of soil particles a plausible
mechanism whereby na€ıve animals can be exposed to prions. Plants are known to
absorb a variety of substances from soil, including whole proteins, yet the
potential for plants to take up abnormal prion protein (PrPTSE) and preserve
prion infectivity is not known. In this study, we assessed PrPTSE uptake into
roots using laser scanning confocal microscopy with fluorescently tagged PrPTSE
and we used serial protein misfolding cyclic amplification (sPMCA) and detect
and quantify PrPTSE levels in plant aerial tissues. Fluorescence was identified
in the root hairs of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, as well as the crop
plants alfalfa (Medicago sativa), barley (Hordeum vulgare) and tomato (Solanum
lycopersicum) upon exposure to tagged PrPTSE but not a tagged control
preparation. Using sPMCA, we found evidence of PrPTSE in aerial tissues of A.
thaliana, alfalfa and maize (Zea mays) grown in hydroponic cultures in which
only roots were exposed to PrPTSE. Levels of PrPTSE in plant aerial tissues
ranged from approximately 4 £ 10 ¡10 to 1 £ 10 ¡9 g PrPTSE g ¡1 plant dry weight
or 2 £ 105 to 7 £ 106 intracerebral ID50 units g ¡1 plant dry weight. Both stems
and leaves of A. thaliana grown in culture media containing prions are
infectious when intracerebrally-injected into mice. ***Our results suggest that
prions can be taken up by plants and that contaminated plants may represent a
previously unrecognized risk of human, domestic species and wildlife exposure to
prions.
===========
***Our results suggest that prions can be taken up by plants and that
contaminated plants may represent a previously unrecognized risk of human,
domestic species and wildlife exposure to prions.***
SEE ;
Friday, May 15, 2015
Grass Plants Bind, Retain, Uptake, and Transport Infectious Prions
Report
============
P.19: Characterization of chronic wasting disease isolates from freeranging
deer (Odocoileus sp) in Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada
Camilo Duque Velasquez1, Chiye Kim1, Nathalie Daude1, Jacques van der
Merwe1, Allen Herbst1, Trent Bollinger2, Judd Aiken1, and Debbie McKenzie1
1Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases; University of Alberta;
Edmonton, Canada; 2Western College of Veterinary Medicine; University of
Saskatchewan; Saskatoon, Canada
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is an emerging prion disease of free ranging
and captive species of Cervidae. In North America, CWD is enzootic in some wild
cervid populations and can circulate among different deer species. The
contagious nature of CWD prions and the variation of cervid PRNP alleles, which
influence host susceptibility, can result in the emergence and adaptation of
different CWD strains. These strains may impact transmission host range, disease
diagnosis, spread dynamics and efficacy of potential vaccines. We are
characterizing different CWD agents by biochemical analysis of the PrPCWD
conformers, propagation in vitro cell assays1 and by comparing transmission
properties and neuropathology in Tg33 (Q95G96) and Tg60 (Q95S96) mice.2 Although
Tg60 mice expressing S96- PrPC have been shown resistant to CWD infectivity from
various cervid species,2,3
***these transgenic mice are susceptible to H95 C CWD, a CWD strain derived
from experimental infection of deer expressing H95G96-PrPC. The diversity of
strains present in free-ranging mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and white-tailed
deer (Odocoileus virginianus) from Alberta and Saskatchewan is being determined
and will allow us to delineate the properties of CWD agents circulating in CWD
enzootic cervid populations of Canada.
References
1. van der Merwe J, Aiken J, Westaway D, McKenzie D. The standard scrapie
cell assay: Development, utility and prospects. Viruses 2015; 7(1):180–198;
PMID:25602372; http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/v7010180
2. Meade-White K, Race B, Trifilo M, Bossers A, Favara C, Lacasse R, Miller
M, Williams E, Oldstone M, Race R, Chesebro B. Resistance to chronic wasting
disease in transgenic mice expressing a naturally occurring allelic variant of
deer prion protein. J Virol 2007; 81(9):4533–4539; PMID: 17314157; http://dx. doi.org/10.1128/JVI.02762-06
3. Race B, Meade-White K, Miller MW, Fox KA, Chesebro B. In vivo comparison
of chronic wasting disease infectivity from deer with variation at prion protein
residue 96. J Virol 2011; 85(17):9235–9238; PMID: 21697479; http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/JVI.00790-11
=========
***these transgenic mice are susceptible to H95 C CWD, a CWD strain derived
from experimental infection of deer expressing H95G96-PrPC.
==========
P.136: Mother to offspring transmission of CWD—Detection in fawn tissues
using the QuIC assay
Amy Nalls, Erin McNulty, Clare Hoover, Jeanette Hayes-Klug, Kelly Anderson,
Edward Hoover, and Candace Mathiason Colorado State University; Fort Collins, CO
USA
To investigate the role mother to offspring transmission plays in chronic
wasting disease (CWD), we have employed a small, polyestrous breeding, indoor
maintainable cervid model, the Reeves’ muntjac deer. Muntjac doe were inoculated
with CWD and tested positive by lymphoid biopsy at 4 months post inoculation.
From these CWD-infected doe, we obtained 3 viable fawns. These fawns tested
IHC-positive for CWD by lymphoid biopsy as early as 40 d post birth, and all
have been euthanized due to clinical disease at 31, 34 and 59 months post birth.
The QuIC assay demonstrates sensitivity and specificity in the detection of
conversion competent prions in peripheral IHC-positive tissues including tonsil,
mandibular, partotid, retropharyngeal, and prescapular lymph nodes, adrenal
gland, spleen and liver. In summary, using the muntjac deer model, we have
demonstrated CWD clinical disease in offspring born to CWD-infected doe and
found that the QuIC assay is an effective tool in the detection of prions in
peripheral tissues. ***Our findings demonstrate that transmission of prions from
mother to offspring can occur, and may be underestimated for all prion
diseases.
===============
***Our findings demonstrate that transmission of prions from mother to
offspring can occur, and may be underestimated for all prion diseases.
===============
I strenuously once again urge the FDA and its industry constituents, to
make it MANDATORY that all ruminant feed be banned to all ruminants, and this
should include all cervids as soon as possible for the following
reasons...
======
In the USA, under the Food and Drug Administrations BSE Feed Regulation (21
CFR 589.2000) most material (exceptions include milk, tallow, and gelatin) from
deer and elk is prohibited for use in feed for ruminant animals. With regards to
feed for non-ruminant animals, under FDA law, CWD positive deer may not be used
for any animal feed or feed ingredients. For elk and deer considered at high
risk for CWD, the FDA recommends that these animals do not enter the animal feed
system.
***However, this recommendation is guidance and not a requirement by law.
======
31 Jan 2015 at 20:14 GMT
*** Ruminant feed ban for cervids in the United States? ***
31 Jan 2015 at 20:14 GMT
Friday, May 22, 2015
*** Chronic Wasting Disease and Program Updates - 2014 NEUSAHA Annual
Meeting 12-14 May 2014 ***
Saturday, May 30, 2015
PRION 2015 ORAL AND POSTER CONGRESSIONAL ABSTRACTS
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
*** Additional BSE TSE prion testing detects pathologic lesion in unusual
brain location and PrPsc by PMCA only, how many cases have we missed? ***
re-TP&W Commission to address Chronic Wasting Disease
Wednesday, July 01, 2015
TEXAS Chronic Wasting Disease Detected in Medina County Captive Deer
Thursday, July 09, 2015
TEXAS Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Herd Plan for Trace-Forward Exposed
Herd with Testing of Exposed Animals
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission Special Meeting Thursday on Chronic
Wasting Disease CWD
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Chronic Wasting Disease CWD Confirmed Texas Trans Pecos March 18,
2015
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Chronic Wasting Disease CWD Cases Confirmed In New Mexico 2013 and 2014
UPDATE 2015
Thursday, May 02, 2013
*** Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Texas Important Update on OBEX ONLY
TEXTING
Monday, February 11, 2013
TEXAS CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE CWD Four New Positives Found in Trans Pecos
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Chronic Wasting Disease Detected in Far West Texas
Monday, March 26, 2012
Texas Prepares for Chronic Wasting Disease CWD Possibility in Far West
Texas
***for anyone interested, here is some history of CWD along the Texas, New
Mexico border, and my attempt to keep up with it...terry
snip...
see history CWD Texas, New Mexico Border ;
Monday, March 26, 2012
3 CASES OF CWD FOUND NEW MEXICO MULE DEER SEVERAL MILES FROM TEXAS BORDER
Sunday, October 04, 2009
CWD NEW MEXICO SPREADING SOUTH TO TEXAS 2009 2009 Summary of Chronic
Wasting Disease in New Mexico New Mexico Department of Game and Fish
Friday, May 22, 2015
*** Chronic Wasting Disease and Program Updates - 2014 NEUSAHA Annual
Meeting 12-14 May 2014
Sunday, July 12, 2015
*** Insights into CWD and BSE species barriers using real-time conversion
Thursday, April 02, 2015
Kansas Chronic Wasting Disease CWD Spreads 9 Confirmed Positive including
first-time cases in six southwest counties
Saturday, March 01, 2014
KANSAS Tests confirm 5 new CWD cases
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Kansas Four more deer test positive for chronic wasting disease
Thursday, July 19, 2012
KANSAS NINE DEER TEST POSITIVE FOR CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE
Thursday, February 09, 2012
THREE KANSAS DEER CONFIRMED POSITIVE IN EARLY STAGES OF CWD TESTING
Thursday, March 31, 2011
TEN KANSAS DEER CONFIRMED POSITIVE IN CWD TESTS
Thursday, January 06, 2011
KANSAS FIRST CASE OF CHRONIC WASTING IN 2010 DEER SEASON CONFIRMED
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Kansas has more CWD cases
Thursday, March 26, 2009
KANSAS FINAL COUNT ON CWD FOR 2008 INCREASES TO 10 POSITIVES
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Additional BSE TSE prion testing detects pathologic lesion in unusual brain
location and PrPsc by PMCA only, how many cases have we missed?
TSS
posted by Terry S. Singeltary Sr. at
9:30 PM
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