Missouri Deer Owners Win Preliminary Legal Challenge from Judge Robert D. 
Schollmeyer blocking enforcement of new state regulations to help stop CWD in 
cervid from spreading 
POLITICS THREATENING YET ANOTHER STATE WITH CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE CWD TSE 
PRION AKA MAD COW DISEASE IN CERVIDS 
Missouri Deer Owners Win Preliminary Legal 
Challenge 
August 14, 2015
 
 Missouri Deer Owners Win Preliminary Legal Challenge Against Restrictive 
New State Rules
 
Contact: Jean Paul Bradshaw at Lathrop & Gage LLP 
(816-460-5507/jpbradshaw@lathropgage.com)
 
(Aug. 13, 2015) – A Missouri state court has entered a ruling blocking 
enforcement of new state regulations that threaten the existence of the state’s 
growing farmed-deer industry by preventing the importation of privately owned 
cervids into the state. In a 33-page ruling entered today, Judge Robert D. 
Schollmeyer of the 20th Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri granted Plaintiff’s 
Motion for a Preliminary Injunction in the matter of Donald Hill, et al. v. 
Missouri Conservation Commission, et al. The Court held that Plaintiffs are 
likely to prevail in their argument that the privately owned animals they raise 
and import for breeding and hunting (including white-tailed deer and other 
cervids, or hoofed animals) are not subject to regulation by the Missouri 
Department of Conservation (MDC) as communally owned “wildlife resources of the 
state.”
 
As a result, importation of privately owned cervids will be allowed under 
rules administered by the Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA). Prior to the 
adoption of the new rules by the MDC, the MDA had regulated the importation of 
cervids as livestock. Those rules include, among other requirements, that the 
animal being imported come from a herd that is certified as having no positive 
test results for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), as well as a number of other 
diseases, for at least five years. This program was designed by the United 
States Department of Agriculture.
 
The order prohibits the MDC from enforcing a controversial series of new 
regulations that went into effect earlier this year—including a complete ban on 
importing cervids into Missouri—until the legality of the regulations can be 
finally resolved. The Court found not only that Plaintiffs had shown that the 
MDC likely was without the authority to issue the new regulations, but that the 
potential harm to Plaintiffs outweighed any threat posed by Chronic Wasting 
Disease, the stated reason for the regulations. “Without question, Plaintiffs 
will suffer irreparable harm… up to and including the loss of their businesses 
should the regulations remain in effect throughout the upcoming hunting season,” 
the Court’s order stated. “By contrast, Defendants cannot show an imminent 
threat to Missouri’s cervid population or other public interests that would 
justify the regulations remaining in effect while their Constitutionality is 
finally resolved.” Contrary to Defendants’ argument that farmed cervids are 
communally owned “wildlife resources of the state,” the ruling noted that the 
Missouri Court of Appeals has already ruled that breeder deer owned by Plaintiff 
Don Hill were “domestic animals” under Missouri law. The ruling also noted that 
the MDC’s own regulations require all “hoofed wildlife of the state” to be 
excluded from private hunting preserves, and that the department has said in 
other cases that deer on private hunting preserves are “the sole property” of 
the preserve owner. 
 
Despite the claimed risks of spreading Chronic Wasting Disease through 
interstate cervid movement, the Court noted that the MDC itself has imported 
free-ranging elk from Kentucky in recent years from herds using CWD 
certifications very similar to that required by the Missouri Department of 
Agriculture. Defendants’ expert witness admitted that free-ranging cervids pose 
a greater risk of spreading disease-causing agents compared with animals in 
fenced-in preserves. The ruling follows a two-day hearing last month in 
Gasconade County Circuit Court. The next step in the litigation will be a final 
hearing on a request that the Court enter a judgment declaring the regulations 
invalid. No date for that final hearing has been set. The named Plaintiffs in 
the action are Donald Hill; Oak Creek Whitetail Ranch, LLC; Travis Broadway; 
Winter Quarters Wildlife Ranch, LLC; Troy Popielarz; Kevin Grace; and Whitetail 
Sales and Service, LLC. Plaintiffs are being represented by Jean Paul Bradshaw, 
Jay Felton, Rachel Stephens and Eric Weslander of Lathrop & Gage LLP. Mr. 
Bradshaw and Ms. Stephens represented Plaintiffs at the hearing. 
 
while it appears that the deer owners (lol, only God owns deer and elk) to have won a battle, they have not won the war. however, with great sadness, the state of Missouri lost big time for now. ...
 
Friday, August 14, 2015 
 
Carcass Management During a Mass Animal Health Emergency Draft Programmatic 
Environmental Impact Statement—August 2015 
 
 
Friday, August 14, 2015 
 
Susceptibility of cattle to the agent of chronic wasting disease from elk 
after intracranial inoculation
 
 
CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE CWD TSE PRION, how much does it pay to find CWD $$$ 
 
Tuesday, January 06, 2015 
 
APHIS Provides Additional Information on Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) 
Indemnity Requests January 5, 2015 05:26 PM EST
 
 
PRION 2015 CONFERENCE FT. COLLINS CWD RISK FACTORS TO HUMANS 
 
*** 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.***
 
================ 
 
 
*** We describe the transmission of spongiform encephalopathy in a 
non-human primate inoculated 10 years earlier with a strain of sheep c-scrapie. 
Because of this extended incubation period in a facility in which other prion 
diseases are under study, we are obliged to consider two alternative 
possibilities that might explain its occurrence. We first considered the 
possibility of a sporadic origin (like CJD in humans). Such an event is 
extremely improbable because the inoculated animal was 14 years old when the 
clinical signs appeared, i.e. about 40% through the expected natural lifetime of 
this species, compared to a peak age incidence of 60–65 years in human sporadic 
CJD, or about 80% through their expected lifetimes. 
 
***Moreover, sporadic disease has never been observed in breeding colonies 
or primate research laboratories, most notably among hundreds of animals over 
several decades of study at the National Institutes of Health25, and in nearly 
twenty older animals continuously housed in our own facility.*** 
 
>>> Moreover, sporadic disease has never been observed in breeding 
colonies or primate research laboratories, most notably among hundreds of 
animals over several decades of study at the National Institutes of Health25, 
and in nearly twenty older animals continuously housed in our own facility. 
<<< 
 
Transmission of scrapie prions to primate after an extended silent 
incubation period 
 
Emmanuel E. Comoy1 , Jacqueline Mikol1 , Sophie Luccantoni-Freire1 , 
Evelyne Correia1 , Nathalie Lescoutra-Etchegaray1 , Valérie Durand1 , Capucine 
Dehen1 , Olivier Andreoletti2 , Cristina Casalone3 , Juergen A. Richt4 n1 , 
Justin J. Greenlee4 , Thierry Baron5 , Sylvie L. Benestad6 , Paul Brown1 […] 
& Jean-Philippe Deslys1 - Show fewer authors Scientific Reports 5, Article 
number: 11573 (2015) doi:10.1038/srep11573 Download Citation 
 
Epidemiology | Neurological manifestations | Prion diseases Received: 16 
February 2015 Accepted: 28 May 2015 Published online: 30 June 2015 ABSTRACT 
Classical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (c-BSE) is the only animal prion 
disease reputed to be zoonotic, causing variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) 
in humans and having guided protective measures for animal and human health 
against animal prion diseases. Recently, partial transmissions to humanized mice 
showed that the zoonotic potential of scrapie might be similar to c-BSE. We here 
report the direct transmission of a natural classical scrapie isolate to 
cynomolgus macaque, a highly relevant model for human prion diseases, after a 
10-year silent incubation period, with features similar to those reported for 
human cases of sporadic CJD. Scrapie is thus actually transmissible to primates 
with incubation periods compatible with their life expectancy, although fourfold 
longer than BSE. Long-term experimental transmission studies are necessary to 
better assess the zoonotic potential of other prion diseases with high 
prevalence, notably Chronic Wasting Disease of deer and elk and atypical/Nor98 
scrapie. 
 
snip... 
 
Discussion 
 
We describe the transmission of spongiform encephalopathy in a non-human 
primate inoculated 10 years earlier with a strain of sheep c-scrapie. Because of 
this extended incubation period in a facility in which other prion diseases are 
under study, we are obliged to consider two alternative possibilities that might 
explain its occurrence. We first considered the possibility of a sporadic origin 
(like CJD in humans). Such an event is extremely improbable because the 
inoculated animal was 14 years old when the clinical signs appeared, i.e. about 
40% through the expected natural lifetime of this species, compared to a peak 
age incidence of 60–65 years in human sporadic CJD, or about 80% through their 
expected lifetimes. Moreover, sporadic disease has never been observed in 
breeding colonies or primate research laboratories, most notably among hundreds 
of animals over several decades of study at the National Institutes of Health25, 
and in nearly twenty older animals continuously housed in our own 
facility.
 
The second possibility is a laboratory cross-contamination. Three facts 
make this possibility equally unlikely. First, handling of specimens in our 
laboratory is performed with fastidious attention to the avoidance of any such 
cross-contamination. Second, no laboratory cross-contamination has ever been 
documented in other primate laboratories, including the NIH, even between 
infected and uninfected animals housed in the same or adjacent cages with daily 
intimate contact (P. Brown, personal communication). Third, the cerebral lesion 
profile is different from all the other prion diseases we have studied in this 
model19, with a correlation between cerebellar lesions (massive spongiform 
change of Purkinje cells, intense PrPres staining and reactive gliosis26) and 
ataxia. The iron deposits present in the globus pallidus are a non specific 
finding that have been reported previously in neurodegenerative diseases and 
aging27. Conversely, the thalamic lesion was reminiscent of a metabolic disease 
due to thiamine deficiency28 but blood thiamine levels were within normal limits 
(data not shown). The preferential distribution of spongiform change in cortex 
associated with a limited distribution in the brainstem is reminiscent of the 
lesion profile in MM2c and VV1 sCJD patients29, but interspecies comparison of 
lesion profiles should be interpreted with caution. It is of note that the same 
classical scrapie isolate induced TSE in C57Bl/6 mice with similar incubation 
periods and lesional profiles as a sample derived from a MM1 sCJD 
patient30.
 
We are therefore confident that the illness in this cynomolgus macaque 
represents a true transmission of a sheep c-scrapie isolate directly to an 
old-world monkey, which taxonomically resides in the primate subdivision 
(parvorder of catarrhini) that includes humans. With an homology of its PrP 
protein with humans of 96.4%31, cynomolgus macaque constitutes a highly relevant 
model for assessing zoonotic risk of prion diseases. Since our initial aim was 
to show the absence of transmission of scrapie to macaques in the worst-case 
scenario, we obtained materials from a flock of naturally-infected sheep, 
affecting animals with different genotypes32. This c-scrapie isolate exhibited 
complete transmission in ARQ/ARQ sheep (332 ± 56 days) and Tg338 transgenic mice 
expressing ovine VRQ/VRQ prion protein (220 ± 5 days) (O. Andreoletti, personal 
communication). From the standpoint of zoonotic risk, it is important to note 
that sheep with c-scrapie (including the isolate used in our study) have 
demonstrable infectivity throughout their lymphoreticular system early in the 
incubation period of the disease (3 months-old for all the lymphoid organs, and 
as early as 2 months-old in gut-associated lymph nodes)33. In addition, scrapie 
infectivity has been identified in blood34, milk35 and skeletal muscle36 from 
asymptomatic but scrapie infected small ruminants which implies a potential 
dietary exposure for consumers.
 
Two earlier studies have reported the occurrence of clinical TSE in 
cynomolgus macaques after exposures to scrapie isolates. In the first study, the 
“Compton” scrapie isolate (derived from an English sheep) and serially 
propagated for 9 passages in goats did not transmit TSE in cynomolgus macaque, 
rhesus macaque or chimpanzee within 7 years following intracerebral challenge1; 
conversely, after 8 supplementary passages in conventional mice, this “Compton” 
isolate induced TSE in a cynomolgus macaque 5 years after intracerebral 
challenge, but rhesus macaques and chimpanzee remained asymptomatic 8.5 years 
post-exposure8. However, multiple successive passages that are classically used 
to select laboratory-adapted prion strains can significantly modify the initial 
properties of a scrapie isolate, thus questioning the relevance of zoonotic 
potential for the initial sheep-derived isolate. The same isolate had also 
induced disease into squirrel monkeys (new-world monkey)9. A second historical 
observation reported that a cynomolgus macaque developed TSE 6 years 
post-inoculation with brain homogenate from a scrapie-infected Suffolk ewe 
(derived from USA), whereas a rhesus macaque and a chimpanzee exposed to the 
same inoculum remained healthy 9 years post-exposure1. This inoculum also 
induced TSE in squirrel monkeys after 4 passages in mice. Other scrapie 
transmission attempts in macaque failed but had more shorter periods of 
observation in comparison to the current study. Further, it is possible that 
there are differences in the zoonotic potential of different scrapie 
strains.
 
The most striking observation in our study is the extended incubation 
period of scrapie in the macaque model, which has several implications. Firstly, 
our observations constitute experimental evidence in favor of the zoonotic 
potential of c-scrapie, at least for this isolate that has been extensively 
studied32,33,34,35,36. The cross-species zoonotic ability of this isolate should 
be confirmed by performing duplicate intracerebral exposures and assessing the 
transmissibility by the oral route (a successful transmission of prion strains 
through the intracerebral route may not necessarily indicate the potential for 
oral transmission37). However, such confirmatory experiments may require more 
than one decade, which is hardly compatible with current general management and 
support of scientific projects; thus this study should be rather considered as a 
case report.
 
Secondly, transmission of c-BSE to primates occurred within 8 years post 
exposure for the lowest doses able to transmit the disease (the survival period 
after inoculation is inversely proportional to the initial amount of infectious 
inoculum). The occurrence of scrapie 10 years after exposure to a high dose (25 
mg) of scrapie-infected sheep brain suggests that the macaque has a higher 
species barrier for sheep c-scrapie than c-BSE, although it is notable that 
previous studies based on in vitro conversion of PrP suggested that BSE and 
scrapie prions would have a similar conversion potential for human PrP38.
 
Thirdly, prion diseases typically have longer incubation periods after oral 
exposure than after intracerebral inoculations: since humans can develop Kuru 47 
years after oral exposure39, an incubation time of several decades after oral 
exposure to scrapie would therefore be expected, leading the disease to occur in 
older adults, i.e. the peak age for cases considered to be sporadic disease, and 
making a distinction between scrapie-associated and truly sporadic disease 
extremely difficult to appreciate.
 
Fourthly, epidemiologic evidence is necessary to confirm the zoonotic 
potential of an animal disease suggested by experimental studies. A relatively 
short incubation period and a peculiar epidemiological situation (e.g., all the 
first vCJD cases occurring in the country with the most important ongoing c-BSE 
epizootic) led to a high degree of suspicion that c-BSE was the cause of vCJD. 
Sporadic CJD are considered spontaneous diseases with an almost stable and 
constant worldwide prevalence (0.5–2 cases per million inhabitants per year), 
and previous epidemiological studies were unable to draw a link between sCJD and 
classical scrapie6,7,40,41, even though external causes were hypothesized to 
explain the occurrence of some sCJD clusters42,43,44. However, extended 
incubation periods exceeding several decades would impair the predictive values 
of epidemiological surveillance for prion diseases, already weakened by a 
limited prevalence of prion diseases and the multiplicity of isolates gathered 
under the phenotypes of “scrapie” and “sporadic CJD”.
 
Fifthly, considering this 10 year-long incubation period, together with 
both laboratory and epidemiological evidence of decade or longer intervals 
between infection and clinical onset of disease, no premature conclusions should 
be drawn from negative transmission studies in cynomolgus macaques with less 
than a decade of observation, as in the aforementioned historical transmission 
studies of scrapie to primates1,8,9. Our observations and those of others45,46 
to date are unable to provide definitive evidence regarding the zoonotic 
potential of CWD, atypical/Nor98 scrapie or H-type BSE. The extended incubation 
period of the scrapie-affected macaque in the current study also underscores the 
limitations of rodent models expressing human PrP for assessing the zoonotic 
potential of some prion diseases since their lifespan remains limited to 
approximately two years21,47,48. This point is illustrated by the fact that the 
recently reported transmission of scrapie to humanized mice was not associated 
with clinical signs for up to 750 days and occurred in an extreme minority of 
mice with only a marginal increase in attack rate upon second passage13. The low 
attack rate in these studies is certainly linked to the limited lifespan of mice 
compared to the very long periods of observation necessary to demonstrate the 
development of scrapie. Alternatively, one could estimate that a successful 
second passage is the result of strain adaptation to the species barrier, thus 
poorly relevant of the real zoonotic potential of the original scrapie isolate 
of sheep origin49. The development of scrapie in this primate after an 
incubation period compatible with its lifespan complements the study conducted 
in transgenic (humanized) mice; taken together these studies suggest that some 
isolates of sheep scrapie can promote misfolding of the human prion protein and 
that scrapie can develop within the lifespan of some primate species.
 
In addition to previous studies on scrapie transmission to primate1,8,9 and 
the recently published study on transgenic humanized mice13, our results 
constitute new evidence for recommending that the potential risk of scrapie for 
human health should not be dismissed. Indeed, human PrP transgenic mice and 
primates are the most relevant models for investigating the human transmission 
barrier. To what extent such models are informative for measuring the zoonotic 
potential of an animal TSE under field exposure conditions is unknown. During 
the past decades, many protective measures have been successfully implemented to 
protect cattle from the spread of c-BSE, and some of these measures have been 
extended to sheep and goats to protect from scrapie according to the principle 
of precaution. Since cases of c-BSE have greatly reduced in number, those 
protective measures are currently being challenged and relaxed in the absence of 
other known zoonotic animal prion disease. We recommend that risk managers 
should be aware of the long term potential risk to human health of at least 
certain scrapie isolates, notably for lymphotropic strains like the classical 
scrapie strain used in the current study. Relatively high amounts of infectivity 
in peripheral lymphoid organs in animals infected with these strains could lead 
to contamination of food products produced for human consumption. Efforts should 
also be maintained to further assess the zoonotic potential of other animal 
prion strains in long-term studies, notably lymphotropic strains with high 
prevalence like CWD, which is spreading across North America, and atypical/Nor98 
scrapie (Nor98)50 that was first detected in the past two decades and now 
represents approximately half of all reported cases of prion diseases in small 
ruminants worldwide, including territories previously considered as scrapie 
free. Even if the prevailing view is that sporadic CJD is due to the spontaneous 
formation of CJD prions, it remains possible that its apparent sporadic nature 
may, at least in part, result from our limited capacity to identify an 
environmental origin. 
 
 
98 | Veterinary Record | January 24, 2015 
 
EDITORIAL 
 
Scrapie: a particularly persistent pathogen 
 
Cristina Acín 
 
Resistant prions in the environment have been the sword of Damocles for 
scrapie control and eradication. Attempts to establish which physical and 
chemical agents could be applied to inactivate or moderate scrapie infectivity 
were initiated in the 1960s and 1970s,with the first study of this type focusing 
on the effect of heat treatment in reducing prion infectivity (Hunter and 
Millson 1964). Nowadays, most of the chemical procedures that aim to inactivate 
the prion protein are based on the method developed by Kimberlin and 
collaborators (1983). This procedure consists of treatment with 20,000 parts per 
million free chlorine solution, for a minimum of one hour, of all surfaces that 
need to be sterilised (in laboratories, lambing pens, slaughterhouses, and so 
on). Despite this, veterinarians and farmers may still ask a range of questions, 
such as ‘Is there an official procedure published somewhere?’ and ‘Is there an 
international organisation which recommends and defines the exact method of 
scrapie decontamination that must be applied?’ 
 
From a European perspective, it is difficult to find a treatment that could 
be applied, especially in relation to the disinfection of surfaces in lambing 
pens of affected flocks. A 999/2001 EU regulation on controlling spongiform 
encephalopathies (European Parliament and Council 2001) did not specify a 
particular decontamination measure to be used when an outbreak of scrapie is 
diagnosed. There is only a brief recommendation in Annex VII concerning the 
control and eradication of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE s). 
 
Chapter B of the regulation explains the measures that must be applied if 
new caprine animals are to be introduced to a holding where a scrapie outbreak 
has previously been diagnosed. In that case, the statement indicates that 
caprine animals can be introduced ‘provided that a cleaning and disinfection of 
all animal housing on the premises has been carried out following destocking’. 
 
Issues around cleaning and disinfection are common in prion prevention 
recommendations, but relevant authorities, veterinarians and farmers may have 
difficulties in finding the specific protocol which applies. The European Food 
and Safety Authority (EFSA ) published a detailed report about the efficacy of 
certain biocides, such as sodium hydroxide, sodium hypochlorite, guanidine and 
even a formulation of copper or iron metal ions in combination with hydrogen 
peroxide, against prions (EFSA 2009). The report was based on scientific 
evidence (Fichet and others 2004, Lemmer and others 2004, Gao and others 2006, 
Solassol and others 2006) but unfortunately the decontamination measures were 
not assessed under outbreak conditions. 
 
The EFSA Panel on Biological Hazards recently published its conclusions on 
the scrapie situation in the EU after 10 years of monitoring and control of the 
disease in sheep and goats (EFSA 2014), and one of the most interesting findings 
was the Icelandic experience regarding the effect of disinfection in scrapie 
control. The Icelandic plan consisted of: culling scrapie-affected sheep or the 
whole flock in newly diagnosed outbreaks; deep cleaning and disinfection of 
stables, sheds, barns and equipment with high pressure washing followed by 
cleaning with 500 parts per million of hypochlorite; drying and treatment with 
300 ppm of iodophor; and restocking was not permitted for at least two years. 
Even when all of these measures were implemented, scrapie recurred on several 
farms, indicating that the infectious agent survived for years in the 
environment, even as many as 16 years after restocking (Georgsson and others 
2006). 
 
In the rest of the countries considered in the EFSA (2014) report, 
recommendations for disinfection measures were not specifically defined at the 
government level. In the report, the only recommendation that is made for sheep 
is repopulation with sheep with scrapie-resistant genotypes. This reduces the 
risk of scrapie recurrence but it is difficult to know its effect on the 
infection. 
 
Until the EFSA was established (in May 2003), scientific opinions about TSE 
s were provided by the Scientific Steering Committee (SSC) of the EC, whose 
advice regarding inactivation procedures focused on treating animal waste at 
high temperatures (150°C for three hours) and high pressure alkaline hydrolysis 
(SSC 2003). At the same time, the TSE Risk Management Subgroup of the Advisory 
Committee on Dangerous Pathogens (ACDP) in the UK published guidance on safe 
working and the prevention of TSE infection. Annex C of the ACDP report 
established that sodium hypochlorite was considered to be effective, but only if 
20,000 ppm of available chlorine was present for at least one hour, which has 
practical limitations such as the release of chlorine gas, corrosion, 
incompatibility with formaldehyde, alcohols and acids, rapid inactivation of its 
active chemicals and the stability of dilutions (ACDP 2009). 
 
In an international context, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) 
does not recommend a specific disinfection protocol for prion agents in its 
Terrestrial Code or Manual. Chapter 4.13 of the Terrestrial Code, General 
recommendations on disinfection and disinsection (OIE 2014), focuses on 
foot-and-mouth disease virus, mycobacteria and Bacillus anthracis, but not on 
prion disinfection. Nevertheless, the last update published by the OIE on bovine 
spongiform encephalopathy (OIE 2012) indicates that few effective 
decontamination techniques are available to inactivate the agent on surfaces, 
and recommends the removal of all organic material and the use of sodium 
hydroxide, or a sodium hypochlorite solution containing 2 per cent available 
chlorine, for more than one hour at 20ºC. 
 
The World Health Organization outlines guidelines for the control of TSE s, 
and also emphasises the importance of mechanically cleaning surfaces before 
disinfection with sodium hydroxide or sodium hypochlorite for one hour (WHO 
1999). 
 
Finally, the relevant agencies in both Canada and the USA suggest that the 
best treatments for surfaces potentially contaminated with prions are sodium 
hydroxide or sodium hypochlorite at 20,000 ppm. This is a 2 per cent solution, 
while most commercial household bleaches contain 5.25 per cent sodium 
hypochlorite. It is therefore recommended to dilute one part 5.25 per cent 
bleach with 1.5 parts water (CDC 2009, Canadian Food Inspection Agency 2013). 
 
So what should we do about disinfection against prions? First, it is 
suggested that a single protocol be created by international authorities to 
homogenise inactivation procedures and enable their application in all 
scrapie-affected countries. Sodium hypochlorite with 20,000 ppm of available 
chlorine seems to be the procedure used in most countries, as noted in a paper 
summarised on p 99 of this issue of Veterinary Record (Hawkins and others 2015). 
But are we totally sure of its effectiveness as a preventive measure in a 
scrapie outbreak? Would an in-depth study of the recurrence of scrapie disease 
be needed? 
 
What we can conclude is that, if we want to fight prion diseases, and 
specifically classical scrapie, we must focus on the accuracy of diagnosis, 
monitoring and surveillance; appropriate animal identification and control of 
movements; and, in the end, have homogeneous and suitable protocols to 
decontaminate and disinfect lambing barns, sheds and equipment available to 
veterinarians and farmers. Finally, further investigations into the resistance 
of prion proteins in the diversity of environmental surfaces are required. 
 
References 
 
snip... 
 
98 | Veterinary Record | January 24, 2015 
 
 
Persistence of ovine scrapie infectivity in a farm environment following 
cleaning and decontamination 
 
Steve A. C. Hawkins, MIBiol, Pathology Department1, Hugh A. Simmons, BVSc 
MRCVS, MBA, MA Animal Services Unit1, Kevin C. Gough, BSc, PhD2 and Ben C. 
Maddison, BSc, PhD3 + Author Affiliations 
 
1Animal and Plant Health Agency, Woodham Lane, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey 
KT15 3NB, UK 2School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, The University of 
Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE12 5RD, UK 3ADAS 
UK, School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, The University of Nottingham, 
Sutton Bonington, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE12 5RD, UK E-mail for 
correspondence: ben.maddison@adas.co.uk Abstract Scrapie of sheep/goats and 
chronic wasting disease of deer/elk are contagious prion diseases where 
environmental reservoirs are directly implicated in the transmission of disease. 
In this study, the effectiveness of recommended scrapie farm decontamination 
regimens was evaluated by a sheep bioassay using buildings naturally 
contaminated with scrapie. Pens within a farm building were treated with either 
20,000 parts per million free chorine solution for one hour or were treated with 
the same but were followed by painting and full re-galvanisation or replacement 
of metalwork within the pen. Scrapie susceptible lambs of the PRNP genotype 
VRQ/VRQ were reared within these pens and their scrapie status was monitored by 
recto-anal mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue. All animals became infected over 
an 18-month period, even in the pen that had been subject to the most stringent 
decontamination process. These data suggest that recommended current guidelines 
for the decontamination of farm buildings following outbreaks of scrapie do 
little to reduce the titre of infectious scrapie material and that environmental 
recontamination could also be an issue associated with these premises. 
 
SNIP... 
 
Discussion 
 
Thorough pressure washing of a pen had no effect on the amount of 
bioavailable scrapie infectivity (pen B). The routine removal of prions from 
surfaces within a laboratory setting is treatment for a minimum of one hour with 
20,000 ppm free chlorine, a method originally based on the use of brain 
macerates from infected rodents to evaluate the effectiveness of decontamination 
(Kimberlin and others 1983). Further studies have also investigated the 
effectiveness of hypochlorite disinfection of metal surfaces to simulate the 
decontamination of surgical devices within a hospital setting. Such treatments 
with hypochlorite solution were able to reduce infectivity by 5.5 logs to lower 
than the sensitivity of the bioassay used (Lemmer and others 2004). Analogous 
treatment of the pen surfaces did not effectively remove the levels of scrapie 
infectivity over that of the control pens, indicating that this method of 
decontamination is not effective within a farm setting. This may be due to the 
high level of biological matrix that is present upon surfaces within the farm 
environment, which may reduce the amount of free chlorine available to 
inactivate any infectious prion. Remarkably 1/5 sheep introduced into pen D had 
also became scrapie positive within nine months, with all animals in this pen 
being RAMALT positive by 18 months of age. Pen D was no further away from the 
control pen (pen A) than any of the other pens within this barn. Localised hot 
spots of infectivity may be present within scrapie-contaminated environments, 
but it is unlikely that pen D area had an amount of scrapie contamination that 
was significantly different than the other areas within this building. 
Similarly, there were no differences in how the biosecurity of pen D was 
maintained, or how this pen was ventilated compared with the other pens. This 
observation, perhaps, indicates the slower kinetics of disease uptake within 
this pen and is consistent with a more thorough prion removal and 
recontamination. These observations may also account for the presence of 
inadvertent scrapie cases within other studies, where despite stringent 
biosecurity, control animals have become scrapie positive during challenge 
studies using barns that also housed scrapie-affected animals (Ryder and others 
2009). The bioassay data indicate that the exposure of the sheep to a farm 
environment after decontamination efforts thought to be effective in removing 
scrapie is sufficient for the animals to become infected with scrapie. The main 
exposure routes within this scenario are likely to be via the oral route, during 
feeding and drinking, and respiratory and conjunctival routes. It has been 
demonstrated that scrapie infectivity can be efficiently transmitted via the 
nasal route in sheep (Hamir and others 2008), as is the case for CWD in both 
murine models and in white-tailed deer (Denkers and others 2010, 2013). 
Recently, it has also been demonstrated that CWD prions presented as dust when 
bound to the soil mineral montmorillonite can be infectious via the nasal route 
(Nichols and others 2013). When considering pens C and D, the actual source of 
the infectious agent in the pens is not known, it is possible that biologically 
relevant levels of prion survive on surfaces during the decontamination regimen 
(pen C). With the use of galvanising and painting (pen D) covering and sealing 
the surface of the pen, it is possible that scrapie material recontaminated the 
pens by the movement of infectious prions contained within dusts originating 
from other parts of the barn that were not decontaminated or from other areas of 
the farm. 
 
Given that scrapie prions are widespread on the surfaces of affected farms 
(Maddison and others 2010a), irrespective of the source of the infectious prions 
in the pens, this study clearly highlights the difficulties that are faced with 
the effective removal of environmentally associated scrapie infectivity. This is 
likely to be paralleled in CWD which shows strong similarities to scrapie in 
terms of both the dissemination of prions into the environment and the facile 
mode of disease transmission. These data further contribute to the understanding 
that prion diseases can be highly transmissible between susceptible individuals 
not just by direct contact but through highly stable environmental reservoirs 
that are refractory to decontamination. 
 
The presence of these environmentally associated prions in farm buildings 
make the control of these diseases a considerable challenge, especially in 
animal species such as goats where there is lack of genetic resistance to 
scrapie and, therefore, no scope to re-stock farms with animals that are 
resistant to scrapie. 
 
Scrapie Sheep Goats Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) 
Accepted October 12, 2014. Published Online First 31 October 2014 
 
 
PPo3-22: 
 
Detection of Environmentally Associated PrPSc on a Farm with Endemic 
Scrapie 
 
Ben C. Maddison,1 Claire A. Baker,1 Helen C. Rees,1 Linda A. Terry,2 Leigh 
Thorne,2 Susan J. Belworthy2 and Kevin C. Gough3 1ADAS-UK LTD; Department of 
Biology; University of Leicester; Leicester, UK; 2Veterinary Laboratories 
Agency; Surry, KT UK; 3Department of Veterinary Medicine and Science; University 
of Nottingham; Sutton Bonington, Loughborough UK 
 
Key words: scrapie, evironmental persistence, sPMCA 
 
Ovine scrapie shows considerable horizontal transmission, yet the routes of 
transmission and specifically the role of fomites in transmission remain poorly 
defined. Here we present biochemical data demonstrating that on a 
scrapie-affected sheep farm, scrapie prion contamination is widespread. It was 
anticipated at the outset that if prions contaminate the environment that they 
would be there at extremely low levels, as such the most sensitive method 
available for the detection of PrPSc, serial Protein Misfolding Cyclic 
Amplification (sPMCA), was used in this study. We investigated the distribution 
of environmental scrapie prions by applying ovine sPMCA to samples taken from a 
range of surfaces that were accessible to animals and could be collected by use 
of a wetted foam swab. Prion was amplified by sPMCA from a number of these 
environmental swab samples including those taken from metal, plastic and wooden 
surfaces, both in the indoor and outdoor environment. At the time of sampling 
there had been no sheep contact with these areas for at least 20 days prior to 
sampling indicating that prions persist for at least this duration in the 
environment. These data implicate inanimate objects as environmental reservoirs 
of prion infectivity which are likely to contribute to disease transmission. 
 
 
*** 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". 
 
 
Tuesday, July 21, 2015 
 
Texas CWD Medina County Herd Investigation Update July 16, 2015 
 
• 66 Texas sites, 2 Mexico sites 
 
 
Wednesday, July 22, 2015 
 
Texas Certified Chronic Wasting Disease CWD Sample Collector, like the Wolf 
Guarding the Henhouse 
 
 
Thursday, July 23, 2015 
 
*** Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) 101 Drs. Walter Cook & Donald S. 
Davis 
 
 
Sunday, July 26, 2015 
 
*** TEXAS IN MELT DOWN MODE OVER CAPTIVE CWD AND THEY ARE PUTTING LIPSTICK 
ON THAT PIG AND TAKING HER TO THE DANCE LIKE MAD COW DISEASE *** 
 
 
Tuesday, July 28, 2015 
 
TEXAS Kills 35 Deer at Medina County Ranch (Texas Captive CWD) 
 
 
Tuesday, August 11, 2015 
 
Why Has the Federal Government Cut Funding for Chronic Wasting Disease 
Research? 
 
 
Wisconsin doing what it does best, procrastinating about CWD yet again 
thanks to Governor Walker 
 
 
IF the state of Texas does not get serious real fast with CWD, and test all 
those deer, that 5 year plan is a ticking time bomb waiting to happen. 
 
all cervid tested after slaughter, and test results must be released to the 
public. 
 
the tse prion aka mad cow type disease is not your normal pathogen. 
 
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 
 
 
Prion Infected Meat-and-Bone Meal Is Still Infectious after Biodiesel 
Production 
 
 
Detection of protease-resistant cervid prion protein in water from a 
CWD-endemic area 
 
 
*** 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 doses over 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 
 
 
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... 
 
 
 *** Singeltary reply ; 
 
ruminant feed ban for cervids in the United States ? 
 
31 Jan 2015 at 20:14 GMT 
 
 
Friday, January 30, 2015
 
*** Scrapie: a particularly persistent pathogen ***
 
 
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. 
 
 
 
 
 
Friday, August 07, 2015 
 
Texas CWD Captive, and then there were 4 ? 
 
 
Thursday, August 06, 2015 
 
WE HAVE LOST TEXAS TO CWD TASK FORCE CATERING TO INDUSTRY 
 
 
HAVE YOU BEEN THUNDERSTRUCK ? 
 
 
Saturday, July 18, 2015 
 
CHARLES "SAM" JAMES, Columbia, Missouri, was charged in a one-count federal 
indictment for violations of the Lacey Act involved the sale of white-tailed 
deer transported in violation of Missouri and Florida law 
 
 
HIGHEST INFECTION RATE ON SEVERAL CWD CONFIRMED CAPTIVES 
 
CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE CWD WISCONSIN Almond Deer (Buckhorn Flats) Farm 
Update DECEMBER 2011 
 
The CWD infection rate was nearly 80%, the highest ever in a North American 
captive herd. 
 
RECOMMENDATION: That the Board approve the purchase of 80 acres of land for 
$465,000 for the Statewide Wildlife Habitat Program in Portage 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). 
 
 
*** 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 been cut 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.
 
 
The overall incidence of clinical CWD in white-tailed deer was 82%
 
Species (cohort) CWD (cases/total) Incidence (%) Age at CWD death 
(mo)
 
 
*** Spraker suggested an interesting explanation for the occurrence of CWD. 
The deer pens at the Foot Hills Campus were built some 30-40 years ago by a Dr. 
Bob Davis. At or abut that time, allegedly, some scrapie work was conducted at 
this site. When deer were introduced to the pens they occupied ground that had 
previously been occupied by sheep. 
 
 
Wednesday, March 04, 2015 
 
*** Disease sampling results provide current snapshot of CWD in Wisconsin 
finding 324 positive detections statewide in 2014 
 
 
Tuesday, October 07, 2014 
 
*** Wisconsin white-tailed deer tested positive for CWD on a Richland 
County breeding farm, and a case of CWD has been discovered on a Marathon County 
hunting preserve 
 
 
Thursday, June 25, 2015 
 
Wisconsin CWD-positive white-tailed deer found on Eau Claire County farm 
 
 
Tuesday, July 14, 2015 
 
TWO Escaped Captive Deer on the loose in Eau Claire County Wisconsin CWD 
postive farm Yellow ear tag 
 
 
Friday, June 01, 2012 
 
*** TEXAS DEER CZAR TO WISCONSIN ASK TO EXPLAIN COMMENTS 
 
 
Tuesday, November 27, 2012 
 
Pennsylvania ‘Pink 23’ Adams County exposed CWD Escaped Deer shot, but 
where are the other escapees ? 
 
 
Saturday, June 29, 2013 
 
PENNSYLVANIA CAPTIVE CWD INDEX HERD MATE YELLOW *47 STILL RUNNING LOOSE IN 
INDIANA, YELLOW NUMBER 2 STILL MISSING, AND OTHERS ON THE RUN STILL IN LOUISIANA 
 
 
Tuesday, June 11, 2013 
 
CWD GONE WILD, More cervid escapees from more shooting pens on the loose in 
Pennsylvania 
 
 
Earl Ray Tomblin, Governor Frank Jezioro, Director 
 
News Release: November 4, 2011 
 
Facebook: WV Commerce - State Parks 
 
Hoy Murphy, Public Information Officer (304) 957-9365 hoy.r.murphy@wv.gov 
Contact: Curtis Taylor, Wildlife Resources Section Chief 304-558-2771 
DNR.Wildlife@wv.gov 
 
Elk escape from captive cervid facility in Pennsylvania near West Virginia 
border 
 
SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources 
(WVDNR) has confirmed with officials from the Pennsylvania Department of 
Agriculture (PDA) that at least two elk, including one adult bull and one cow, 
have escaped from a captive cervid facility (deer and elk farms) in Greene 
County, Pa. Greene County shares a common border with Marshall, Wetzel and 
Monongalia counties in West Virginia. The elk escaped from a captive cervid 
facility located approximately three miles from the West Virginia-Pennsylvania 
border. 
 
The PDA regulates captive cervid facilities in Pennsylvania. A 
representative of the agency was unaware if the recent escaped elk were tagged. 
The WVDNR regulates captive cervid facilities in West Virginia. In West 
Virginia, all captive cervids in breeding facilities must be ear-tagged, and 
there are currently no reported elk escapes from any facility in West Virginia. 
 
A bull elk has been seen recently in Wetzel County, W.Va., according to 
WVDNR officials. There have been no reports of cow elk sightings in either 
Wetzel County, W.Va., or Greene County, Pa. No free-ranging wild elk live within 
150 miles of Wetzel County. The elk sighted in Wetzel County is likely the 
escaped animal from the captive facility in Pennsylvania. 
 
 
Friday, September 28, 2012 
 
Stray elk renews concerns about deer farm security Minnesota 
 
 
Monday, June 11, 2012 
 
*** OHIO Captive deer escapees and non-reporting ***
 
 
Thursday, October 23, 2014 
 
FIRST CASE OF CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE CONFIRMED IN OHIO ON PRIVATE PRESERVE 
 
 
Thursday, April 02, 2015 
 
OHIO CONFIRMS SECOND POSTIVE CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE CWD on Yoder's 
properties near Millersburg 
 
 
Wednesday, February 11, 2015 
 
World Class Whitetails quarantined CWD deer Daniel M. Yoder charged with 
two counts of tampering with evidence 
 
 
Tuesday, June 16, 2015 
 
Missouri MDC changes deer hunting regs to help slow CWD 
 
 
Wednesday, March 11, 2015 
 
MDC reports 11 new cases of Chronic Wasting Disease CWD in Missouri deer 
 
 
 Monday, January 26, 2015 
 
Missouri MDC reports two new cases of CWD found in Adair and Macon counties 
 
 
Tuesday, December 09, 2014 
 
Missouri MDC reports one new case of CWD, found in Adair County
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2012 6:26 PM 
 
To: warhovert@missouri.edu 
 
Cc: abbottjm@missouri.edu ; waltermr@missouri.edu ; 
John.McLaughlin@missouri.edu ; connerek@missouri.edu ; contact@dnr.mo.gov ; 
Shelly.Witt@mda.mo.gov ; Animal.Health@mda.mo.gov ; acfa@mda.mo.gov ; 
animalid@mda.mo.gov ; Linda.Hickam@mda.mo.gov 
 
Subject: re-Missouri officials seek states' advice on chronic wasting 
disease in deer 
 
 
Thursday, May 31, 2012 
 
Missouri MDC staff will provide information on five recently found cases of 
CWD in free-ranging deer in northwest Macon County June 2, 2012 
 
 
Wednesday, September 05, 2012 
 
Missouri MDC seeks hunters’ help when processing harvested deer and 
preventing CWD 
 
 
Thursday, December 20, 2012 
 
MISSOURI Initial CWD sampling test results available online from MDC so far 
one adult buck has tested positive for the disease 
 
 
Friday, October 21, 2011 
 
Chronic Wasting Disease Found in Captive Deer Missouri October 20, 2011 
 
Chronic Wasting Disease Found in Captive Deer 
 
The Missouri departments of Agriculture, Conservation and Health and Senior 
Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that a captive 
white-tailed deer in Macon County, Missouri has tested positive for Chronic 
Wasting Disease (CWD). CWD is a neurological disease found in deer, elk and 
moose. 
 
snip... 
 
The animal that tested positive for CWD was a captive white-tailed deer 
inspected as part of the State's CWD surveillance and testing program. 
Preliminary tests were conducted by the USDA National Veterinary Services 
Laboratory in Ames, Iowa. 
 
snip... 
 
In February 2010 a case of CWD was confirmed in Linn County on a captive 
hunting preserve operated by the same entity, Heartland Wildlife Ranches, LLC. 
The Linn County facility was depopulated and no further infection was identified 
at that facility. The current case was identified through increased surveillance 
required by the management plan implemented from the previous CWD incident. 
 
snip... 
 
 
Friday, October 21, 2011 
 
Chronic Wasting Disease Found in Captive Deer Missouri 
 
 
The Missouri Department of Agriculture discovers the state's first case of 
CWD in a captive white-tailed deer.
 
 
Friday, February 26, 2010 
 
Chronic wasting disease found in Missouri deer February 25, 2010 
 
Chronic Wasting Disease Found in Captive Deer
 
The Missouri Departments of Agriculture, Conservation and Health and Senior 
Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced today that a captive 
white-tailed deer in Linn County, Missouri has tested positive for Chronic 
Wasting Disease (CWD). CWD is a neurological disease found in deer, elk and 
moose.
 
"There is no evidence that CWD poses a risk to domestic animals or humans," 
said State Veterinarian Dr. Taylor Woods. "We have protocols in place to quickly 
and effectively handle these situations."
 
The animal that tested positive for CWD was a white-tailed deer inspected 
as part of the State's CWD surveillance and testing program. Preliminary tests 
were conducted by the USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, 
Iowa.
 
Upon receiving the confirmed CWD positive, Missouri's departments of 
Agriculture, Conservation and Health and Senior Services initiated their CWD 
Contingency Plan. The plan was developed in 2002 by the Cervid Health Committee, 
a task force comprised of veterinarians, animal health officers and conservation 
officers from USDA, MDA, MDC and DHSS working together to mitigate challenges 
associated with CWD.
 
CWD is transmitted by live animal to animal contact or soil to animal 
contact. The disease was first recognized in 1967 in captive mule deer in the 
Colorado Division of Wildlife captive wildlife research facility in Fort 
Collins, Colorado. CWD has been documented in deer and/or elk in Colorado, 
Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, 
Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the 
Canadian Provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. There has been no evidence that 
the disease can be transmitted to humans.
 
"Missouri's proactive steps to put a testing protocol in place and create a 
contingency plan years ago is proving beneficial. We are in a solid position to 
follow pre-established steps to ensure Missouri's valuable whitetail deer 
resource remains healthy and strong," said Jason Sumners Missouri's Deer 
Biologist.
 
For more information regarding CWD, please contact Dr. Taylor Woods at 
(573) 751-3377.
 
 
 
see video;
 
Danger of Canned Hunting Indiana Wildlife
 
 
Sunday, December 28, 2014 
 
CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE CWD TSE PRION DISEASE AKA MAD DEER DISIEASE USDA 
USAHA INC DECEMBER 28, 2014 
 
 
Friday, August 07, 2015 
 
Texas CWD Captive, and then there were 4 ? 
 
 
Thursday, August 06, 2015 
 
WE HAVE LOST TEXAS TO CWD TASK FORCE CATERING TO INDUSTRY 
 
 
Tuesday, July 21, 2015 
 
Texas CWD Medina County Herd Investigation Update July 16, 2015 
 
• 66 Texas sites, 2 Mexico sites
 
 
 
TSS
     
    
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