News Releases Return...
CWD-positive white-tailed deer found on Iowa County farm January 29, 2016
CWD-positive white-tailed deer found on Iowa County farm
Contact: Raechelle Belli, 608-224-5005 or Bill Cosh, Communications
Director, 608-224-5020
MADISON – A white-tailed deer from a deer farm in Iowa County has tested
positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD), Wisconsin State Veterinarian Dr.
Paul McGraw announced today. The National Veterinary Services Laboratory in
Ames, Iowa, confirmed the test results.
The 2-year-old buck, which was born on the farm and killed after sustaining
an injury, was one of only 15 deer reported to be on the 1 acre farm, according
to the farm’s June 2015 registration. The owner keeps a small number of deer for
public exhibition only and does not move the deer anywhere except to slaughter.
All of the owner’s deer that have died or been sent to slaughter since 2002 have
been tested for CWD.
Samples were taken from the buck on January 9 in accordance with Wisconsin
Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection’s (DATCP’s) rules,
which require testing of farm-raised deer and elk when they die or are killed.
The farm has been quarantined since 2008 when wild deer within a five mile
radius were diagnosed with CWD. The DATCP Animal Health Division’s investigation
will also examine the animal’s history and trace movements of deer onto the
property to determine whether any other deer farms may have exposure to
CWD.
###
http://datcp.wi.gov/news/?ID=1411
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Wisconsin Second CWD-positive deer found in Oneida County 5-year-old buck
shot at Three Lakes Trophy Ranch LLC agency received the CWD-positive report on
the animal Dec. 29
http://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2016/01/wisconsin-second-cwd-positive-deer.html
As of 2015 there were 421 registered deer farms in Wisconsin. White-tailed
deer farming is regulated and licensed by the Wisconsin Department of
Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) [exit DNR]. However the
Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is responsible for regulating white-tailed
deer farm fencing. Before you can register your farm with DATCP you must have
your fence inspected and receive a deer farm fence certificate from the DNR.
http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/wildlifehabitat/regulations.html
State pays farmer $298,000 for infected deer herd
By Paul A. Smith of the Journal Sentinel
Jan. 16, 2016 8:05 p.m.
The State of Wisconsin paid nearly $300,000 to the Eau Claire County farmer
whose deer herd was depopulated after it was found to be infected with chronic
wasting disease.
Rick Vojtik, owner of Fairchild Whitetails in Fairchild, received an
indemnity payment of $298,770 for 228 white-tailed deer killed on his farm,
according to officials with the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer
Protection.
The money was taken from the agency's general program revenue funded by
Wisconsin taxpayers.
The state has a maximum payment of $1,500 per animal in such cases; Vojtik
received $1,310 each.
The adult deer killed at Fairchild Whitetails were tested for disease.
Including those tested before depopulation, 33 deer at the facility were
CWD-positive, according to the DATCP.
The CWD-positive deer on Vojtik's farm were the first and only detected to
date in Eau Claire County and triggered a deer baiting and feeding ban in Eau
Claire, Clark and Jackson counties.
More than a dozen deer escaped the facility last year but all were captured
or killed, according to Rick Rosen, regional warden supervisor for the
Department of Natural Resources.
In Wisconsin, the DATCP has authority over deer and elk farms while the DNR
has authority over the fences at such facilities and deer and elk outside
them.
Under an agreement with state officials, Vojtik will maintain the farm's
fences for five years and not put deer or other cervids in the area. Agents with
the DATCP will disinfect the property, said Paul McGraw, DATCP
veterinarian.
The 228 deer had been held in an enclosure of about 10 acres.
Chronic wasting disease has been found at 13 captive cervid facilities in
Wisconsin, according to DATCP records.
Second CWD finding in Oneida County: A second CWD-positive deer has been
reported at an Oneida County shooting preserve, according to the DATCP.
The 5-year-old buck was shot at Three Lakes Trophy Ranch LLC in Three
Lakes. The agency received the CWD-positive report on the animal Dec. 29.
A 3-year-old buck at the facility also tested positive for the disease in
November, initiating a baiting and feeding ban in Oneida, Forest and Vilas
counties.
Officials with the DATCP said Friday there was no plan to depopulate the
facility. According to records from December, Three Lakes Trophy Ranch had about
425 deer on 570 acres.
The captive animals are the only deer to test positive for CWD in that
portion of the Northwoods, including the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Last year, Michigan officials unveiled a campaign called "Keep the U.P. CWD
Free!" It is illegal to bring whole deer carcasses from Wisconsin into
Michigan.
Chronic wasting disease was identified in Colorado in 1967. The disease,
among a family of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies including Mad Cow
Disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob, is fatal to deer, elk and moose. The disease was
first detected in Wisconsin in 2002 near Mount Horeb. As of this month, 41 of
the state's 72 counties are considered "CWD-affected" by the DNR.
Meat from a CWD-positive animal should not be eaten, according to health
officials.
DNR hiring for creel survey: The DNR is accepting applications for three
fisheries technicians to conduct creel surveys on Lake Michigan.
The limited-term employee positions will run from about March 7 to Oct. 31;
the jobs will be based in Mishicot, Plymouth and Sturtevant.
According to the job description, candidates must be able to accurately
identify common Lake Michigan fish; have good oral and written communication
skills; be able to work independently with limited supervision; be able to
approach anglers on piers and breakwaters, rocky shorelines, open sand, cobble
beaches and along streams and rivers over uneven terrain; and be willing to work
in inclement weather.
The jobs will pay $11.50 to $12.50 per hour depending on experience and
training. Work is required on weekends and holidays.
For application materials and more information, visit
dnr.wi.gov/employment. The application deadline is Feb. 2.
Interviews are planned the week of Feb. 8 at the DNR's Plymouth Service
Center.
© 2016, Journal Sentinel Inc. All rights reserved.
About Paul A. Smith Paul A. Smith covers outdoors and conservation
issues.
@mjsps psmith@journalsentinel.com 414-224-2313
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:
$298,770 + $465,000
Friday, December 04, 2015
Wisconsin CWD-positive white-tailed deer found on Oneida County hunting
preserve December 3, 2015
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Wisconsin Eau Claire Co. deer herd two day round of depopulation CWD
testing shows 23 positive
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Wisconsin Chronic wasting disease confirmed in Crawford County buck
harvested on private land
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Wisconsin tracks 81 deer from game farm with CWD buck to seven other states
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Wisconsin Second CWD positive deer found in Grant County
Monday, December 02, 2013
WISCONSIN CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE CWD DISCOVERED MARATHON COUNTY HUNTING
PRESERVE
Sunday, November 03, 2013
Wisconsin Second CWD deer found in Portage County
Wisconsin : 436 Deer Have Escaped From Farms to Wild
Date: March 18, 2003 Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel snip...
Sunday, November 03, 2013
Wisconsin Second CWD deer found in Portage County
Second CWD deer found in Portage County
News Release
Published: November 1, 2013 by the Northwest Region Contact(s): Kris
Johansen, DNR area wildlife supervisor, 715-284-1430; Ed Culhane,
DNR communications, 715-781-1683 WISCONSIN RAPIDS – A deer harvested by a
bow hunter in southeast Portage County has tested positive for chronic wasting
disease, the state Department of Natural Resources reports. This is the second
CWD-positive wild deer found in the county. Wildlife biologists in central
Wisconsin now are asking bow hunters to assist with increased surveillance for
the disease in four separate areas where positives have been confirmed outside
the CWD management zone.
CWD is contagious and fatal for deer, elk and moose. “Last fall CWD was
discovered for the first time in three wild, white-tailed deer in Adams, Juneau
and Portage counties” said DNR area wildlife supervisor Kris Johansen. “Now we
have a second positive in a different area of Portage County. To better define
the geographic extent of CWD in central Wisconsin, we are focusing additional
surveillance around each of these four locations.”
The latest CWD positive deer was harvested Oct. 6 just northwest of Almond
in Portage County.
To view where the surveillance focus areas are located, hunters can go to
the DNR website and enter “CWD registration” in the key word search, then click
on “CWD registration and sampling.” On this page –
http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/wildlifehabitat/registersample.html
– detailed maps show the precise location of these surveillance circles for the
first three positives, the ones in Adams and Juneau counties and the first find
in Portage County, located in the northwest corner of the county.
There is also a map showing the two Portage County locations. A new map,
showing the precise surveillance area for the fourth positive, in southeast
Portage County, will be added to the web page as soon as it is prepared. This
page also links to a list of cooperating taxidermists and meat processors where
samples can be collected.
The DNR is asking hunters to work with these cooperators to have head and
lymph node samples from adult deer – harvested within the four focus areas –
removed for testing. To have the sample removed, the hunter can bring the whole
deer to one of the listed cooperators or just remove the head with at least
three inches of neck attached and bring that in for sampling.
“Please call ahead to set up an appointment,” Johansen said. “These are
private business operators who are helping us out, and we want to respect their
time and their schedules.” This list will be updated online as new cooperators
join the surveillance effort:
• Wisconsin River Meats, N5340 County HH, Mauston 608-847-7413
• A&B Butchering, 6971 Hwy 34, Rudolph 715-435-3893
• Strickly Wild Processing, 140 Buffalo St, Wisconsin Rapids 715-421-0587
• Hartnell's Wild Game Processing, 1925 Cypress Ave., Arkdale 608-339-7288
• Trevor Athens Taxidermy, 982 15th Ave., Arkdale 608-547-6117
• Tall Tines Taxidermy, N2621 Cassidy Road, Mauston 608-547-0818
• Todd's Wildlife Taxidermy, N2148 State 58, Mauston 608-847-7693
• Vollmer Taxidermy, 3631 Plover Road, Plover 715-345-1934
• Field and Stream Taxidermy, 217 S. Front St., Coloma 608-547-1565
• DNR Service Center, 473 Griffith Ave., Wisconsin Rapids 715-421-7813
• Mead Wildlife Area, S2148 County S, Milladore 715-457-6771
• Adams Ranger Station, 532 N. Adams St., Adams 608-339-4819
• Almond Market, 111 Main St., Almond 715-366-2002
Hunters may also have deer from any of the four focus areas tested for CWD
by contacting one of these DNR offices:
• Mead Wildlife Area headquarters, S2148 County S, Milladore – 715-457-6771
• WI Rapids Service Center, 473 Griffith Avenue, Wisconsin Rapids –
715-421-7813
• Adams-Friendship Ranger Station, 532 N. Main Street, Adams – 608-339-4819
On the weekends or during warm periods, hunters should remove the deer head
with at least three inches of neck attached, freeze the head and then contact
the DNR to arrange a drop off. DNR staff will also collect samples from
hunter-harvested deer on the opening weekend of the gun deer season. Collection
stations and hours will be published prior to the gun deer season. The CWD tests
are free to hunters. Each person who submits a head for testing will receive lab
results within three or four weeks.
http://dnr.wi.gov/news/BreakingNews_Lookup.asp?id=2996
Friday, February 03, 2012
*** Wisconsin Farm-Raised Deer Farms and CWD there from 2012 report
Singeltary et al
THE YEAR 2000
Stop the madness: CWD threatens Wisconsin's elk, deer and, ultimately,
people.
15 July 00
The Isthmus magazine By BRIAN McCOMBIE
Imagine a disease worse than AIDS rippling through Wisconsin's deer herd.
One that's always fatal, cannot be tested for in live animals, and has the
chance of spreading to anyone who eats the infected venison. Sound like the
premise for Michael Crichton's next apocalyptic thriller?
Unfortunately, such a disease already exists in epidemic levels in the
wilds of Colorado and Wyoming. It's infected some game farms, too, and Wisconsin
game farmers have imported more than 350 elk with the potential for this
disease, including elk from farms known to be infected.
"If most people knew what kind of risk this disease poses to free-ranging
deer in the state, they'd be very concerned," says Dr. Sarah Hurley, Lands
Division administrator for the Department of Natural Resources. The DNR is now
testing free-ranging deer around these game farms for the disease: "We're
focusing our energies on those areas where we think there's the greatest
possibility of transmission."
The malady the DNR's looking for is chronic wasting disease (CWD)--better
known, to the extent it is known at all, as mad elk disease. It's a form of the
mad cow disease that devastated Britain's cattle industry in the 1980s, scared
the bejesus out of the populace, and is believed to have killed at least 70
people to date. An elk or deer with CWD can be listless, may walk in circles,
will lose weight and interact progressively less with fellow animals.
The corresponding human affliction is called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
(pronounced Croytz-feld Yawkob) or CJD. People with CJD experience symptoms
similar to Alzheimer's, including memory loss and depression, followed by
rapidly progressive dementia and death, usually within one year. While CJD is
rare (literally one in a million odds of getting it), over the last few years at
least three deer hunters have died of it. There is no proof either way whether
they contracted the disease from CWD-infected venison, but new research says it
is possible.
All three varieties--mad cow, mad elk and CJD--belong to a family of
diseases called transmissible spongiform encephalopathy. These diseases alter
the conformation of proteins in the brain called prions; after-death brain
samples usually show a series of microscopic holes in and around brain cells.
No one is exactly sure how mad elk disease spreads. At first, transmittal
through blood seemed likely, as from mother to fawn. But CWD has moved between
adult animals at game farms, leading scientists to conclude that it can be
spread through saliva or simple contact. Also, the rates of transmission are
higher in areas where animals have the most opportunities for contact.
Wisconsin's concentrated population of 1.7 million deer interact freely with
each other, and scientific modeling suggests CWD could tear through our deer
herd devastatingly fast. Despite the danger, Wisconsin and other states are
relying on only sporadic testing and a system of voluntary compliance. It's a
system that some say has more holes in it than a CWD-infected brain.
At present, Wisconsin game farm owners, even those harboring elk and deer
brought in from farms with known cases of CWD, do not have to call a
veterinarian if a deer or elk suddenly dies or acts strange. They're also not
required to inform the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) or the
Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) if animals
escape into the wild.
"The lax attitude is pretty shocking," says John Stauber, a Madison
activist and co-author of Mad Cow U.S.A. To protect people and deer, Stauber
argues for an immediate importation ban for game farms, plus programs of testing
and surveillance. He suggests both DATCP and DNR aren't taking such measures
because, as the regulators in charge, they don't want to find the CWD he thinks
is likely already in state. "It's in their bureaucratic interest to not
[actively] look for CWD in the game farms," says Stauber. "Because if they find
it, who's to blame?"
In the wild and especially out west, chronic wasting disease is spreading
fast. Northeastern Colorado documented its first case in 1981. By the mid-1990s,
samplings of mule deer brains showed 3% to 4% testing positive for CWD. Within a
few years, the rate was 8%, and now Larimer County, the center of the endemic
area, has a 15% rate of infection among mule deer. It's also being found in deer
and elk in Wyoming.
"Fifteen percent of a wild population of animals with this disease is
staggering," says Dr. Thomas Pringle, who tracks CWD-type diseases for the
Sperling Biomedical Foundation in Eugene, Ore. "It's basically unheard of. This
appears to be an unusually virulent strain. with highly efficient horizontal
transmission mechanisms."
CWD could eventually spread to Wisconsin on its own, animal to animal. But
that would take decades. Game farms, though, provide a mechanism to cut through
all that time and distance and drop CWD smack in the middle of the state.
An open-records search by Isthmus reveals that the first shipment of farm
elk from areas with CWD in the wild occurred in 1992, with 66 Colorado elk going
to a game farm in Plymouth. In April 1998, DATCP was informed that a Bloomer
game farm had purchased one elk from a Nebraska farm later found to be
CWD-infected. This prompted a Sept. 15, 1998, memo from Steven Miller, head of
the DNR's Lands Division, to Secretary George Meyer, with copies to DATCP chief
Ben Brancel and Gov. Tommy Thompson. In it, Miller recommends that Wisconsin
follow the lead of Montana (which found CWD on two game farms) and place "a
moratorium on the importation of all game farm animals.... At present it appears
the only way to help assure the disease does not spread into Wisconsin."
But the moratorium was never put in place, so it's possible that even more
elk potentially carrying CWD are now in state.
Instead of a moratorium, Wisconsin has opted for testing. It is among 12
states and two Canadian provinces that currently test deer for CWD. Last year,
the Wisconsin DNR began testing road- and hunter-killed deer in 1999 within a
five-mile radius of game farms that have brought in elk from CWD-infected areas.
Test areas include all or part of Fond du Lac, Dodge, Jefferson, Sheboygan and
Washington counties. All of the approximately 250 brains examined in 1999 came
back negative; this year, 500 to 600 deer will be tested.
Meanwhile, DATCP is asking owners of game farms that have animals from
herds known to have cases of CWD infection to voluntarily enter a surveillance
program. The agency's top veterinarian, Dr. Clarence Siroky, argues that
voluntary compliance makes more sense than a moratorium because, ban or no ban,
game farm operators "are going to find a way to bring these animals into the
state. We don't have police patrols and impregnable borders to keep anything in
or out."
With voluntary compliance, Siroky says, at least there are records of
animals entering the state. So if CWD or other diseases are discovered, the
animals can be traced back to their original herds and other farms they may have
been at. "It's better to know where the animals are coming in from," he insists.
Siroky may be right that an importation ban would result in some game farms
smuggling in animals. But currently, game farmers can bring in any deer or elk,
even those from known CWD-infected areas, so long as they can produce a health
certificate showing the animal's been tested. The problem is that no test exists
to find CWD in live animals. Animals can carry CWD for years and still look
healthy, so some of the 370 elk shipped into Wisconsin between 1996 and 1999
from CWD areas could have the disease. The odds are even higher for animals
purchased from farms later found to have CWD.
Wisconsin has approximately 100 deer or elk farms and they're big business.
On the Internet, prices for elk calves start at $1,500, and breeding bulls go
for up to $20,000. Some farms sell venison and the velvet that peels from new
elk antlers (considered an aphrodisiac in Asia). Others offer "hunts" costing
between $1,000 and $5,000 for trophy deer, to more than $10,000 for bull elk
with massive antlers.
Given these economics, it's reasonable to question why anyone with a
suspicion of CWD in his or her herd would call in state regulators or a vet. A
farm with a proven CWD case, confirms Dr. Robert Ehlenfeldt, DATCP's director of
Animal Disease Control, would be shut down indefinitely.
And if a problem develops on a Wisconsin game farm, there's no guarantee
that's where it will stay. Dr. Hurley says even fenced-in animals have easy
nose-to-nose contact with wild and other farmed animals. Besides, as the DNR's
chief of special operations Thomas Solin has documented, many game farms are not
secure. Gates are sometimes left open. Fences rust and break, rot and topple,
get crushed by fallen trees. Even if game farm animals don't escape, such
breaches allow wild deer to get in, mingle with the farmed deer and elk, then
leave.
Unlike other diseases, there's no test for CWD in living animals because it
doesn't create an immune system counter-response, detectable through blood
analysis. You can't kill CWD and related diseases by cooking the meat. One test
Stauber recounts in Mad Cow U.S.A. found that scrapie, a sheep form of CWD,
stayed viable after a full hour at 680 degrees Fahrenheit. Most disinfectants
don't kill these diseases, either, and they can exist in the soil for years.
And while diseases like mad cow and mad elk do have some trouble jumping
from species to species, it can happen. This May, Byron Caughey of the National
Institutes of Health announced that he had converted human brain materials with
mad-elk-contaminated brain matter at rates roughly equal to the transfer between
mad cow and humans.
Says Dr. Pringle, referring to Caughey's work, "CWD may not transmit that
easily, but the rate isn't zero." Pringle notes that the test Caughey used has
been a very reliable proxy in the past in determining transmission possibilities
for other diseases, including mad cow.
Once they jump the species barrier, transmissible spongiform encephalopathy
diseases adapt to fit the new host and are then passed on rather easily within
that species. Unfortunately, says Pringle, no one is trying to determine if CWD
has jumped into people as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Making matters more
difficult is the fact that the disease can incubate for decades before symptoms
are seen.
In states with CWD-infected deer, thousands of people have undoubtedly been
exposed to CWD-infected venison. A February 1998 Denver Post article tells of
one hunter who's venison tested positive for CWD. By the time he was notified,
his meat had already been ground up and mixed with meat from hundreds of other
deer for venison sausage.
With AIDS, Pringle notes, there was a definite overreaction, with people
initially afraid to even shake hands with people infected with the virus.
Looking at the CWD situation in Colorado, he says there's been complete
underreaction. "It's like, oh, what the hell. Nobody's died yet--so keep eating
the venison!'" Pringle worries that if the disease is found in humans, it will
be so only after years of spreading through the human community.
Looking over documents obtained by Isthmus through its open-records
request, Stauber says DATCP is behaving more like a lobbyist for the game farm
industry than an agency bent on protecting Wisconsin's people from CWD. He
points to DATCP's Cervidae Advisory Committee as a prime example. In a Nov. 11,
1998, memo from Siroky to DATCP secretary Ben Brancel, Siroky notes that the
committee is needed to "obtain information from the public concerning disease
regulation" of farmed deer and elk, and "to help formulate action plans for
importation requirements, prevention and control" of CWD. But of the 12 people
Siroky nominates, one's a DNR warden, one's a DATCP employee, and the other 10
are game farm owners. And two of these owners were among those DATCP knew had
purchased elk from farms at high risk of having CWD.
"There's no significant input from anyone else," says Stauber. "Farmers,
deer hunters and consumers are all left out. Meanwhile, the government's failing
to take all necessary precautions to alert the public to this potential health
threat."
game farms help spread cwd, simple fact. it’s been proven. game farms are
not the only risk factor though, however, they are a big part of the problem,
history shows this.
the quarantine of cwd tse prion infected game farms must be extended to 16
years now.
the CWD LOTTO ENTITLEMENT of captive game farms where the states pays game
farms for CWD MUST BE STOPPED. if the cwd infected farm does not buy insurance
for any and all loss from CWD for them and any party that does business with
them, and or any loss to the state, and or any products there from, that’s to
bad, they should never be allowed to be permitted. in fact, for any state that
does allow game farming, urine mills, sperm mills, antler mills, velvet mills,
big high fence ranch, little low fence farm, in my opinion, it’s that states
responsibility to protect that state, thus, any states that allow these farms
and business there from, it should be mandatory before any permit is allowed,
that game farm must have enough personal insurance that would cover that farm,
any farm that does business with them, and or any products there from, and the
state, before such permit is issued. personally, I am sick and tired of all the
big ag entitlement programs, and that’s all cwd indemnity is. in fact, the USDA
CWD INDEMNITY PROGRAM, should read, THE USDA CWD ENTITLEMENT PROGRAM.
we cannot, and must not, let the industry regulate itself, especially with
the junk science they try to use.
if they are not going to be science based, they must be banned.
science has told us for 3 decade or longer, that these are the things that
_might_ work, yet thanks to the industry, and government catering to industry,
regulations there from have failed, because of catering to the industry, and the
cwd tse prion agent has continued to spread during this time. a fine example is
Texas.
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Texas 10,000 deer in Texas tested for deadly disease CWD TSE, but not
tested much in the most logical place, the five-mile radius around the Medina
County captive-deer facility where it was discovered
Friday, January 15, 2016
TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE CWD Ante-Mortem Testing Symposium Texas Disposal
Systems Events Pavilion January 12, 2016
Research Project: TRANSMISSION, DIFFERENTIATION, AND PATHOBIOLOGY OF
TRANSMISSIBLE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHIES
***Title: Transmission of chronic wasting disease to sentinel reindeer
(Rangifer tarandus tarandus)
Authors
item Moore, S - item Kunkle, Robert item Nicholson, Eric item Richt,
Juergen item Hamir, Amirali item Waters, Wade item Greenlee, Justin
Submitted to: American College of Veterinary Pathologists Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: August 12, 2015
Publication Date: N/A
Technical Abstract:
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a naturally-occurring, fatal
neurodegenerative disease of North American cervids. Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus
tarandus) are susceptible to CWD following oral challenge, but CWD has not been
reported in free-ranging caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) or farmed reindeer.
Potential contact between CWD-affected cervids and Rangifer species that are
free-ranging or co-housed on farms presents a potential risk of CWD
transmission. The aims of this study were to 1) investigate the transmission of
CWD from white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus; CWD-wtd), mule deer
(Odocoileus hemionus; CWD-md), or elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni; CWD-elk) to
reindeer via the intracranial route, and 2) to assess for direct and indirect
horizontal transmission to non-inoculated sentinels. Three groups of 5 reindeer
fawns were challenged intracranially with CWD-wtd, CWD-md, or CWD-elk. Two years
after challenge of inoculated reindeer, non-inoculated control reindeer were
introduced into the same pen as the CWD-wtd inoculated reindeer (n=4) or into a
pen adjacent to the CWD-md inoculated reindeer (n=2). Reindeer were allowed to
develop clinical disease. At death/euthanasia a complete necropsy examination
was performed, including immunohistochemical testing of tissues for
disease-associated CWD prion protein (PrP-CWD). Intracranially challenged
reindeer developed clinical disease from 21 months post-inoculation (MPI).
PrP-CWD was detected in 5/6 sentinel reindeer although only 2/6 developed
clinical disease during the study period (<57 div="" mpi=""> 57>
***We have shown that reindeer are susceptible to CWD from various cervid
sources and can transmit CWD to naive reindeer both directly and indirectly.
Last Modified: 12/3/2015
***PrP-CWD was detected in 5/6 sentinel reindeer although only 2/6
developed clinical disease during the study period (<57 div="" mpi="">
57>
***We have shown that reindeer are susceptible to CWD from various cervid
sources and can transmit CWD to naive reindeer both directly and indirectly.
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
*** Transmission of chronic wasting disease to sentinel reindeer (Rangifer
tarandus tarandus) can transmit CWD to naive reindeer both directly and
indirectly
Research Project: TRANSMISSION, DIFFERENTIATION, AND PATHOBIOLOGY OF
TRANSMISSIBLE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHIES
CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE CWD TSE PRION AKA MAD COW TYPE DISEASE
Friday, January 01, 2016
Bayesian Modeling of Prion Disease Dynamics in Mule Deer Using Population
Monitoring and Capture-Recapture Data
Chris Geremia, Michael W. Miller, Jennifer A. Hoeting, Michael F. Antolin,
N. Thompson Hobbs PLOS x Published: October 28, 2015 DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0140687
Abstract
Epidemics of chronic wasting disease (CWD) of North American Cervidae have
potential to harm ecosystems and economies. We studied a migratory population of
mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) affected by CWD for at least three decades using
a Bayesian framework to integrate matrix population and disease models with
long-term monitoring data and detailed process-level studies. We hypothesized
CWD prevalence would be stable or increase between two observation periods
during the late 1990s and after 2010, with higher CWD prevalence making deer
population decline more likely. The weight of evidence suggested a reduction in
the CWD outbreak over time, perhaps in response to intervening harvest-mediated
population reductions. Disease effects on deer population growth under current
conditions were subtle with a 72% chance that CWD depressed population growth.
With CWD, we forecasted a growth rate near one and largely stable deer
population. Disease effects appear to be moderated by timing of infection,
prolonged disease course, and locally variable infection. Long-term outcomes
will depend heavily on whether current conditions hold and high prevalence
remains a localized phenomenon.
Discussion
The protracted time-scale of the CWD outbreak is much longer than the
timespan of our research, which limits our ability to identify the true
explanation of our findings. Nonetheless, our research suggests that, at least
for the foreseeable future (e.g., decades), mule deer populations sharing the
overall survival and infection probabilities estimated from our analyses may
persist but likely will not thrive where CWD becomes established as an endemic
infectious disease.
‘’Nonetheless, our research suggests that, at least for the foreseeable
future (e.g., decades), mule deer populations sharing the overall survival and
infection probabilities estimated from our analyses may persist but likely will
not thrive where CWD becomes established as an endemic infectious disease. ‘’
*** Bayesian Modeling of Prion Disease Dynamics in Mule Deer Using
Population Monitoring and Capture-Recapture Data
‘’Mountain lions prey selectively on CWD infected deer [33] and CWD could
result in an abundance of vulnerable prey, thereby enhancing mountain lion
survival and reproduction [20].’’
please see ;
‘’preliminary results suggesting that bobcats (Lynx rufus) may be
susceptible to white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) chronic wasting
disease agent.’’
references on Feline Spongiform Encephalopathy FSE toward the bottom, see ;
Assessing Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy Species Barriers with an
In Vitro Prion Protein Conversion Assay
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Chronic Wasting Disease will cause a Wyoming deer herd to go virtually
extinct in 41 years, a five-year study predicts
Study: Chronic Wasting Disease kills 19% of deer herd annually
*** Infectious agent of sheep scrapie may persist in the environment for at
least 16 years ***
Gudmundur Georgsson1, Sigurdur Sigurdarson2 and Paul Brown3
*** 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.
PL1
Using in vitro prion replication for high sensitive detection of prions and
prionlike proteins and for understanding mechanisms of transmission.
Claudio Soto
Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's diseases and related Brain disorders,
Department of Neurology, University of Texas Medical School at Houston.
Prion and prion-like proteins are misfolded protein aggregates with the
ability to selfpropagate to spread disease between cells, organs and in some
cases across individuals. I n T r a n s m i s s i b l e s p o n g i f o r m
encephalopathies (TSEs), prions are mostly composed by a misfolded form of the
prion protein (PrPSc), which propagates by transmitting its misfolding to the
normal prion protein (PrPC). The availability of a procedure to replicate prions
in the laboratory may be important to study the mechanism of prion and
prion-like spreading and to develop high sensitive detection of small quantities
of misfolded proteins in biological fluids, tissues and environmental samples.
Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification (PMCA) is a simple, fast and efficient
methodology to mimic prion replication in the test tube. PMCA is a platform
technology that may enable amplification of any prion-like misfolded protein
aggregating through a seeding/nucleation process. In TSEs, PMCA is able to
detect the equivalent of one single molecule of infectious PrPSc and propagate
prions that maintain high infectivity, strain properties and species
specificity. Using PMCA we have been able to detect PrPSc in blood and urine of
experimentally infected animals and humans affected by vCJD with high
sensitivity and specificity. Recently, we have expanded the principles of PMCA
to amplify amyloid-beta (Aβ) and alphasynuclein (α-syn) aggregates implicated in
Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, respectively. Experiments are ongoing to
study the utility of this technology to detect Aβ and α-syn aggregates in
samples of CSF and blood from patients affected by these diseases.
=========================
***Recently, we have been using PMCA to study the role of environmental
prion contamination on the horizontal spreading of TSEs. These experiments have
focused on the study of the interaction of prions with plants and
environmentally relevant surfaces. Our results show that plants (both leaves and
roots) bind tightly to prions present in brain extracts and excreta (urine and
feces) and retain even small quantities of PrPSc for long periods of time.
Strikingly, ingestion of prioncontaminated leaves and roots produced disease
with a 100% attack rate and an incubation period not substantially longer than
feeding animals directly with scrapie brain homogenate. Furthermore, plants can
uptake prions from contaminated soil and transport them to different parts of
the plant tissue (stem and leaves). Similarly, prions bind tightly to a variety
of environmentally relevant surfaces, including stones, wood, metals, plastic,
glass, cement, etc. Prion contaminated surfaces efficiently transmit prion
disease when these materials were directly injected into the brain of animals
and strikingly when the contaminated surfaces were just placed in the animal
cage. These findings demonstrate that environmental materials can efficiently
bind infectious prions and act as carriers of infectivity, suggesting that they
may play an important role in the horizontal transmission of the disease.
========================
Since its invention 13 years ago, PMCA has helped to answer fundamental
questions of prion propagation and has broad applications in research areas
including the food industry, blood bank safety and human and veterinary disease
diagnosis.
see ;
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Objects in contact with classical scrapie sheep act as a reservoir for
scrapie transmission
Objects in contact with classical scrapie sheep act as a reservoir for
scrapie transmission
Timm Konold1*, Stephen A. C. Hawkins2, Lisa C. Thurston3, Ben C. Maddison4,
Kevin C. Gough5, Anthony Duarte1 and Hugh A. Simmons1
1 Animal Sciences Unit, Animal and Plant Health Agency Weybridge,
Addlestone, UK, 2 Pathology Department, Animal and Plant Health Agency
Weybridge, Addlestone, UK, 3 Surveillance and Laboratory Services, Animal and
Plant Health Agency Penrith, Penrith, UK, 4 ADAS UK, School of Veterinary
Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, UK, 5 School
of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington,
UK
Classical scrapie is an environmentally transmissible prion disease of
sheep and goats. Prions can persist and remain potentially infectious in the
environment for many years and thus pose a risk of infecting animals after
re-stocking. In vitro studies using serial protein misfolding cyclic
amplification (sPMCA) have suggested that objects on a scrapie affected sheep
farm could contribute to disease transmission. This in vivo study aimed to
determine the role of field furniture (water troughs, feeding troughs, fencing,
and other objects that sheep may rub against) used by a scrapie-infected sheep
flock as a vector for disease transmission to scrapie-free lambs with the prion
protein genotype VRQ/VRQ, which is associated with high susceptibility to
classical scrapie. When the field furniture was placed in clean accommodation,
sheep became infected when exposed to either a water trough (four out of five)
or to objects used for rubbing (four out of seven). This field furniture had
been used by the scrapie-infected flock 8 weeks earlier and had previously been
shown to harbor scrapie prions by sPMCA. Sheep also became infected (20 out of
23) through exposure to contaminated field furniture placed within pasture not
used by scrapie-infected sheep for 40 months, even though swabs from this
furniture tested negative by PMCA. This infection rate decreased (1 out of 12)
on the same paddock after replacement with clean field furniture. Twelve grazing
sheep exposed to field furniture not in contact with scrapie-infected sheep for
18 months remained scrapie free. The findings of this study highlight the role
of field furniture used by scrapie-infected sheep to act as a reservoir for
disease re-introduction although infectivity declines considerably if the field
furniture has not been in contact with scrapie-infected sheep for several
months. PMCA may not be as sensitive as VRQ/VRQ sheep to test for environmental
contamination.
snip...
Discussion
Classical scrapie is an environmentally transmissible disease because it
has been reported in naïve, supposedly previously unexposed sheep placed in
pastures formerly occupied by scrapie-infected sheep (4, 19, 20). Although the
vector for disease transmission is not known, soil is likely to be an important
reservoir for prions (2) where – based on studies in rodents – prions can adhere
to minerals as a biologically active form (21) and remain infectious for more
than 2 years (22). Similarly, chronic wasting disease (CWD) has re-occurred in
mule deer housed in paddocks used by infected deer 2 years earlier, which was
assumed to be through foraging and soil consumption (23).
Our study suggested that the risk of acquiring scrapie infection was
greater through exposure to contaminated wooden, plastic, and metal surfaces via
water or food troughs, fencing, and hurdles than through grazing. Drinking from
a water trough used by the scrapie flock was sufficient to cause infection in
sheep in a clean building. Exposure to fences and other objects used for rubbing
also led to infection, which supported the hypothesis that skin may be a vector
for disease transmission (9). The risk of these objects to cause infection was
further demonstrated when 87% of 23 sheep presented with PrPSc in lymphoid
tissue after grazing on one of the paddocks, which contained metal hurdles, a
metal lamb creep and a water trough in contact with the scrapie flock up to 8
weeks earlier, whereas no infection had been demonstrated previously in sheep
grazing on this paddock, when equipped with new fencing and field furniture.
When the contaminated furniture and fencing were removed, the infection rate
dropped significantly to 8% of 12 sheep, with soil of the paddock as the most
likely source of infection caused by shedding of prions from the
scrapie-infected sheep in this paddock up to a week earlier.
This study also indicated that the level of contamination of field
furniture sufficient to cause infection was dependent on two factors: stage of
incubation period and time of last use by scrapie-infected sheep. Drinking from
a water trough that had been used by scrapie sheep in the predominantly
pre-clinical phase did not appear to cause infection, whereas infection was
shown in sheep drinking from the water trough used by scrapie sheep in the later
stage of the disease. It is possible that contamination occurred through
shedding of prions in saliva, which may have contaminated the surface of the
water trough and subsequently the water when it was refilled. Contamination
appeared to be sufficient to cause infection only if the trough was in contact
with sheep that included clinical cases. Indeed, there is an increased risk of
bodily fluid infectivity with disease progression in scrapie (24) and CWD (25)
based on PrPSc detection by sPMCA. Although ultraviolet light and heat under
natural conditions do not inactivate prions (26), furniture in contact with the
scrapie flock, which was assumed to be sufficiently contaminated to cause
infection, did not act as vector for disease if not used for 18 months, which
suggest that the weathering process alone was sufficient to inactivate prions.
PrPSc detection by sPMCA is increasingly used as a surrogate for
infectivity measurements by bioassay in sheep or mice. In this reported study,
however, the levels of PrPSc present in the environment were below the limit of
detection of the sPMCA method, yet were still sufficient to cause infection of
in-contact animals. In the present study, the outdoor objects were removed from
the infected flock 8 weeks prior to sampling and were positive by sPMCA at very
low levels (2 out of 37 reactions). As this sPMCA assay also yielded 2 positive
reactions out of 139 in samples from the scrapie-free farm, the sPMCA assay
could not detect PrPSc on any of the objects above the background of the assay.
False positive reactions with sPMCA at a low frequency associated with de novo
formation of infectious prions have been reported (27, 28). This is in contrast
to our previous study where we demonstrated that outdoor objects that had been
in contact with the scrapie-infected flock up to 20 days prior to sampling
harbored PrPSc that was detectable by sPMCA analysis [4 out of 15 reactions
(12)] and was significantly more positive by the assay compared to analogous
samples from the scrapie-free farm. This discrepancy could be due to the use of
a different sPMCA substrate between the studies that may alter the efficiency of
amplification of the environmental PrPSc. In addition, the present study had a
longer timeframe between the objects being in contact with the infected flock
and sampling, which may affect the levels of extractable PrPSc. Alternatively,
there may be potentially patchy contamination of this furniture with PrPSc,
which may have been missed by swabbing. The failure of sPMCA to detect
CWD-associated PrP in saliva from clinically affected deer despite confirmation
of infectivity in saliva-inoculated transgenic mice was associated with as yet
unidentified inhibitors in saliva (29), and it is possible that the sensitivity
of sPMCA is affected by other substances in the tested material. In addition,
sampling of amplifiable PrPSc and subsequent detection by sPMCA may be more
difficult from furniture exposed to weather, which is supported by the
observation that PrPSc was detected by sPMCA more frequently in indoor than
outdoor furniture (12). A recent experimental study has demonstrated that
repeated cycles of drying and wetting of prion-contaminated soil, equivalent to
what is expected under natural weathering conditions, could reduce PMCA
amplification efficiency and extend the incubation period in hamsters inoculated
with soil samples (30). This seems to apply also to this study even though the
reduction in infectivity was more dramatic in the sPMCA assays than in the sheep
model. Sheep were not kept until clinical end-point, which would have enabled us
to compare incubation periods, but the lack of infection in sheep exposed to
furniture that had not been in contact with scrapie sheep for a longer time
period supports the hypothesis that prion degradation and subsequent loss of
infectivity occurs even under natural conditions.
In conclusion, the results in the current study indicate that removal of
furniture that had been in contact with scrapie-infected animals should be
recommended, particularly since cleaning and decontamination may not effectively
remove scrapie infectivity (31), even though infectivity declines considerably
if the pasture and the field furniture have not been in contact with
scrapie-infected sheep for several months. As sPMCA failed to detect PrPSc in
furniture that was subjected to weathering, even though exposure led to
infection in sheep, this method may not always be reliable in predicting the
risk of scrapie infection through environmental contamination. These results
suggest that the VRQ/VRQ sheep model may be more sensitive than sPMCA for the
detection of environmentally associated scrapie, and suggest that extremely low
levels of scrapie contamination are able to cause infection in susceptible sheep
genotypes.
Keywords: classical scrapie, prion, transmissible spongiform
encephalopathy, sheep, field furniture, reservoir, serial protein misfolding
cyclic amplification
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
*** Objects in contact with classical scrapie sheep act as a reservoir for
scrapie transmission ***
Circulation of prions within dust on a scrapie affected farm
Kevin C Gough1, Claire A Baker2, Hugh A Simmons3, Steve A Hawkins3 and Ben
C Maddison2*
Abstract
Prion diseases are fatal neurological disorders that affect humans and
animals. Scrapie of sheep/goats and Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) of deer/elk
are contagious prion diseases where environmental reservoirs have a direct link
to the transmission of disease. Using protein misfolding cyclic amplification we
demonstrate that scrapie PrPSc can be detected within circulating dusts that are
present on a farm that is naturally contaminated with sheep scrapie. The
presence of infectious scrapie within airborne dusts may represent a possible
route of infection and illustrates the difficulties that may be associated with
the effective decontamination of such scrapie affected premises.
snip...
Discussion
We present biochemical data illustrating the airborne movement of scrapie
containing material within a contaminated farm environment. We were able to
detect scrapie PrPSc within extracts from dusts collected over a 70 day period,
in the absence of any sheep activity. We were also able to detect scrapie PrPSc
within dusts collected within pasture at 30 m but not at 60 m distance away from
the scrapie contaminated buildings, suggesting that the chance of contamination
of pasture by scrapie contaminated dusts decreases with distance from
contaminated farm buildings. PrPSc amplification by sPMCA has been shown to
correlate with infectivity and amplified products have been shown to be
infectious [14,15]. These experiments illustrate the potential for low dose
scrapie infectivity to be present within such samples. We estimate low ng levels
of scrapie positive brain equivalent were deposited per m2 over 70 days, in a
barn previously occupied by sheep affected with scrapie. This movement of dusts
and the accumulation of low levels of scrapie infectivity within this
environment may in part explain previous observations where despite stringent
pen decontamination regimens healthy lambs still became scrapie infected after
apparent exposure from their environment alone [16]. The presence of sPMCA
seeding activity and by inference, infectious prions within dusts, and their
potential for airborne dissemination is highly novel and may have implications
for the spread of scrapie within infected premises. The low level circulation
and accumulation of scrapie prion containing dust material within the farm
environment will likely impede the efficient decontamination of such scrapie
contaminated buildings unless all possible reservoirs of dust are removed.
Scrapie containing dusts could possibly infect animals during feeding and
drinking, and respiratory and conjunctival routes may also be involved. It has
been demonstrated that scrapie can be efficiently transmitted via the nasal
route in sheep [17], as is also the case for CWD in both murine models and in
white tailed deer [18-20].
The sources of dust borne prions are unknown but it seems reasonable to
assume that faecal, urine, skin, parturient material and saliva-derived prions
may contribute to this mobile environmental reservoir of infectivity. This work
highlights a possible transmission route for scrapie within the farm
environment, and this is likely to be paralleled in CWD which shows strong
similarities with scrapie in terms of prion dissemination and disease
transmission. The data indicate that the presence of scrapie prions in dust is
likely to make the control of these diseases a considerable challenge.
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...
Saturday, January 31, 2015
European red deer (Cervus elaphus elaphus) are susceptible to Bovine
Spongiform Encephalopathy BSE by Oral Alimentary route
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
Research Project: TRANSMISSION, DIFFERENTIATION, AND PATHOBIOLOGY OF
TRANSMISSIBLE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHIES
Title: Scrapie transmits to white-tailed deer by the oral route and has a
molecular profile similar to chronic wasting disease
Authors
item Greenlee, Justin item Moore, S - item Smith, Jodi - item Kunkle,
Robert item West Greenlee, M -
Submitted to: American College of Veterinary Pathologists Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: August 12, 2015
Publication Date: N/A Technical Abstract: The purpose of this work was to
determine susceptibility of white-tailed deer (WTD) to the agent of sheep
scrapie and to compare the resultant PrPSc to that of the original inoculum and
chronic wasting disease (CWD). We inoculated WTD by a natural route of exposure
(concurrent oral and intranasal (IN); n=5) with a US scrapie isolate. All
scrapie-inoculated deer had evidence of PrPSc accumulation. PrPSc was detected
in lymphoid tissues at preclinical time points, and deer necropsied after 28
months post-inoculation had clinical signs, spongiform encephalopathy, and
widespread distribution of PrPSc in neural and lymphoid tissues. Western
blotting (WB) revealed PrPSc with 2 distinct molecular profiles. WB on cerebral
cortex had a profile similar to the original scrapie inoculum, whereas WB of
brainstem, cerebellum, or lymph nodes revealed PrPSc with a higher profile
resembling CWD. Homogenates with the 2 distinct profiles from WTD with clinical
scrapie were further passaged to mice expressing cervid prion protein and
intranasally to sheep and WTD. In cervidized mice, the two inocula have distinct
incubation times. Sheep inoculated intranasally with WTD derived scrapie
developed disease, but only after inoculation with the inoculum that had a
scrapie-like profile. The WTD study is ongoing, but deer in both inoculation
groups are positive for PrPSc by rectal mucosal biopsy. In summary, this work
demonstrates that WTD are susceptible to the agent of scrapie, two distinct
molecular profiles of PrPSc are present in the tissues of affected deer, and
inoculum of either profile readily passes to deer.
White-tailed Deer are Susceptible to Scrapie by Natural Route of Infection
Jodi D. Smith, Justin J. Greenlee, and Robert A. Kunkle; Virus and Prion
Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA-ARS
Interspecies transmission studies afford the opportunity to better
understand the potential host range and origins of prion diseases. Previous
experiments demonstrated that white-tailed deer are susceptible to sheep-derived
scrapie by intracranial inoculation. The purpose of this study was to determine
susceptibility of white-tailed deer to scrapie after a natural route of
exposure. Deer (n=5) were inoculated by concurrent oral (30 ml) and intranasal
(1 ml) instillation of a 10% (wt/vol) brain homogenate derived from a sheep
clinically affected with scrapie. Non-inoculated deer were maintained as
negative controls. All deer were observed daily for clinical signs. Deer were
euthanized and necropsied when neurologic disease was evident, and tissues were
examined for abnormal prion protein (PrPSc) by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and
western blot (WB). One animal was euthanized 15 months post-inoculation (MPI)
due to an injury. At that time, examination of obex and lymphoid tissues by IHC
was positive, but WB of obex and colliculus were negative. Remaining deer
developed clinical signs of wasting and mental depression and were necropsied
from 28 to 33 MPI. Tissues from these deer were positive for scrapie by IHC and
WB. Tissues with PrPSc immunoreactivity included brain, tonsil, retropharyngeal
and mesenteric lymph nodes, hemal node, Peyer’s patches, and spleen. This work
demonstrates for the first time that white-tailed deer are susceptible to sheep
scrapie by potential natural routes of inoculation. In-depth analysis of tissues
will be done to determine similarities between scrapie in deer after
intracranial and oral/intranasal inoculation and chronic wasting disease
resulting from similar routes of inoculation.
see full text ;
PO-039: A comparison of scrapie and chronic wasting disease in white-tailed
deer
Justin Greenlee, Jodi Smith, Eric Nicholson US Dept. Agriculture;
Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center; Ames, IA USA
White-tailed deer are susceptible to the agent of sheep scrapie by
intracerebral inoculation
snip...
It is unlikely that CWD will be eradicated from free-ranging cervids, and
the disease is likely to continue to spread geographically [10]. However, the
potential that white-tailed deer may be susceptible to sheep scrapie by a
natural route presents an additional confounding factor to halting the spread of
CWD. This leads to the additional speculations that
1) infected deer could serve as a reservoir to infect sheep with scrapie
offering challenges to scrapie eradication efforts and
2) CWD spread need not remain geographically confined to current endemic
areas, but could occur anywhere that sheep with scrapie and susceptible cervids
cohabitate.
This work demonstrates for the first time that white-tailed deer are
susceptible to sheep scrapie by intracerebral inoculation with a high attack
rate and that the disease that results has similarities to CWD. These
experiments will be repeated with a more natural route of inoculation to
determine the likelihood of the potential transmission of sheep scrapie to
white-tailed deer. If scrapie were to occur in white-tailed deer, results of
this study indicate that it would be detected as a TSE, but may be difficult to
differentiate from CWD without in-depth biochemical analysis.
2012
PO-039: A comparison of scrapie and chronic wasting disease in white-tailed
deer
Justin Greenlee, Jodi Smith, Eric Nicholson US Dept. Agriculture;
Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center; Ames, IA USA
snip...
The results of this study suggest that there are many similarities in the
manifestation of CWD and scrapie in WTD after IC inoculation including early and
widespread presence of PrPSc in lymphoid tissues, clinical signs of depression
and weight loss progressing to wasting, and an incubation time of 21-23 months.
Moreover, western blots (WB) done on brain material from the obex region have a
molecular profile similar to CWD and distinct from tissues of the cerebrum or
the scrapie inoculum. However, results of microscopic and IHC examination
indicate that there are differences between the lesions expected in CWD and
those that occur in deer with scrapie: amyloid plaques were not noted in any
sections of brain examined from these deer and the pattern of immunoreactivity
by IHC was diffuse rather than plaque-like.
*** After a natural route of exposure, 100% of WTD were susceptible to
scrapie.
Deer developed clinical signs of wasting and mental depression and were
necropsied from 28 to 33 months PI. Tissues from these deer were positive for
PrPSc by IHC and WB. Similar to IC inoculated deer, samples from these deer
exhibited two different molecular profiles: samples from obex resembled CWD
whereas those from cerebrum were similar to the original scrapie inoculum. On
further examination by WB using a panel of antibodies, the tissues from deer
with scrapie exhibit properties differing from tissues either from sheep with
scrapie or WTD with CWD. Samples from WTD with CWD or sheep with scrapie are
strongly immunoreactive when probed with mAb P4, however, samples from WTD with
scrapie are only weakly immunoreactive. In contrast, when probed with mAb’s 6H4
or SAF 84, samples from sheep with scrapie and WTD with CWD are weakly
immunoreactive and samples from WTD with scrapie are strongly positive. This
work demonstrates that WTD are highly susceptible to sheep scrapie, but on first
passage, scrapie in WTD is differentiable from CWD.
2011
*** After a natural route of exposure, 100% of white-tailed deer were
susceptible to scrapie.
White-tailed Deer are Susceptible to Scrapie by Natural Route of Infection
Jodi D. Smith, Justin J. Greenlee, and Robert A. Kunkle; Virus and Prion
Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA-ARS
Interspecies transmission studies afford the opportunity to better
understand the potential host range and origins of prion diseases. Previous
experiments demonstrated that white-tailed deer are susceptible to sheep-derived
scrapie by intracranial inoculation. The purpose of this study was to determine
susceptibility of white-tailed deer to scrapie after a natural route of
exposure. Deer (n=5) were inoculated by concurrent oral (30 ml) and intranasal
(1 ml) instillation of a 10% (wt/vol) brain homogenate derived from a sheep
clinically affected with scrapie. Non-inoculated deer were maintained as
negative controls. All deer were observed daily for clinical signs. Deer were
euthanized and necropsied when neurologic disease was evident, and tissues were
examined for abnormal prion protein (PrPSc) by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and
western blot (WB). One animal was euthanized 15 months post-inoculation (MPI)
due to an injury. At that time, examination of obex and lymphoid tissues by IHC
was positive, but WB of obex and colliculus were negative. Remaining deer
developed clinical signs of wasting and mental depression and were necropsied
from 28 to 33 MPI. Tissues from these deer were positive for scrapie by IHC and
WB. Tissues with PrPSc immunoreactivity included brain, tonsil, retropharyngeal
and mesenteric lymph nodes, hemal node, Peyer’s patches, and spleen. This work
demonstrates for the first time that white-tailed deer are susceptible to sheep
scrapie by potential natural routes of inoculation. In-depth analysis of tissues
will be done to determine similarities between scrapie in deer after
intracranial and oral/intranasal inoculation and chronic wasting disease
resulting from similar routes of inoculation.
see full text ;
Monday, November 3, 2014
Persistence of ovine scrapie infectivity in a farm environment following
cleaning and decontamination
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.
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)
”The occurrence of CWD must be viewed against the contest of the locations
in which it occurred. It was an incidental and unwelcome complication of the
respective wildlife research programmes. Despite it’s subsequent recognition as
a new disease of cervids, therefore justifying direct investigation, no specific
research funding was forthcoming. The USDA veiwed it as a wildlife problem and
consequently not their province!” page 26.
O.05: Transmission of prions to primates after extended silent incubation
periods: Implications for BSE and scrapie risk assessment in human populations
Emmanuel Comoy, Jacqueline Mikol, Valerie Durand, Sophie Luccantoni,
Evelyne Correia, Nathalie Lescoutra, Capucine Dehen, and Jean-Philippe Deslys
Atomic Energy Commission; Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
Prion diseases (PD) are the unique neurodegenerative proteinopathies
reputed to be transmissible under field conditions since decades. The
transmission of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) to humans evidenced that
an animal PD might be zoonotic under appropriate conditions. Contrarily, in the
absence of obvious (epidemiological or experimental) elements supporting a
transmission or genetic predispositions, PD, like the other proteinopathies, are
reputed to occur spontaneously (atpical animal prion strains, sporadic CJD
summing 80% of human prion cases). Non-human primate models provided the first
evidences supporting the transmissibiity of human prion strains and the zoonotic
potential of BSE. Among them, cynomolgus macaques brought major information for
BSE risk assessment for human health (Chen, 2014), according to their
phylogenetic proximity to humans and extended lifetime. We used this model to
assess the zoonotic potential of other animal PD from bovine, ovine and cervid
origins even after very long silent incubation periods.
*** We recently observed the direct transmission of a natural classical
scrapie isolate to macaque after a 10-year silent incubation period,
***with features similar to some reported for human cases of sporadic CJD,
albeit requiring fourfold long incubation than BSE. Scrapie, as recently evoked
in humanized mice (Cassard, 2014),
***is the third potentially zoonotic PD (with BSE and L-type BSE),
***thus questioning the origin of human sporadic cases. We will present an
updated panorama of our different transmission studies and discuss the
implications of such extended incubation periods on risk assessment of animal PD
for human health.
===============
***thus questioning the origin of human sporadic cases***
===============
==========================================
***our findings suggest that possible transmission risk of H-type BSE to
sheep and human. Bioassay will be required to determine whether the PMCA
products are infectious to these animals.
==========================================
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
*** 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
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.***
================
*** PRICE OF CWD TSE PRION POKER GOES UP 2014 ***
Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy TSE PRION update January 2, 2014
*** chronic wasting disease, there was no absolute barrier to conversion of
the human prion protein.
*** Furthermore, the form of human PrPres produced in this in vitro assay
when seeded with CWD, resembles that found in the most common human prion
disease, namely sCJD of the MM1 subtype.
*** These results would seem to suggest that CWD does indeed have zoonotic
potential, at least as judged by the compatibility of CWD prions and their human
PrPC target. Furthermore, extrapolation from this simple in vitro assay suggests
that if zoonotic CWD occurred, it would most likely effect those of the PRNP
codon 129-MM genotype and that the PrPres type would be similar to that found in
the most common subtype of sCJD (MM1).***
*** The potential impact of prion diseases on human health was greatly
magnified by the recognition that interspecies transfer of BSE to humans by beef
ingestion resulted in vCJD. While changes in animal feed constituents and
slaughter practices appear to have curtailed vCJD, there is concern that CWD of
free-ranging deer and elk in the U.S. might also cross the species barrier.
Thus, consuming venison could be a source of human prion disease. Whether BSE
and CWD represent interspecies scrapie transfer or are newly arisen prion
diseases is unknown. Therefore, the possibility of transmission of prion disease
through other food animals cannot be ruled out. There is evidence that vCJD can
be transmitted through blood transfusion. There is likely a pool of unknown size
of asymptomatic individuals infected with vCJD, and there may be asymptomatic
individuals infected with the CWD equivalent. These circumstances represent a
potential threat to blood, blood products, and plasma supplies.
now, let’s see what the authors said about this casual link, personal
communications years ago. see where it is stated NO STRONG evidence. so, does
this mean there IS casual evidence ???? “Our conclusion stating that we found no
strong evidence of CWD transmission to humans”
From: TSS (216-119-163-189.ipset45.wt.net)
Subject: CWD aka MAD DEER/ELK TO HUMANS ???
Date: September 30, 2002 at 7:06 am PST
From: "Belay, Ermias"
To: Cc: "Race, Richard (NIH)" ; ; "Belay, Ermias"
Sent: Monday, September 30, 2002 9:22 AM
Subject: RE: TO CDC AND NIH - PUB MED- 3 MORE DEATHS - CWD - YOUNG HUNTERS
Dear Sir/Madam,
In the Archives of Neurology you quoted (the abstract of which was attached
to your email), we did not say CWD in humans will present like variant CJD. That
assumption would be wrong. I encourage you to read the whole article and call me
if you have questions or need more clarification (phone: 404-639-3091). Also, we
do not claim that "no-one has ever been infected with prion disease from eating
venison." Our conclusion stating that we found no strong evidence of CWD
transmission to humans in the article you quoted or in any other forum is
limited to the patients we investigated.
Ermias Belay, M.D. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
-----Original Message-----
From: Sent: Sunday, September 29, 2002 10:15 AM
To: rr26k@nih.gov; rrace@niaid.nih.gov; ebb8@CDC.GOV
Subject: TO CDC AND NIH - PUB MED- 3 MORE DEATHS - CWD - YOUNG HUNTERS
Sunday, November 10, 2002 6:26 PM ......snip........end..............TSS
Thursday, April 03, 2008
A prion disease of cervids: Chronic wasting disease 2008 1: Vet Res. 2008
Apr 3;39(4):41 A prion disease of cervids: Chronic wasting disease Sigurdson CJ.
snip...
*** twenty-seven CJD patients who regularly consumed venison were reported
to the Surveillance Center***,
snip... full text ;
CJD is so rare in people under age 30, one case in a billion (leaving out
medical mishaps), that four cases under 30 is "very high," says Colorado
neurologist Bosque. "Then, if you add these other two from Wisconsin [cases in
the newspaper], six cases of CJD in people associated with venison is very, very
high." Only now, with Mary Riley, there are at least seven, and possibly eight,
with Steve, her dining companion. "It's not critical mass that matters,"
however, Belay says. "One case would do it for me." The chance that two people
who know each other would both contact CJD, like the two Wisconsin sportsmen, is
so unlikely, experts say, it would happen only once in 140 years.
Given the incubation period for TSEs in humans, it may require another
generation to write the final chapter on CWD in Wisconsin. "Does chronic wasting
disease pass into humans? We'll be able to answer that in 2022," says Race.
Meanwhile, the state has become part of an immense experiment.
I urge everyone to watch this video closely...terry
*** you can see video here and interview with Jeff's Mom, and scientist
telling you to test everything and potential risk factors for humans ***
Envt.07:
Pathological Prion Protein (PrPTSE) in Skeletal Muscles of Farmed and Free
Ranging White-Tailed Deer Infected with Chronic Wasting Disease
***The presence and seeding activity of PrPTSE in skeletal muscle from
CWD-infected cervids suggests prevention of such tissue in the human diet as a
precautionary measure for food safety, pending on further clarification of
whether CWD may be transmissible to humans.
Prions in Skeletal Muscles of Deer with Chronic Wasting Disease Rachel C.
Angers1,*, Shawn R. Browning1,*,†, Tanya S. Seward2, Christina J. Sigurdson4,‡,
Michael W. Miller5, Edward A. Hoover4, Glenn C. Telling1,2,3,§ snip...
Abstract The emergence of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in deer and elk in
an increasingly wide geographic area, as well as the interspecies transmission
of bovine spongiform encephalopathy to humans in the form of variant Creutzfeldt
Jakob disease, have raised concerns about the zoonotic potential of CWD. Because
meat consumption is the most likely means of exposure, it is important to
determine whether skeletal muscle of diseased cervids contains prion
infectivity. Here bioassays in transgenic mice expressing cervid prion protein
revealed the presence of infectious prions in skeletal muscles of CWD-infected
deer, demonstrating that humans consuming or handling meat from CWD-infected
deer are at risk to prion exposure.
***********CJD REPORT 1994 increased risk for consumption of veal and
venison and lamb***********
CREUTZFELDT JAKOB DISEASE SURVEILLANCE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM THIRD ANNUAL
REPORT AUGUST 1994
Consumption of venison and veal was much less widespread among both cases
and controls. For both of these meats there was evidence of a trend with
increasing frequency of consumption being associated with increasing risk of
CJD. (not nvCJD, but sporadic CJD...tss)
These associations were largely unchanged when attention was restricted to
pairs with data obtained from relatives. ...
Table 9 presents the results of an analysis of these data.
There is STRONG evidence of an association between ‘’regular’’ veal eating
and risk of CJD (p = .0.01).
Individuals reported to eat veal on average at least once a year appear to
be at 13 TIMES THE RISK of individuals who have never eaten veal.
There is, however, a very wide confidence interval around this estimate.
There is no strong evidence that eating veal less than once per year is
associated with increased risk of CJD (p = 0.51).
The association between venison eating and risk of CJD shows similar
pattern, with regular venison eating associated with a 9 FOLD INCREASE IN RISK
OF CJD (p = 0.04).
There is some evidence that risk of CJD INCREASES WITH INCREASING FREQUENCY
OF LAMB EATING (p = 0.02).
The evidence for such an association between beef eating and CJD is weaker
(p = 0.14). When only controls for whom a relative was interviewed are included,
this evidence becomes a little STRONGER (p = 0.08).
snip...
It was found that when veal was included in the model with another
exposure, the association between veal and CJD remained statistically
significant (p = < 0.05 for all exposures), while the other exposures ceased
to be statistically significant (p = > 0.05).
snip...
In conclusion, an analysis of dietary histories revealed statistical
associations between various meats/animal products and INCREASED RISK OF CJD.
When some account was taken of possible confounding, the association between
VEAL EATING AND RISK OF CJD EMERGED AS THE STRONGEST OF THESE ASSOCIATIONS
STATISTICALLY. ...
snip...
In the study in the USA, a range of foodstuffs were associated with an
increased risk of CJD, including liver consumption which was associated with an
apparent SIX-FOLD INCREASE IN THE RISK OF CJD. By comparing the data from 3
studies in relation to this particular dietary factor, the risk of liver
consumption became non-significant with an odds ratio of 1.2 (PERSONAL
COMMUNICATION, PROFESSOR A. HOFMAN. ERASMUS UNIVERSITY, ROTTERDAM). (???...TSS)
snip...see full report ;
CJD9/10022
October 1994
Mr R.N. Elmhirst Chairman British Deer Farmers Association Holly Lodge
Spencers Lane BerksWell Coventry CV7 7BZ
Dear Mr Elmhirst,
CREUTZFELDT-JAKOB DISEASE (CJD) SURVEILLANCE UNIT REPORT
Thank you for your recent letter concerning the publication of the third
annual report from the CJD Surveillance Unit. I am sorry that you are
dissatisfied with the way in which this report was published.
The Surveillance Unit is a completely independant outside body and the
Department of Health is committed to publishing their reports as soon as they
become available. In the circumstances it is not the practice to circulate the
report for comment since the findings of the report would not be amended. In
future we can ensure that the British Deer Farmers Association receives a copy
of the report in advance of publication.
The Chief Medical Officer has undertaken to keep the public fully informed
of the results of any research in respect of CJD. This report was entirely the
work of the unit and was produced completely independantly of the the
Department.
The statistical results reqarding the consumption of venison was put into
perspective in the body of the report and was not mentioned at all in the press
release. Media attention regarding this report was low key but gave a realistic
presentation of the statistical findings of the Unit. This approach to
publication was successful in that consumption of venison was highlighted only
once by the media ie. in the News at one television proqramme.
I believe that a further statement about the report, or indeed statistical
links between CJD and consumption of venison, would increase, and quite possibly
give damaging credence, to the whole issue. From the low key media reports of
which I am aware it seems unlikely that venison consumption will suffer
adversely, if at all.
*** These results would seem to suggest that CWD does indeed have zoonotic
potential, at least as judged by the compatibility of CWD prions and their human
PrPC target. Furthermore, extrapolation from this simple in vitro assay suggests
that if zoonotic CWD occurred, it would most likely effect those of the PRNP
codon 129-MM genotype and that the PrPres type would be similar to that found in
the most common subtype of sCJD (MM1).***
***This information will have a scientific impact since it is the first
study that demonstrates the transmission of scrapie to a non-human primate with
a close genetic relationship to humans. This information is especially useful to
regulatory officials and those involved with risk assessment of the potential
transmission of animal prion diseases to humans.
***This observation strengthens the questioning of the harmlessness of
scrapie to humans, at a time when protective measures for human and animal
health are being dismantled and reduced as c-BSE is considered controlled and
being eradicated. Our results underscore the importance of precautionary and
protective measures and the necessity for long-term experimental transmission
studies to assess the zoonotic potential of other animal prion strains.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
INDIANA HB1453 - high fence hunting preserve bill has been introduced by
Rep. Sean Eberhart and he received monetary contribution from Indiana Deer and
Elk Farmers Advocates INC. Indiana Politicians and contributions from the Game
Farm Industry, and whom is taking the bait $$$ will this buy their vote in
support of the cervid game farming industry ??? Indiana Secretary of State
Connie Lawson Summary by: Type Summary Groupings Total Direct $12,500.00 Total
Contributions = $12,500.00 11 matching record(s) found. Export To: Contributor
City, State Type Amount Date Candidate/Committee Name In Kind? Large? Indiana
Deer and Elk Farmers Advocates Inc Shipshewana, IN Direct $1,000.00 10/25/2012
Bob Heaton for State Representative Committee No Yes View Indiana Deer and Elk
Farmers Advocates Inc Shipshewana, IN Direct $1,000.00 11/01/2012 Steele for
Senate Committee No Yes View Indiana Deer and Elk Farmers Advocates Inc
Shipshewana, IN Direct $2,000.00 08/18/2014 Cindy Meyer Ziemke for State Rep. No
No View Indiana Deer and Elk Farmers Advocates Inc. Shipshewana, IN Direct
$500.00 11/26/2012 COMMITTEE TO ELECT BOB CHERRY No No View Indiana Deer and Elk
Farmers Advocates INC. Shipshewana, IN Direct $1,000.00 10/12/2012 Committee to
Elect Matt Ubelhor No No View Indiana Deer and Elk Farmers Advocates Inc.
Shipshewana, IN Direct $1,000.00 10/01/2012 Markmessmer.com No No View Indiana
Deer and Elk Farmers Advocates Inc. Shipshewana, IN Direct $1,000.00 10/25/2012
HERSHMAN FOR SENATE No Yes View Indiana Deer and Elk Farmers Advocates PAC
Shipshewana, IN Direct $2,000.00 09/02/2014 Committee to Elect Sean Eberhart No
No View Indiana Deer and Elk Farmers Advocates, Inc. Shipshewana, IN Direct
$1,000.00 10/15/2012 BILL FRIEND FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE COMMITTEE No Yes View
Indiana Deer and Elk Farmers Advocates, Inc. Shipshewana, IN Direct $1,000.00
10/22/2012 Committee to Elect Dan Leonard No Yes View Indiana Deer and Elk
Farmers Advoctes PAC Shipshewana, IN Direct $1,000.00 10/23/2012 Committee to
Elect Sean Eberhart No Yes View
Total Contributions = $9,500.00 9 matching record(s) found. Export To:
Contributor City, State Type Amount Date Candidate/Committee Name In Kind?
Large? Indiana Deer and Elk Farmers Advocates Inc Shipshewana, IN Direct
$1,000.00 10/25/2012 Bob Heaton for State Representative Committee No Yes View
Indiana Deer and Elk Farmers Advocates Inc Shipshewana, IN Direct $1,000.00
11/01/2012 Steele for Senate Committee No Yes View Indiana Deer and Elk Farmers
Advocates Inc Shipshewana, IN Direct $2,000.00 08/18/2014 Cindy Meyer Ziemke for
State Rep. No No View Indiana Deer and Elk Farmers Advocates Inc. Shipshewana,
IN Direct $500.00 11/26/2012 COMMITTEE TO ELECT BOB CHERRY No No View Indiana
Deer and Elk Farmers Advocates INC. Shipshewana, IN Direct $1,000.00 10/12/2012
Committee to Elect Matt Ubelhor No No View Indiana Deer and Elk Farmers
Advocates Inc. Shipshewana, IN Direct $1,000.00 10/01/2012 Markmessmer.com No No
View Indiana Deer and Elk Farmers Advocates Inc. Shipshewana, IN Direct
$1,000.00 10/25/2012 HERSHMAN FOR SENATE No Yes View Indiana Deer and Elk
Farmers Advocates, Inc. Shipshewana, IN Direct $1,000.00 10/15/2012 BILL FRIEND
FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE COMMITTEE No Yes View Indiana Deer and Elk Farmers
Advocates, Inc. Shipshewana, IN
Thursday, January 15, 2015
INDIANA HB1453 - high fence hunting preserve bill has been introduced by
Rep. Sean Eberhart and he received monetary contribution from Indiana Deer and
Elk Farmers Advocates INC. Indiana Politicians and contributions from the Game
Farm Industry, and whom is taking the bait $$$ will this buy their vote in
support of the cervid game farming industry ???
Monday, January 11, 2016
*** INDIANA SB109 HIGH FENCE HUNTING LEGISLATION AND RISK FACTORS FOR
CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE CWD TSE PRION
Thursday, January 21, 2016
INDIANA With end of long legal challenge last year, high-fence hunting
operations currently unregulated
Terry S. Singeltary Sr.
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