Voluntary Chronic Wasting Disease Herd Certification Program Annual Update FY2020 Last Modified Feb 9, 2021
Voluntary Chronic Wasting Disease Herd Certification Program Annual Update, FY2020
Last Modified: Feb 9, 2021
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Veterinary Services
Annual Update from the Cervid Health Team
Voluntary Chronic Wasting Disease Herd Certification Program (HCP)
The APHIS National CWD Herd Certification Program (HCP) was implemented in 2014. It is a voluntary Federal-State-industry cooperative program administered by APHIS and implemented by participating States. The program provides uniform national herd certification standards that minimize the risk of spreading CWD in farmed cervid populations. Participating States and herd owners must comply with requirements for animal identification, fencing, recordkeeping, inspections/inventories, as well as animal mortality testing and response to any CWD-exposed, suspect, and positive herds. APHIS monitors the Approved State HCPs to ensure consistency with Federal standards through annual reporting by the States.
With each year of successful surveillance, herds participating in the HCP will advance in status until reaching five years with no evidence of CWD, at which time herds are certified as being low risk for CWD. Only farmed cervids from enrolled herds certified as low risk for CWD may move interstate. FY 2020 marks the eighth year that Approved States have submitted their CWD HCP annual reports to APHIS.
The current Cervid Health Program staff officers are as follows: Dr. Mark Lyons, Dr. Jennifer Siembieda, and Dr. Tracy Nichols
Voluntary Herd Certification Participation Summary
Currently, 28 States participate in the voluntary CWD Herd Certification Program encompassing 2,145 enrolled herds, of which, 1,723 had the certified status in the program.
1,616 enrolled deer herds, of which, 1,297 were certified
371 enrolled elk herds, of which, 328 were certified
147 enrolled mixed species herds, of which, 98 were certified CWD in Farmed Cervids Summary of CW Detections
There were 22 newly identified CWD positive herds in FY20
13 of these herds were not participants in the Federal HCP
2 herds were considered enrolled in the HCP
7 herds were certified in the HCP
Half of the herds were located within 20 miles of identified CWD in the wild, half were not CWD Herds by State
Pennsylvania: Eight new CWD positive herds
Breeding herd of 33 WTD, HCP certified, depopulated with Federal indemnity
Breeding herd of 6 WTD, not in HCP, depopulated with Federal indemnity
Breeding herd of 15 WTD, not in HCP, depopulated by owner\
Hunt preserve of 58 WTD, not in HCP, populated and under quarantine
Breeding herd of 75 WTD, not in HCP, populated and under quarantine
Breeding herd of WTD, not in HCP, populated and under quarantine
Breeding herd of 90 WTD, not in HCP, populated and under quarantine
Breeding herd of 4 WTD, not in HCP, populated and under quarantine
Iowa: Two new CWD positive herds
Breeding herd of 23 WTD, HCP certified, depopulated with Federal indemnity
Breeding herd of 13 WTD, HCP certified, depopulated with Federal indemnity
Minnesota: Two new CWD positive herds
Breeding herd of 3 WTD, enrolled in HCP, not certified, depopulated by owner
Breeding herd of 6 WTD, enrolled in HCP, not certified, depopulated with Federal indemnity
Colorado: Two new CWD positive herds
Breeding herd/hunt preserve of 9 elk, HCP certified, depopulated by owner
Breeding herd of 8 elk, HCP certified, populated and under quarantine
Utah: Two new CWD positive herds
Breeding herd of 465 elk, not in HCP, partial depopulation with Federal indemnity- removed purchased animals, populated-quarantine
Breeding herd of 103 elk, not in HCP, partial depopulation with Federal indemnity- removed purchased animals, populated-quarantine
Michigan: One new CWD positive herd
Hunt preserve of >600 WTD, not in HCP, populated and under quarantine Montana: One new CWD positive herd
Breeding herd of 3 elk, not in HCP, populated and under quarantine
Texas: one new CWD positive herd
Breeding herd of 59 WTD, not in HCP, depopulated with Federal indemnity
Kansas: One new CWD positive herd
Breeding herd of 20 elk, HCP certified, depopulated with Federal indemnity
Ohio: Eight new CWD positive herd
Breeding herd of 138 WTD, HCP certified, depopulated with Federal indemnity
Research
Whole genome study investigating the association of genetics with CWD susceptibility has been published.
Blinded validation of the genetic predicative model is almost complete
A standardized protocol has been developed, in partnership with ARS, USGS, University of WI, and NIH for tissue sample testing using RT-QuIC
A study is starting shortly to determine the sensitivity and specify of RT-QuIC utilizing the standardized protocol
Cervid Tuberculosis
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USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 2020 IMPACT REPORT
Collected 916 samples for chronic wasting disease (CWD) testing and removed 1,863 cervids for CWD management/sampling with $685,400 in State cooperative funding to help combat this fatal animal disease
U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Veterinary Services Annual Update from the Cervid Health Team Fiscal Year (FY) 2019
Voluntary Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Herd Certification Program
The APHIS National CWD Herd Certification Program (HCP) was implemented in 2014. It is a voluntary Federal-State-industry cooperative program administered by APHIS and implemented by participating States. The program provides uniform national herd certification standards that minimize the risk of spreading CWD in farmed cervid populations. Participating States and herd owners must comply with requirements for animal identification, fencing, recordkeeping, inspections/inventories, as well as animal mortality testing and response to any CWD-exposed, suspect, and positive herds. APHIS monitors the Approved State HCPs to ensure consistency with Federal standards through annual reporting by the States.
With each year of successful surveillance, herds participating in the HCP will advance in status until reaching five years with no evidence of CWD, at which time herds are certified as being low risk for CWD. Only farmed cervids from enrolled herds certified as low risk for CWD may move interstate. Currently, 28 States participate in the voluntary CWD Herd Certification Program and have Approved HCPs. FY 2019 marks the seventh year that Approved States have submitted their CWD HCP annual reports to APHIS. In FY 2019 there were 2,192 enrolled cervidae herds: 1,696 deer, 361 elk and 135 mixed species herds. Of those, there were 1,748 certified cervidae herds: 1,337 deer, 314 elk and 97 mixed species herds.
CWD in Farmed Cervids
Summary of CWD detections. As of September 30, 2019, CWD has been confirmed in wild deer and elk in 23 U.S. States, and in farmed cervids in 17 States. In total, 26 States have identified CWD in wild and/or farmed cervids. CWD has been reported in 117 farmed cervid herds in the United States.
FY 2019 CWD Detections in Farmed Cervids: Seventeen newly-identified CWD positive farmed cervid herds were identified in FY 2019 (9 white-tailed deer, 6 elk, and 2 mixed herds). Twelve herds were within 20 miles of confirmed CWD positives in the wild.
Pennsylvania: November, 2018: NVSL confirmed CWD in a three and a half year old white-tailed doe in Fulton County. The doe was a natural addition to the 23 head breeding deer herd that sits within a half mile of where CWD has been identified in the wild. This herd was not enrolled in the HCP and was depopulated with Federal funds in April of 2019. All 23 depopulated animals were found to be CWD positive.
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January, 2019: NVSL confirmed CWD in a three and a half year old white-tailed buck in Clearfield County. The buck was a purchased addition to a hunt preserve of 12 whitetailed deer that was not a participant in the Federal HCP. This animal resided on the preserve four days before being hunted. The animal was traced back to an HCP-certified breeding herd in Fulton County within a CWD-endemic area. This breeding herd consisted of 137 white-tailed deer and was depopulated in May, 2019 with Federal indemnity. There were 27 additional positives identified at depopulation.
April, 2019: NVSL confirmed CWD in one three and one four year old white-tailed doe in a breeding herd in Fulton County in a CWD-endemic area. The herd consists of 12 whitetailed deer and is not enrolled in the Federal HCP. The herd is under quarantine and the owner will depopulate.
May, 2019: NVSL confirmed CWD in a two and a half year old white-tailed buck in Fulton County. The buck was a natural addition to the 320 head breeding deer herd that lies within a CWD-endemic area. This herd was not enrolled in the Federal HCP and is under quarantine. To date, eight additional CWD-positive animals have been identified from this herd.
June, 2019: NVSL confirmed CWD in a six year old white-tailed doe in Perry County. The doe was a natural addition to the 222 head breeding deer herd that lies within a CWD endemic area. This herd was double fenced and certified in the Federal HCP. It is currently under quarantine.
Wisconsin:
January, 2019: NVSL confirmed CWD in a six year old white-tailed buck in a Forrest County hunt preserve. This herd was already under a trace quarantine from a breeding facility in Marinette County in FY18 and is not enrolled in the Federal HCP. This hunt preserve consists of approximately 399 animals, is not in a CWD endemic area, and remains under quarantine.
June, 2019: NVSL confirmed CWD in a two and a half year old white-tailed buck in Portage County. The buck was a purchased addition to a hunt preserve of 151 white-tailed deer not enrolled in the Federal HCP. CWD has been detected 11 miles from this site. The index animal resided there for five days prior to being harvested. This herd was depopulated with State indemnity and no additional positive cases were found. The source herd for the index animal was a double-fenced, federally certified HCP breeding herd within a CWD-endemic area consisting of 42 white-tailed deer. The herd was depopulated with Federal funds. An additional six CWD-positive animals were identified at depopulation.
August, 2019: NVSL confirmed CWD in a six year old elk bull in in Burnette County. The bull was a purchased addition to a small breeding herd of five elk five years prior to CWD detection. The herd is certified in the Federal HCP, within an area endemic for CWD, and is currently under quarantine.
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South Dakota:
January, 2019: NVSL confirmed CWD in a two year old elk cow in Clark County. The cow was a purchased addition to the herd, which was certified in the Federal HCP. The herd consisted of 18 animals and was depopulated with Federal funds in October, 2019. CWD test results are pending. CWD has not been identified in the wild in this area. The source herd for this animal was in Meade County certified in the Federal HCP. CWD was identified in a seven year old bull and an eight year old cow elk in September, 2019. This herd consisted of five animals, was not in a CWD-endemic area, and was depopulated with Federal funds in October, 2019. CWD test results are pending.
Colorado:
October, 2018: NVSL confirmed CWD in a seven year old cow elk from a hunt preserve in Mesa County. The bull was a purchased addition and was moved into a pasture that had previously contained CWD-positive animals. This herd is certified in the Federal HCP certified, consists of 191 animals, and remains under quarantine.
November, 2018: NVSL confirmed CWD in a one and a half year old elk bull in Jackson County. The bull was a natural addition to the herd which is certified in the Federal HCP and consists of 42 animals within a CWD-endemic area. This herd is under quarantine.
Michigan:
September, 2019: NVSL confirmed CWD in a two year old female white-tailed deer in Montcalm County. The doe was a natural addition to the breeding herd which consists of 50 white-tailed deer. This herd is not enrolled in the Federal HCP, is within a CWDendemic area, and is under quarantine.
Nebraska: September, 2019: NVSL confirmed CWD in a five year old elk cow in Buffalo County. The cow was a purchase addition to the herd in 2018. This is a breeding herd of 48 elk and it is not enrolled in the Federal HCP. The herd is currently under quarantine and is not in an area where CWD has been identified. The source herd of this animal was an HCPcertified herd in Lincoln County, Oklahoma.
Oklahoma: April, 2019: NVSL confirmed CWD in a two year old elk bull in and in a two year old elk cow in May, 2019 in Lincoln County. Both were natural additions to the herd. This herd was certified in the Federal HCP and consisted of 246 elk in the breeding area, and more than 50 in the hunt preserve. Animals in the breeding facility and hunt preserve were depopulated with Federal funds in August and September, 2019. No additional CWD positive animals were identified.
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Cervid Health Program Staffing
The USDA APHIS Cervid Health Program (CHP) has undergone some organizational and staffing changes in FY19. Small ruminant health programs including CHP are now a part of the Ruminant Health Center under the direction of Dr. Alecia Naugle. Dr. Diane Sutton is the Ruminant Health Center Assistant Director for small ruminant health programs. Dr. Nancy Hannaway is no longer with the CHP and Drs. Byron Schick and Tracy Nichols are the current CHP points of contact. Dr. Nichols is primary for CWD policy, research coordination and tissue archive. Dr. Schick is primary for cervid indemnity, cervid TB and brucellosis policy, and CWD annual reporting.
CWD Program Standards
The CWD Program Standards were published and took effect in May, 2019. A webinar highlighting the most significant changes was presented to State Animal Health officials to clarify important aspects of the standards such as consequences of poor quality and missing samples, ante mortem diagnostics, sample collection and submission, epidemiological investigations, indemnity, and biosecurity. This webinar, and others related to the revised Program Standards, can be found on the Cervid Health Webpage (www.aphis.usda.gov/animalhealth/cervid) on the CWD Herd Certification Program page linked from the CWD Section. Additionally, the Cervid Health Program continues to address topics related to the changes in the Program Standards on monthly calls with State Animal Health officials to allow for questions and clarifications.
CWD Research and the Cervid Health Program
Determination of the predictive value of whole genome markers: USDA APHIS initiated, and then collaborated with Texas Parks and Wildlife, on a study with Texas A&M University geneticist Dr. Christopher Seabury to evaluate the white-tailed deer genome for genetic markers that might influence susceptibility to CWD. Dr. Seabury identified a suite of genes (inside and outside of the prion gene) that appear to predict the susceptibility of WTD to CWD with greater than 80% accuracy. The study will be submitted for scientific peer review shortly. Based on the preliminary findings from this initial study, APHIS and Texas Parks and Wildlife have provided funding to validate the predictive model and will provide additional samples to better inform the model for potential use in the future.
Evaluation of RT-QuIC assay on targeted ante and post mortem tissue samples: The RT-QuIC amplification assay has been demonstrated by numerous scientific studies to be a highly sensitive tool for the detection of CWD. There is increased interest by both the cervid industry and wildlife managers to develop more sensitive ante and post mortem CWD diagnostic tools. This topic was also identified as one of the top five most important CWD research targets at the 2019 CWD Research Consortium hosted by Michigan State University. Dr. Nichols from the APHIS Cervid Health Program is a member of this consortium and is collaborating with the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Pullman, WA, and USGS National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, WI to evaluate RT-QuIC CWD detection sensitivity and specificity on retropharyngeal lymph node, as tonsil and rectal biopsy.
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TB in Farmed Cervids
Annual TB Surveillance Summary
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Voluntary Herd Certification Program
The goal of the APHIS National CWD Voluntary Herd Certification Program is to provide a consistent national approach to control the incidence of CWD in farmed cervids and prevent the interstate spread if CWD. Cervid herds must participate in the program and be certified to move animals interstate.
Related Links
Chronic Wasting Disease Funding Opportunity Awards
USAHA 2021 RESOLUTION
_______________________________________
RESOLUTION NUMBER: 3 APPROVED
SOURCE: COMMITTEE ON FARMED CERVIDAE
SUBJECT MATTER: United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Chronic Wasting Disease Program Standards
_______________________________________________________
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Program Standards for the chronic wasting disease (CWD) Federal Rule (9 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Parts 55 & 81) was published in 2012, along with a policy document known as the Program Standards. As originally published, the document’s introduction noted “These Program Standards will be reviewed at least annually by representatives of the cervid industry and appropriate state and federal agencies.”
The Program Standards have been reviewed just once since their inception. A working group was convened in July 2016 with the product published as the second edition of the Program Standards in May 2019. Thus, it has been more than five years since a working group of stakeholders has reviewed the Program Standards document.
Since 2016, CWD research in cervids has evolved, which is not included in the existing Program Standards, nor does the Program Standards include flexible language that provides opportunity to adjust policy based on unique scenarios, new scientific advancement and/or innovative techniques developed by state animal health officials.
Furthermore, recent years demonstrate the complexity of CWD in farmed cervid populations with significant variance in discovery and trace circumstances, which is amplified by differences in specific cervid species. Meanwhile federal indemnity money continues to fall short of allowing a state to execute agreed-upon herd plans without practical alternative recommendations.
RESOLUTION:
The United States Animal Health Association (USAHA) urges the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Veterinary Services (VS) to revise the document entitled, "Chronic Wasting Disease Program Standards". This should include establishing a Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Program Standards Working Group to review and revise the document so it more appropriately reflects the language of the Code of Federal Regulations that supersedes the program standards. The review should also take into consideration the needs of producers and regulatory officials charged with implementation of a program that focuses on minimizing risk, not eradication, of CWD in the United States.
USAHA urges USDA-APHIS-VS to establish the timeline based on an expectation to publish the third edition of the Program Standards by the end of the 2022 calendar year.
USAHA suggests that the CWD Program Standards Working Group should be made up of representatives from and appointed by each of the following organizations:
(1) the Exotic Wildlife Association,
(2) the North American Elk Breeders Association,
(3) the North American Deer Farmers Association,
(4) the National Assembly of State Animal Health Officials,
(5) the USDA-APHIS-VS and
(6) the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.
COMMITTEE ON WILDLIFE Chair: Peregrine Wolff, NV Vice Chair: Mark Ruder, GA
The Committee met on October 29, 2019 at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, Rhode Island, from 13:04 – 17:30 PM. There were 33 members and 27 guests present. There were no resolutions submitted in 2018. The first presentation was given by Andreas Eleftheriou who was the joint USAHA and American Association of Wildlife Veterinarian’s student travel award recipient.
There was no time specific paper presented.
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Ante-mortem Chronic Wasting Disease Testing Cervids in Texas
Bob Dittmar DVM, Wildlife Veterinarian, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Ante-mortem testing for chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Texas is being used to increase surveillance for CWD in captive facilities for intrastate movement of deer. To date over 34,000 samples from almost 33,000 animals have been tested. Of those, a few over 4,700 were subsequently tested after death and 85 of those were determined to be positive on postmortem tests. Analysis of the number and types of ante-mortem tests, length of time from ante-mortem testing to postmortem testing and comparative sensitivity is ongoing. Ante-mortem sampling is used to upgrade status for movement, substitute for missing mortalities and evaluate disease presence in positive facilities. Medial retropharyngeal lymph node (MRLN), recto-anal mucosa associated lymphoid tissue (RMALT), and tonsil biopsies are the tissues sampled, with rectal providing most samples. Age of the animal, biopsy size and operator expertise are factors in limiting inconclusive results. Ante-mortem testing is a useful tool to increase surveillance for CWD on a herd level basis.
Annual Update from the Cervid Health Team Fiscal Year (FY) 2019
Tracy Nichols, Staff Scientist, Cervid Health Program, USDA APHIS Veterinary Services, Ft. Collins, CO
Voluntary Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Herd Certification Program
The APHIS National CWD Herd Certification Program (HCP) was implemented in 2014. It is a voluntary Federal-State-industry cooperative program administered by APHIS and implemented by participating States. The program provides uniform national herd certification standards that minimize the risk of spreading CWD in farmed cervid populations. Participating States and herd owners must comply with requirements for animal identification, fencing, recordkeeping, inspections/inventories, as well as animal mortality testing and response to any CWD-exposed, suspect, and positive herds. APHIS monitors the Approved State HCPs to ensure consistency with Federal standards through annual reporting by the States.
With each year of successful surveillance, herds participating in the HCP will advance in status until reaching five years with no evidence of CWD, at which time herds are certified as being low risk for CWD. Only farmed cervids from enrolled herds certified as low risk for CWD may move interstate. Currently, 28 States participate in the voluntary CWD Herd Certification Program and have Approved HCPs. FY 2019 marks the seventh year that Approved States have submitted their CWD HCP annual reports to APHIS. In FY 2019 there were 2,192 enrolled cervidae herds: 1,696 deer, 361 elk and 135 mixed species herds. Of those, there were 1,748 certified cervidae herds: 1,337 deer, 314 elk and 97 mixed species herds.
CWD in Farmed Cervids
Summary of CWD detections. As of September 30, 2019, CWD has been confirmed in wild deer and elk in 23 U.S. States, and in farmed cervids in 17 States. In total, 26 States have identified CWD in wild and/or farmed cervids. CWD has been reported in 117 farmed cervid herds in the United States.
FY 2019 CWD Detections in Farmed Cervids: Seventeen newly identified CWD positive farmed cervid herds were identified in FY 2019 (9 white-tailed deer, 6 elk, and 2 mixed herds). Twelve herds were within 20 miles of confirmed CWD positives in the wild.
Pennsylvania:
November 2018: NVSL confirmed CWD in a three-and-a-half-year-old white-tailed doe in Fulton County. The doe was a natural addition to the 23 head breeding deer herd that sits within a half mile of where CWD has been identified in the wild. This herd was not enrolled in the HCP and was depopulated with Federal funds in April of 2019. All 23 depopulated animals were found to be CWD positive.
January 2019: NVSL confirmed CWD in a three-and-a-half-year-old white-tailed buck in Clearfield County. The buck was a purchased addition to a hunt preserve of 12 white-tailed deer that was not a participant in the Federal HCP. This animal resided on the preserve four days before being hunted. The animal was traced back to an HCP-certified breeding herd in Fulton County within a CWD-endemic area. This breeding herd consisted of 137 white-tailed deer and was depopulated in May 2019 with Federal indemnity. There were 27 additional positives identified at depopulation.
April 2019: NVSL confirmed CWD in one three and one four-year-old white-tailed doe in a breeding herd in Fulton County in a CWD-endemic area. The herd consists of 12 white-tailed deer and is not enrolled in the Federal HCP. The herd is under quarantine and the owner will depopulate.
May 2019: NVSL confirmed CWD in a two-and-a-half-year-old white-tailed buck in Fulton County. The buck was a natural addition to the 320 head breeding deer herd that lies within a CWD-endemic area. This herd was not enrolled in the Federal HCP and is under quarantine. To date, eight additional CWD-positive animals have been identified from this herd.
June 2019: NVSL confirmed CWD in a six-year-old white-tailed doe in Perry County. The doe was a natural addition to the 222 head breeding deer herd that lies within a CWD-endemic area. This herd was double fenced and certified in the Federal HCP. It is currently under quarantine.
Wisconsin:
January 2019: NVSL confirmed CWD in a six-year-old white-tailed buck in a Forrest County hunt preserve. This herd was already under a trace quarantine from a breeding facility in Marinette County in FY18 and is not enrolled in the Federal HCP. This hunt preserve consists of approximately 399 animals, is not in a CWD endemic area, and remains under quarantine.
June 2019: NVSL confirmed CWD in a two-and-a-half-year-old white-tailed buck in Portage County. The buck was a purchased addition to a hunt preserve of 151 white-tailed deer not enrolled in the Federal HCP. CWD has been detected 11 miles from this site. The index animal resided there for five days prior to being harvested. This herd was depopulated with State indemnity and no additional positive cases were found. The source herd for the index animal was a double-fenced, federally certified HCP breeding herd within a CWD-endemic area consisting of 42 white-tailed deer. The herd was depopulated with Federal funds. An additional six CWD-positive animals were identified at depopulation.
August 2019: NVSL confirmed CWD in a six-year-old elk bull in in Burnette County. The bull was a purchased addition to a small breeding herd of five elk five years prior to CWD detection. The herd is certified in the Federal HCP, within an area endemic for CWD, and is currently under quarantine.
South Dakota:
January 2019: NVSL confirmed CWD in a two-year-old elk cow in Clark County. The cow was a purchased addition to the herd, which was certified in the Federal HCP. The herd consisted of 18 animals and was depopulated with Federal funds in October 2019. CWD test results are pending. CWD has not been identified in the wild in this area. The source herd for this animal was in Meade County certified in the Federal HCP. CWD was identified in a sevenyear-old bull and an eight-year-old cow elk in September 2019. This herd consisted of five animals, was not in a CWD-endemic area, and was depopulated with Federal funds in October 2019. CWD test results are pending.
Colorado:
October 2018: NVSL confirmed CWD in a seven-year-old cow elk from a hunt preserve in Mesa County. The bull was a purchased addition and was moved into a pasture that had previously contained CWD-positive animals. This herd is certified in the Federal HCP certified, consists of 191 animals, and remains under quarantine.
November 2018: NVSL confirmed CWD in a one-and-a-half-year-old elk bull in Jackson County. The bull was a natural addition to the herd which is certified in the Federal HCP and consists of 42 animals within a CWD-endemic area. This herd is under quarantine.
Michigan:
September 2019: NVSL confirmed CWD in a two-year-old female white-tailed deer in Montcalm County. The doe was a natural addition to the breeding herd which consists of 50 white-tailed deer. This herd is not enrolled in the Federal HCP, is within a CWD-endemic area, and is under quarantine.
Nebraska:
September 2019: NVSL confirmed CWD in a five-year-old elk cow in Buffalo County. The cow was a purchase addition to the herd in 2018. This is a breeding herd of 48 elk, and it is not enrolled in the Federal HCP. The herd is currently under quarantine and is not in an area where CWD has been identified. The source herd of this animal was an HCP-certified herd in Lincoln County, Oklahoma.
Oklahoma:
April 2019: NVSL confirmed CWD in a two-year-old elk bull in and in a two-year-old elk cow in May 2019 in Lincoln County. Both were natural additions to the herd. This herd was certified in the Federal HCP and consisted of 246 elk in the breeding area, and more than 50 in the hunt preserve. Animals in the breeding facility and hunt preserve were depopulated with Federal funds in August and September 2019. No additional CWD positive animals were identified.
Cervid Health Program Staffing
The USDA APHIS Cervid Health Program (CHP) has undergone some organizational and staffing changes in FY19. Small ruminant health programs including CHP are now a part of the Ruminant Health Center under the direction of Dr. Alecia Naugle. Dr. Diane Sutton is the Ruminant Health Center Assistant Director for small ruminant health programs. Dr. Nancy Hannaway is no longer with the CHP and Drs. Byron Schick and Tracy Nichols are the current CHP points of contact. Dr. Nichols is primary for CWD policy, research coordination and tissue archive. Dr. Schick is primary for cervid indemnity, cervid TB and brucellosis policy, and CWD annual reporting.
CWD Program Standards
The CWD Program Standards were published and took effect in May 2019. A webinar highlighting the most significant changes was presented to State Animal Health officials to clarify important aspects of the standards such as consequences of poor quality and missing samples, ante mortem diagnostics, sample collection and submission, epidemiological investigations, indemnity, and biosecurity. This webinar, and others related to the revised Program Standards, can be found on the Cervid Health Webpage (www.aphis.usda.gov/animalhealth/cervid) on the CWD Herd Certification Program page linked from the CWD Section. Additionally, the Cervid Health Program continues to address topics related to the changes in the Program Standards on monthly calls with State Animal Health officials to allow for questions and clarifications.
CWD Research and the Cervid Health Program
Determination of the predictive value of whole genome markers: USDA APHIS initiated, and then collaborated with Texas Parks and Wildlife, on a study with Texas A&M University geneticist Dr. Christopher Seabury to evaluate the white-tailed deer genome for genetic markers that might influence susceptibility to CWD. Dr. Seabury identified a suite of genes (inside and outside of the prion gene) that appear to predict the susceptibility of WTD to CWD with greater than 80% accuracy. The study will be submitted for scientific peer review shortly. Based on the preliminary findings from this initial study, APHIS and Texas Parks and Wildlife have provided funding to validate the predictive model and will provide additional samples to better inform the model for potential use in the future.
Evaluation of RT-QuIC assay on targeted ante and postmortem tissue samples: The RT-QuIC amplification assay has been demonstrated by numerous scientific studies to be a highly sensitive tool for the detection of CWD. There is increased interest by both the cervid industry and wildlife managers to develop more sensitive ante and postmortem CWD diagnostic tools. This topic was also identified as one of the top five most important CWD research targets at the 2019 CWD Research Consortium hosted by Michigan State University. Dr. Nichols from the APHIS Cervid Health Program is a member of this consortium and is collaborating with the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Pullman, WA, and USGS National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, WI to evaluate RT-QuIC CWD detection sensitivity and specificity on retropharyngeal lymph node, as tonsil and rectal biopsy.
TB in Farmed Cervids
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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2021
Voluntary Chronic Wasting Disease Herd Certification Program Annual Update, FY2020
Cervids: CWD Voluntary Herd Certification Program
Last Modified: Jun 29, 2021
CWD status of captive herds
TEXAS CWD CAPTIVE
8/24/2021 3Y Female TX Duval WTD Breeder No No 188 Quarantine
6/15/2021 4 Y Female TX Uvalde WTD Breeder & Shooter No No 1000+ Quarantine
4/20/2021 1.5 Y Male TX Mason WTD Breeder Traceback Yes Yes 93 Depopulated
4/20/2021 1.5 Y Male TX Matagorda WTD Breeder Traceback Yes No 221 Depopulated
3/30/2021 3.5 Y, 2.5 Y, 3.5Y TX Uvalde WTD Breeder Yes Yes 61 Quarantine
3/30/2021 2.5 Y & 1.5 Y TX Uvalde WTD Breeder Yes No 318 Quarantine
3/29/2021 3Y Female TX Hunt WTD Breeder Yes No 381 Quarantine
2/2020 5.5 Y Female TX Kimball WTD Breeder No NA 80 Depopulated
7/2017 4Y Male TX Medina WTD Breeder No NA 98 Depopulated
ALL THESE CWD TSE PRION CAPTIVE QUARANTINE, JUST A TICKING TIME BOMB JUST WAITING TO GO OFF AND SPREAD EVEN FURTHER, ALL SHOULD BE DEPOPULTATED ASAP, i'm remembering all those healthy looking captive deer from a CWD positive herd in IOWA:
all those healthy deer, while the litigation was going on, well, they were incubating the cwd tse prion, loading up the land even more, and in the end, 79.8% of those healthy looking deer had CWD TSE Prion. what about the exposure to the other species that come across that land, and then off to some other land? this makes no sense to me, if this is set in stone and the Legislation does not stop it, and stop if fast, any containment of the cwd tse prion will be futile, imo...terry
Issued in Austin, Texas, on
Commission Agenda Item No. 5 Exhibit B
DISEASE DETECTION AND RESPONSE RULES
PROPOSAL PREAMBLE
1. Introduction.
snip...
A third issue is the accuracy of mortality reporting. Department records indicate that for each of the last five years an average of 26 deer breeders have reported a shared total of 159 escapes. Department records for the same time period indicate an average of 31 breeding facilities reported a shared total of 825 missing deer (deer that department records indicate should be present in the facility, but cannot be located or verified).
Listen here;
Nov 3, 2021
Nov 4, 2021
Counties where CWD Exposed Deer were Released, September 2021
Number of CWD Exposed Deer Released by County, September 2021
TAHC Chapter 40, Chronic Wasting Disease Terry Singeltary Comment Submission
***> 1st and foremost your biggest problem is 'VOLUNTARY'! AS with the BSE 589.2001 FEED REGULATIONS, especially since it is still voluntary with cervid, knowing full well that cwd and scrapie will transmit to pigs by oral route. VOLUNTARY DOES NOT WORK! all animal products should be banned and be made mandatory, and the herd certification program should be mandatory, or you don't move cervid. IF THE CWD HERD CERTIFICATION IS NOT MANDATORY, it will be another colossal tse prion failure from the start.
***> 2nd USA should declare a Declaration of Extraordinary Emergency due to CWD, and all exports of cervid and cervid products must be stopped internationally, and there should be a ban of interstate movement of cervid, until a live cwd test is available.
***> 3rd Captive Farmed cervid ESCAPEES should be made mandatory to report immediately, and strict regulations for those suspect cwd deer that just happen to disappear. IF a cervid escapes and is not found, that farm should be indefinitely shut down, all movement, until aid MIA cervid is found, and if not ever found, that farm shut down permanently.
***> 4th Captive Farmed Cervid, INDEMNITY, NO MORE Federal indemnity program, or what i call, ENTITLEMENT PROGRAM for game farm industry. NO MORE BAIL OUTS FROM TAX PAYERS. if the captive industry can't buy insurance to protect not only themselves, but also their customers, and especially the STATE, from Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion or what some call mad deer disease and harm therefrom, IF they can't afford to buy that insurance that will cover all of it, then they DO NOT GET A PERMIT to have a game farm for anything. This CWD TSE Prion can/could/has caused property values to fall from some reports in some places. roll the dice, how much is a state willing to lose?
***> 5th QUARANTINE OF ALL FARMED CAPTIVE, BREEDERS, URINE, ANTLER, VELVET, SPERM, OR ANY FACILITY, AND THEIR PRODUCTS, that has been confirmed to have Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion, the QUARANTINE should be for 21 years due to science showing what scrapie can do. 5 years is NOT near long enough. see; Infectious agent of sheep scrapie may persist in the environment for at least 16 to 21 years.
***> 6th America BSE 589.2001 FEED REGULATIONS CWD TSE Prion
***> 7TH TRUCKING TRANSPORTING CERVID CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE TSE PRION VIOLATING THE LACEY ACT
***> 8TH ALL CAPTIVE FARMING CERVID OPERATIONS MUST BE INSURED TO PAY FOR ANY CLEAN UP OF CWD AND QUARANTINE THERE FROM FOR THE STATE, NO MORE ENTITLEMENT PROGRAM FOR CERVID GAME FARMING PAY TO PLAY FOR CWD TSE PRION OFF THE TAX PAYERS BACK.
***> 9TH ANY STATE WITH DOCUMENTED CWD, INTERSTATE, NATIONAL, AND INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENT OF ALL CERVID, AND ALL CERVID PRODUCTS MUST BE HALTED!
***> 10TH BAN THE SALE OF STRAW BRED BUCKS AND ALL CERVID SEMEN AND URINE PRODUCTS
***> 11th ALL CAPTIVE FARMED CERVID AND THEIR PRODUCTS MUST BE CWD TSE PRION TESTED ANNUALLY AND BEFORE SALE FOR CWD TSE PRION
SEE FULL SCIENCE REFERENCES AND REASONINGS
Control of Chronic Wasting Disease OMB Control Number: 0579-0189 APHIS-2021-0004 Singeltary Submission
Docket No. APHIS-2018-0011 Chronic Wasting Disease Herd Certification
“Regrettably, the gravity of this situation continues to mount with these new CWD positive discoveries, as well as with the full understanding of just how many other facilities and release sites across Texas were connected to the CWD positive sites in Uvalde and Hunt Counties,” said Carter Smith, Executive Director of TPWD.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2021
USDA APHIS Farmed Cervid Chronic Wasting Disease Management and Response Activities 2021 and other Cooperative Agreements 2021 Spending Plans
MONDAY, OCTOBER 04, 2021
APHIS Provides $5.7 Million in Funding to Control and Prevent Chronic Wasting Disease
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2021
Continuing Enhanced National Surveillance for Prion Diseases in the U.S.
The estimated total program funding for this effort is $17,500,000.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 06, 2021
Texas adopts new management rules for chronic wasting disease in deer Nov 6, 2021
MICHIGAN CWD CAPTIVE
11/4/2021 2, 3 Y Male MI Kent Elk Breeder Yes Yes 0 Depopulated
7/15/2021 4 Y Female MI Montcalm WTD Breeder No No 109 Quarantine
4/18/2021 2.5 Y Male MI WTD Shooter No No ukn Quarantine
3/3/2021 4 Y Male MI Montcalm WTD Shooter No NA 14 Quarantine
12/2019 3, 4.5 Y Males MI Newaygo WTD Shooter No No >600 Quarantine
4/2019 2.5 Y Female MI Montcalm WTD Breeder No NA 113 Depopulated
12/2017 1.5 Y Female MI Mecosta WTD Breeder Yes Yes 525 Quarantined
1/2017 2Y Female MI Mecosta WTD & Sika deer Shooter No NA 71 Depopulated
Michigan: September, 2019: NVSL confirmed CWD in a two year old female white-tailed deer in Montcalm County. The doe was a natural addition to the breeding herd which consists of 50 white-tailed deer. This herd is not enrolled in the Federal HCP, is within a CWD endemic area, and is under quarantine.
CWD Testing Results for Deer Harvested in 2020
Test results updated as of Nov. 24, 2021.
Totals reflected in this update only include those with final test results.
Deer with pending results are not included in these totals.
Zone Total Tested Number Positive
UP CWD Core Surveillance Area 162 0
South Isabella + Gratiot 606 3
South Jackson 386 11
Totals 1281 14
Testing numbers above are part of the county totals in the larger table below. Deer tested in remainder of state 67 0 Positive
Statewide Total 2199 15 Positive
SNIP...
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021
Michigan MDARD Chronic Wasting Disease Confirmed in Two Farmed Elk from Kent County
MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2020
Michigan CWD TSE Prion MDARD 3 positive white-tailed deer from a Newaygo County deer farm depopulation and quarantine efforts update?
TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2020
Michigan MDARD has confirmed chronic wasting disease (CWD) in 3 white-tailed deer from a Newaygo County deer farm
THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2019
Michigan Osceola County deer farm/ranch owner arraigned on several violations
THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 2019
Michigan CWD Identified in a Montcalm County Farmed Deer
Published: 06 September 2021
Chronic wasting disease: a cervid prion infection looming to spillover
Alicia Otero, Camilo Duque Velásquez, Judd Aiken & Debbie McKenzie
Veterinary Research volume 52, Article number: 115 (2021)
Trucking CWD TSE Prion
MONDAY, MARCH 05, 2018
TRUCKING AROUND AND SPREADING CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE CWD TSE PRION VIA MOVEMENT OF CERVID AND TRANSPORTATION VEHICLES
SATURDAY, JULY 09, 2016
Texas Intrastate – within state movement of all Cervid or Trucking Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion Moratorium
CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE CWD TRANSMISSIBLE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY TSE PRION
***> cattle, pigs, sheep, cwd, tse, prion, oh my!
***> In contrast, cattle are highly susceptible to white-tailed deer CWD and mule deer CWD in experimental conditions but no natural CWD infections in cattle have been reported (Sigurdson, 2008; Hamir et al., 2006).
Sheep and cattle may be exposed to CWD via common grazing areas with affected deer but so far, appear to be poorly susceptible to mule deer CWD (Sigurdson, 2008). In contrast, cattle are highly susceptible to white-tailed deer CWD and mule deer CWD in experimental conditions but no natural CWD infections in cattle have been reported (Sigurdson, 2008; Hamir et al., 2006). It is not known how susceptible humans are to CWD but given that the prion can be present in muscle, it is likely that humans have been exposed to the agent via consumption of venison (Sigurdson, 2008). Initial experimental research suggests that human susceptibility to CWD is low and there may be a robust species barrier for CWD transmission to humans (Sigurdson, 2008), however the risk appetite for a public health threat may still find this level unacceptable.
Trucking CWD TSE Prion
MONDAY, MARCH 05, 2018
TRUCKING AROUND AND SPREADING CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE CWD TSE PRION VIA MOVEMENT OF CERVID AND TRANSPORTATION VEHICLES
SATURDAY, JULY 09, 2016
Texas Intrastate – within state movement of all Cervid or Trucking Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion Moratorium
CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE CWD TRANSMISSIBLE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY TSE PRION
***> cattle, pigs, sheep, cwd, tse, prion, oh my!
***> In contrast, cattle are highly susceptible to white-tailed deer CWD and mule deer CWD in experimental conditions but no natural CWD infections in cattle have been reported (Sigurdson, 2008; Hamir et al., 2006).
Sheep and cattle may be exposed to CWD via common grazing areas with affected deer but so far, appear to be poorly susceptible to mule deer CWD (Sigurdson, 2008). In contrast, cattle are highly susceptible to white-tailed deer CWD and mule deer CWD in experimental conditions but no natural CWD infections in cattle have been reported (Sigurdson, 2008; Hamir et al., 2006). It is not known how susceptible humans are to CWD but given that the prion can be present in muscle, it is likely that humans have been exposed to the agent via consumption of venison (Sigurdson, 2008). Initial experimental research suggests that human susceptibility to CWD is low and there may be a robust species barrier for CWD transmission to humans (Sigurdson, 2008), however the risk appetite for a public health threat may still find this level unacceptable.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2021
Experimental Oronasal Transmission of Chronic Wasting Disease Agent from White-Tailed Deer to Suffolk Sheep Volume 27, Number 12—December 2021 Dispatch
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2021
Chronic wasting disease of cervids in Europe – new strains on the horizon
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2021
Illinois Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD): 2020-2021 Surveillance and Management Report (Project Period: July 1, 2020 - June 30, 2021) 1,165 cases confirmed to date
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021
Idaho Chronic Wasting Disease detected in two mule deer first time ever detected there
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2021
Montana Chronic wasting disease (CWD) was recently detected in a mule deer buck within Baker city limits in Hunting District 705
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2021
Tennessee CWD-Positive Deer Found in Gibson and McNairy Counties
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021
Tennessee 2020-2021 CWD TSE Prion Sample Collection 645 Positive
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 09, 2021
Wisconsin Eau Claire County Deer Farm Tests Positive for CWD
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021
South Dakota Chronic Wasting Disease Detected in New Area Stanley County with 608 cases confirmed to date
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021
Michigan MDARD Chronic Wasting Disease Confirmed in Two Farmed Elk from Kent County
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2021
Tennessee CWD-Positive Deer Found in Gibson and McNairy Counties
TAHC National Shortage of Prion Testing Reagents Utilized for CWD Testing
November 17, 2021
On Friday, November 5, 2021, Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) made a formal announcement regarding the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) national shortage of prion testing reagents utilized to complete immunohistochemistry (IHC) testing for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).
At that time, TVMDL engaged NAHLN, USDA- National Veterinary Services Laboratory (USDA/NVSL), other CWD testing labs in the U.S. and Canada, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) in daily communications to explore expedient solutions.
As of Friday, November 12, 2021, TVMDL exhausted their supply of prion kits and are unable to perform the IHC test. As all CWD testing labs have been affected by the shortage, there are no other labs available to assist TVMDL with IHC testing. The estimated timeframe for getting more IHC testing kits is mid-December.
USDA Cervid staff have determined that deer in the CWD Herd Certification Program (HCP) administered by the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) are not eligible to be tested by ELISA. While antemortem samples are not eligible for the ELISA test, postmortem samples from penned deer not in the CWD HCP are eligible. The ELISA test requires fresh, not formalin-fixed, samples submitted within seven (7) days of collection.
The TAHC advises deer breeders enrolled in the CWD HCP to continue to collect the required postmortem samples and fix them in formalin. All samples collected must be submitted to TVMDL within seven days of collection and will be IHC tested upon the availability of test kits.
TVMDL staff continue to prepare all CWD antemortem test samples, a process which takes two days, so that they may be stained as soon as the reagent is made available. TVMDL will continue communications with the reagent supplier and NVSL/USDA to maintain an up-to-date timeline of when reagents will be available. TVMDL and TPWD have indicated they will continue to update permitted deer breeders as to the status of this situation on a regular basis.
Please direct any questions that you may have regarding the reagent shortage to TVMDL. Please contact TPWD or your TAHC Region Office regarding CWD sample collecting.
Thank you,
Texas Animal Health Commission
TERRIBLE NEWS for Texas for sure, and the good Doctor brings much needed attention to a topic no one wants to talk about, and i have been trying to bring awareness to this very topic for decades, 5 or 6 years quarantine is NOT LONG ENOUGH FOR CWD TSE PRION !!!
QUARANTINE NEEDS TO BE 21 YEARS FOR CWD TSE PRION !
3. INDEMNITY, NO MORE Federal indemnity program, or what i call, ENTITLEMENT PROGRAM for game farm industry. NO MORE BAIL OUTS FROM TAX PAYERS. if the captive industry can't buy insurance to protect not only themselves, but also their customers, and especially the STATE, from Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion or what some call mad deer disease and harm therefrom, IF they can't afford to buy that insurance that will cover all of it, then they DO NOT GET A PERMIT to have a game farm for anything. This CWD TSE Prion can/could/has caused property values to fall from some reports in some places. roll the dice, how much is a state willing to lose?
FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2021
Should Property Evaluations Contain Scrapie, CWD, TSE PRION Environmental Contamination of the land?
***> Confidential!!!!
***> As early as 1992-3 there had been long studies conducted on small pastures containing scrapie infected sheep at the sheep research station associated with the Neuropathogenesis Unit in Edinburgh, Scotland. Whether these are documented...I don't know. But personal recounts both heard and recorded in a daily journal indicate that leaving the pastures free and replacing the topsoil completely at least 2 feet of thickness each year for SEVEN years....and then when very clean (proven scrapie free) sheep were placed on these small pastures.... the new sheep also broke out with scrapie and passed it to offspring. I am not sure that TSE contaminated ground could ever be free of the agent!! A very frightening revelation!!!
---end personal email---end...tss
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 04, 2013
Chronic Wasting Disease CWD and Land Value concerns?
and so it seems...
Scrapie Agent (Strain 263K) Can Transmit Disease via the Oral Route after Persistence in Soil over Years
Published: May 9, 2007
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Our results showed that 263K scrapie agent can persist in soil at least over 29 months. Strikingly, not only the contaminated soil itself retained high levels of infectivity, as evidenced by oral administration to Syrian hamsters, but also feeding of aqueous soil extracts was able to induce disease in the reporter animals. We could also demonstrate that PrPSc in soil, extracted after 21 months, provides a catalytically active seed in the protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) reaction. PMCA opens therefore a perspective for considerably improving the detectability of prions in soil samples from the field.
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***> This is very likely to have parallels with control efforts for CWD in cervids. <***
Paper
Rapid recontamination of a farm building occurs after attempted prion removal
Kevin Christopher Gough BSc (Hons), PhD Claire Alison Baker BSc (Hons) Steve Hawkins MIBiol Hugh Simmons BVSc, MRCVS, MBA, MA Timm Konold DrMedVet, PhD, MRCVS … See all authors
First published: 19 January 2019 https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.105054
Abstract
The transmissible spongiform encephalopathy scrapie of sheep/goats and chronic wasting disease of cervids are associated with environmental reservoirs of infectivity. Preventing environmental prions acting as a source of infectivity to healthy animals is of major concern to farms that have had outbreaks of scrapie and also to the health management of wild and farmed cervids. Here, an efficient scrapie decontamination protocol was applied to a farm with high levels of environmental contamination with the scrapie agent. Post‐decontamination, no prion material was detected within samples taken from the farm buildings as determined using a sensitive in vitro replication assay (sPMCA). A bioassay consisting of 25 newborn lambs of highly susceptible prion protein genotype VRQ/VRQ introduced into this decontaminated barn was carried out in addition to sampling and analysis of dust samples that were collected during the bioassay. Twenty‐four of the animals examined by immunohistochemical analysis of lymphatic tissues were scrapie‐positive during the bioassay, samples of dust collected within the barn were positive by month 3. The data illustrates the difficulty in decontaminating farm buildings from scrapie, and demonstrates the likely contribution of farm dust to the recontamination of these environments to levels that are capable of causing disease.
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This study clearly demonstrates the difficulty in removing scrapie infectivity from the farm environment. Practical and effective prion decontamination methods are still urgently required for decontamination of scrapie infectivity from farms that have had cases of scrapie and this is particularly relevant for scrapiepositive goatherds, which currently have limited genetic resistance to scrapie within commercial breeds.24 This is very likely to have parallels with control efforts for CWD in cervids.
***>This is very likely to have parallels with control efforts for CWD in cervids.
***> Infectious agent of sheep scrapie may persist in the environment for at least 16 years
***> Nine of these recurrences occurred 14–21 years after culling, apparently as the result of environmental contamination, but outside entry could not always be absolutely excluded.
JOURNAL OF GENERAL VIROLOGY Volume 87, Issue 12
Infectious agent of sheep scrapie may persist in the environment for at least 16 years Free
Gudmundur Georgsson1, Sigurdur Sigurdarson2, Paul Brown3
Front. Vet. Sci., 14 September 2015 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2015.00032
Objects in contact with classical scrapie sheep act as a reservoir for scrapie transmission
imageTimm Konold1*, imageStephen A. C. Hawkins2, imageLisa C. Thurston3, imageBen C. Maddison4, imageKevin C. Gough5, imageAnthony Duarte1 and imageHugh A. Simmons1
1Animal Sciences Unit, Animal and Plant Health Agency Weybridge, Addlestone, UK
2Pathology Department, Animal and Plant Health Agency Weybridge, Addlestone, UK
3Surveillance and Laboratory Services, Animal and Plant Health Agency Penrith, Penrith, UK
4ADAS UK, School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, UK
5School 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.
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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
***> CONGRESSIONAL ABSTRACTS PRION CONFERENCE 2018
P69 Experimental transmission of CWD from white-tailed deer to co-housed reindeer
Mitchell G (1), Walther I (1), Staskevicius A (1), Soutyrine A (1), Balachandran A (1)
(1) National & OIE Reference Laboratory for Scrapie and CWD, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) continues to be detected in wild and farmed cervid populations of North America, affecting predominantly white-tailed deer, mule deer and elk. Extensive herds of wild caribou exist in northern regions of Canada, although surveillance has not detected the presence of CWD in this population. Oral experimental transmission has demonstrated that reindeer, a species closely related to caribou, are susceptible to CWD. Recently, CWD was detected for the first time in Europe, in wild Norwegian reindeer, advancing the possibility that caribou in North America could also become infected. Given the potential overlap in habitat between wild CWD-infected cervids and wild caribou herds in Canada, we sought to investigate the horizontal transmissibility of CWD from white-tailed deer to reindeer.
Two white-tailed deer were orally inoculated with a brain homogenate prepared from a farmed Canadian white-tailed deer previously diagnosed with CWD. Two reindeer, with no history of exposure to CWD, were housed in the same enclosure as the white-tailed deer, 3.5 months after the deer were orally inoculated. The white-tailed deer developed clinical signs consistent with CWD beginning at 15.2 and 21 months post-inoculation (mpi), and were euthanized at 18.7 and 23.1 mpi, respectively. Confirmatory testing by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and western blot demonstrated widespread aggregates of pathological prion protein (PrPCWD) in the central nervous system and lymphoid tissues of both inoculated white-tailed deer. Both reindeer were subjected to recto-anal mucosal associated lymphoid tissue (RAMALT) biopsy at 20 months post-exposure (mpe) to the white-tailed deer. The biopsy from one reindeer contained PrPCWD confirmed by IHC. This reindeer displayed only subtle clinical evidence of disease prior to a rapid decline in condition requiring euthanasia at 22.5 mpe. Analysis of tissues from this reindeer by IHC revealed widespread PrPCWD deposition, predominantly in central nervous system and lymphoreticular tissues. Western blot molecular profiles were similar between both orally inoculated white-tailed deer and the CWD positive reindeer. Despite sharing the same enclosure, the other reindeer was RAMALT negative at 20 mpe, and PrPCWD was not detected in brainstem and lymphoid tissues following necropsy at 35 mpe. Sequencing of the prion protein gene from both reindeer revealed differences at several codons, which may have influenced susceptibility to infection.
Natural transmission of CWD occurs relatively efficiently amongst cervids, supporting the expanding geographic distribution of disease and the potential for transmission to previously naive populations. The efficient horizontal transmission of CWD from white-tailed deer to reindeer observed here highlights the potential for reindeer to become infected if exposed to other cervids or environments infected with CWD.
SOURCE REFERENCE 2018 PRION CONFERENCE ABSTRACT
Research Project: TRANSMISSION, DIFFERENTIATION, AND PATHOBIOLOGY OF TRANSMISSIBLE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHIES Location: Virus and Prion Research
Title: Horizontal transmission of chronic wasting disease in reindeer
Author
item MOORE, SARAH - ORISE FELLOW item KUNKLE, ROBERT item WEST GREENLEE, MARY - IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY item Nicholson, Eric item RICHT, JUERGEN item HAMIR, AMIRALI item WATERS, WADE item Greenlee, Justin
Submitted to: Emerging Infectious Diseases
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/29/2016
Publication Date: 12/1/2016
Citation: Moore, S., Kunkle, R., Greenlee, M., Nicholson, E., Richt, J., Hamir, A., Waters, W., Greenlee, J. 2016. Horizontal transmission of chronic wasting disease in reindeer. Emerging Infectious Diseases. 22(12):2142-2145. doi:10.3201/eid2212.160635.
Interpretive Summary: Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that occurs in farmed and wild cervids (deer and elk) of North America and was recently diagnosed in a single free-ranging reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) in Norway. CWD is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) that is caused by infectious proteins called prions that are resistant to various methods of decontamination and environmental degradation. Little is known about the susceptibility of or potential for transmission amongst reindeer. In this experiment, we tested the susceptibility of reindeer to CWD from various sources (elk, mule deer, or white-tailed deer) after intracranial inoculation and tested the potential for infected reindeer to transmit to non-inoculated animals by co-housing or housing in adjacent pens. Reindeer were susceptible to CWD from elk, mule deer, or white-tailed deer sources after experimental inoculation. Most importantly, non-inoculated reindeer that were co-housed with infected reindeer or housed in pens adjacent to infected reindeer but without the potential for nose-to-nose contact also developed evidence of CWD infection. This is a major new finding that may have a great impact on the recently diagnosed case of CWD in the only remaining free-ranging reindeer population in Europe as our findings imply that horizontal transmission to other reindeer within that herd has already occurred. Further, this information will help regulatory and wildlife officials developing plans to reduce or eliminate CWD and cervid farmers that want to ensure that their herd remains CWD-free, but were previously unsure of the potential for reindeer to transmit CWD.
Technical Abstract: Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a naturally-occurring, fatal prion disease of cervids. Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) are susceptible to CWD following oral challenge, and CWD was recently reported in a free-ranging reindeer of Norway. 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; CWDwtd), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus; CWDmd), or elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni; CWDelk) 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 CWDwtd, CWDmd, or CWDelk. Two years after challenge of inoculated reindeer, non-inoculated negative control reindeer were introduced into the same pen as the CWDwtd inoculated reindeer (direct contact; n=4) or into a pen adjacent to the CWDmd inoculated reindeer (indirect contact; n=2). Experimentally inoculated 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 (PrPcwd). Intracranially challenged reindeer developed clinical disease from 21 months post-inoculation (months PI). PrPcwd was detected in 5 out of 6 sentinel reindeer although only 2 out of 6 developed clinical disease during the study period (< 57 months PI). We have shown that reindeer are susceptible to CWD from various cervid sources and can transmit CWD to naïve reindeer both directly and indirectly.
Infectivity surviving ashing to 600*C is (in my opinion) degradable but infective. based on Bown & Gajdusek, (1991), landfill and burial may be assumed to have a reduction factor of 98% (i.e. a factor of 50) over 3 years. CJD-infected brain-tissue remained infectious after storing at room-temperature for 22 months (Tateishi et al, 1988). Scrapie agent is known to remain viable after at least 30 months of desiccation (Wilson et al, 1950). and pastures that had been grazed by scrapie-infected sheep still appeared to be contaminated with scrapie agent three years after they were last occupied by sheep (Palsson, 1979).
Dr. Paul Brown Scrapie Soil Test BSE Inquiry Document
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.
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***>>> 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.
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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.
source reference Prion Conference 2015 abstract book
Grass Plants Bind, Retain, Uptake, and Transport Infectious Prions
Sandra Pritzkow,1 Rodrigo Morales,1 Fabio Moda,1,3 Uffaf Khan,1 Glenn C. Telling,2 Edward Hoover,2 and Claudio Soto1, * 1Mitchell Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Brain Disorders, Department of Neurology, University of Texas Medical School at Houston, 6431 Fannin Street, Houston, TX 77030, USA
2Prion Research Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
3Present address: IRCCS Foundation Carlo Besta Neurological Institute, 20133 Milan, Italy *Correspondence: claudio.soto@uth.tmc.edu http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2015.04.036
SUMMARY
Prions are the protein-based infectious agents responsible for prion diseases. Environmental prion contamination has been implicated in disease transmission. Here, we analyzed the binding and retention of infectious prion protein (PrPSc) to plants. Small quantities of PrPSc contained in diluted brain homogenate or in excretory materials (urine and feces) can bind to wheat grass roots and leaves. Wild-type hamsters were efficiently infected by ingestion of prion-contaminated plants. The prion-plant interaction occurs with prions from diverse origins, including chronic wasting disease. Furthermore, leaves contaminated by spraying with a prion-containing preparation retained PrPSc for several weeks in the living plant. Finally, plants can uptake prions from contaminated soil and transport them to aerial parts of the plant (stem and leaves). These findings demonstrate that plants can efficiently bind infectious prions and act as carriers of infectivity, suggesting a possible role of environmental prion contamination in the horizontal transmission of the disease.
INTRODUCTION
snip...
DISCUSSION
This study shows that plants can efficiently bind prions contained in brain extracts from diverse prion infected animals, including CWD-affected cervids. PrPSc attached to leaves and roots from wheat grass plants remains capable of seeding prion replication in vitro. Surprisingly, the small quantity of PrPSc naturally excreted in urine and feces from sick hamster or cervids was enough to efficiently contaminate plant tissue. Indeed, our results suggest that the majority of excreted PrPSc is efficiently captured by plants’ leaves and roots. Moreover, leaves can be contaminated by spraying them with a prion-containing extract, and PrPSc remains detectable in living plants for as long as the study was performed (several weeks). Remarkably, prion contaminated plants transmit prion disease to animals upon ingestion, producing a 100% attack rate and incubation periods not substantially longer than direct oral administration of sick brain homogenates.
Finally, an unexpected but exciting result was that plants were able to uptake prions from contaminated soil and transport them to aerial parts of the plant tissue. Although it may seem farfetched that plants can uptake proteins from the soil and transport it to the parts above the ground, there are already published reports of this phenomenon (McLaren et al., 1960; Jensen and McLaren, 1960;Paungfoo-Lonhienne et al., 2008). The high resistance of prions to degradation and their ability to efficiently cross biological barriers may play a role in this process. The mechanism by which plants bind, retain, uptake, and transport prions is unknown. We are currently studying the way in which prions interact with plants using purified, radioactively labeled PrPSc to determine specificity of the interaction, association constant, reversibility, saturation, movement, etc.
Epidemiological studies have shown numerous instances of scrapie or CWD recurrence upon reintroduction of animals on pastures previously exposed to prion-infected animals. Indeed, reappearance of scrapie has been documented following fallow periods of up to 16 years (Georgsson et al., 2006), and pastures were shown to retain infectious CWD prions for at least 2 years after exposure (Miller et al., 2004). It is likely that the environmentally mediated transmission of prion diseases depends upon the interaction of prions with diverse elements, including soil, water, environmental surfaces, various invertebrate animals, and plants.
However, since plants are such an important component of the environment and also a major source of food for many animal species, including humans, our results may have far-reaching implications for animal and human health. Currently, the perception of the riskfor animal-to-human prion transmission has been mostly limited to consumption or exposure to contaminated meat; our results indicate that plants might also be an important vector of transmission that needs to be considered in risk assessment.
COMMODITIES SUCH AS HAY, STRAW, GROWN IN CWD TSE PRION ENDEMIC AREAS HAVE BEEN BANNED IN SOME COUNTRIES
NOW, let's take this a step further, with concerns about CWD TSE Prion and Plants, Grains, Hay, Straw, etc. Some countries have already started taking action on imports of some commodities of said products, from being grown in CWD TSE Prion endemic areas,
Regulation concerning additional requirements for imported hay and straw for animal feed
Legal basis: Adopted by The Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food 22 October 2018 on the basis of Law 19 December 2003 No 124 relating to Food Production and Food Safety (Food Act) §§ 12, 15, 17 and 19, cf. Delegation Decision 19 December 2003 No 1790.
§ 1 Objective
The objective of this regulation is to prevent the spread of contagious animal disease with the import of hay and straw for feed from countries that are not part of the European Economic Area.
§ 2 Scope
This regulation applies to the import of hay and straw for feed from countries that are not part of the European Economic Area.
§ 3 Additional requirements
Hay and straw for feed that is imported to Norway must:
a) be accompanied by a declaration from the producer that the product has been stored for two months in the country of origin and that it was harvested from farms where manure has not been used as fertilizer for the past two years, and
b) be accompanied by attestation from an official veterinarian in the country of origin certifying that the product was harvested from farms where there are no restrictions because of contagious animal disease.
Hay and straw from USA and Canada must also be accompanied by attestation from an official veterinarian certifying that the product was harvested in a state or province where Chronic Wasting Disease has not been detected.
§ 4 Controll and decisions
The Norwegian Food Safety Authority may carry out controls and make necessary (individual) decisions, cf. Food Act § 23, to ensure compliance with provisions given in this regulation or in accordance with it. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority may also make decisions in accordance with Food Act § 24 to § 26.
§ 5 Penalties
The breach of provisions in this regulation, or a decision taken pursuant to this regulation, is a criminal offence pursuant to Food Act § 28.
§ 6 Dispensation
The Norwegian Food Safety Authority may grant a dispensation from provisions in this regulation in exceptional circumstances.
§ 7 Entry into force
This regulation enters into force immediately
§ 8 Amendments to other regulations
On the date of entry into force of this regulation Regulation 31 August 1991 No 507 om the prohibition of import of animals and articles which may transmit disease is amended as follows:
In § 3 Definition of product the first indent shall read:
- Raw material of animal origin for the production of pharmaceutical products or technical products.
In § 3 Definition of product the seventh indent shall read:
- Grass, hay, straw etc. that will not be used for animal feed.
Indent 11 in § 3 Definition of product is deleted.
In § 8 point 3 and 4 the word «animal feed» is deleted
Prions can also bind to or be taken up into plant tissues and spread disease. Experimental food crops testing positive thus far include alfalfa, wheat, corn, and tomatoes. These findings present a potential route of prion exposure for wildlife, domestic animals, and humans following consumption of these plants. Additionally, there is concern that other countries may ban export of crops from areas with CWD. Agricultural commodities, such as hay and straw, in CWDaffected areas may be baled with infected feces and moved inter-state or internationally. The European Food Safety Authority recognized this risk in their assessment of CWD in Norway. Consequently, Norway banned hay and straw imports from North America that do not have an accompanying veterinary statement verifying the products originated from a CWD-free zone.
P.157: Uptake of prions into plants
Christopher Johnson1, Christina Carlson1, Matthew Keating1,2, Nicole Gibbs1, Haeyoon Chang1, Jamie Wiepz1, and Joel Pedersen1 1USGS National Wildlife Health Center; Madison, WI USA; 2University of Wisconsin - Madison; Madison, WI USA
Soil may preserve chronic wasting disease (CWD) and scrapie infectivity in the environment, making consumption or inhalation of soil particles a plausible mechanism whereby na€ıve animals can be exposed to prions. Plants are known to absorb a variety of substances from soil, including whole proteins, yet the potential for plants to take up abnormal prion protein (PrPTSE) and preserve prion infectivity is not known. In this study, we assessed PrPTSE uptake into roots using laser scanning confocal microscopy with fluorescently tagged PrPTSE and we used serial protein misfolding cyclic amplification (sPMCA) and detect and quantify PrPTSE levels in plant aerial tissues. Fluorescence was identified in the root hairs of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, as well as the crop plants alfalfa (Medicago sativa), barley (Hordeum vulgare) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) upon exposure to tagged PrPTSE but not a tagged control preparation. Using sPMCA, we found evidence of PrPTSE in aerial tissues of A. thaliana, alfalfa and maize (Zea mays) grown in hydroponic cultures in which only roots were exposed to PrPTSE. Levels of PrPTSE in plant aerial tissues ranged from approximately 4 £ 10 ¡10 to 1 £ 10 ¡9 g PrPTSE g ¡1 plant dry weight or 2 £ 105 to 7 £ 106 intracerebral ID50 units g ¡1 plant dry weight. Both stems and leaves of A. thaliana grown in culture media containing prions are infectious when intracerebrally-injected into mice.
***Our results suggest that prions can be taken up by plants and that contaminated plants may represent a previously unrecognized risk of human, domestic species and wildlife exposure to prions.
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***Our results suggest that prions can be taken up by plants and that contaminated plants may represent a previously unrecognized risk of human, domestic species and wildlife exposure to prions.
*** SEE ; Friday, May 15, 2015 Grass Plants Bind, Retain, Uptake, and Transport Infectious Prions Report
PRION UPDATE VIA VEGETABLE PLANTS FROM THE SOIL
56. Members considered that there is no evidence that crops grown on the land which received composted excreta from BSE-challenged animals pose a TSE risk to humans or animals. One member suggested that, as some of these animals are orally challenged with high doses of BSE-infected materials, and the distribution of infectivity in the digestive system is not completely understood, it might be premature to conclude that there is no infective agent in the manure.
Furthermore, an unpublished study had indicated low level absorption of PrP from soil by tomato plants although it should be noted that this study had not been repeated. Details of this work would be sent to the SEAC Secretary. Dr Matthews explained that most of the manure from animals challenged with high doses of BSE had already been composted and used for coppicing. Members agreed that the risks from disposal of residual manure from experimental animals would be much less than historic risks of on farm contamination from naturally infected animals at the height of the BSE epidemic. ...SNIP...END
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2021
Oh, Deer, CWD, Heading Off a Wildlife Epidemic Texas Real Estate Research Center TAMU
National Shortage of Prion Testing Reagents Utilized for CWD Testing
By Samantha Munson - BARN Reporter NOV 17, 2021
On Friday, November 5, 2021, Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) made a formal announcement regarding the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) national shortage of prion testing reagents utilized to complete immunohistochemistry (IHC) testing for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).
At that time, TVMDL engaged NAHLN, USDA- National Veterinary Services Laboratory (USDA/NVSL), other CWD testing labs in the U.S. and Canada, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) in daily communications to explore expedient solutions.
As of Friday, November 12, 2021, TVMDL exhausted their supply of prion kits and are unable to perform the IHC test. As all CWD testing labs have been affected by the shortage, there are no other labs available to assist TVMDL with IHC testing. The estimated timeframe for getting more IHC testing kits is mid-December.
USDA Cervid staff have determined that deer in the CWD Herd Certification Program (HCP) administered by the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) are not eligible to be tested by ELISA. While antemortem samples are not eligible for the ELISA test, postmortem samples from penned deer not in the CWD HCP are eligible. The ELISA test requires fresh, not formalin-fixed, samples submitted within seven (7) days of collection.
The TAHC advises deer breeders enrolled in the CWD HCP to continue to collect the required postmortem samples and fix them in formalin. All samples collected must be submitted to TVMDL within seven days of collection and will be IHC tested upon the availability of test kits.
TVMDL staff continue to prepare all CWD antemortem test samples, a process which takes two days, so that they may be stained as soon as the reagent is made available. TVMDL will continue communications with the reagent supplier and NVSL/USDA to maintain an up-to-date timeline of when reagents will be available. TVMDL and TPWD have indicated they will continue to update permitted deer breeders as to the status of this situation on a regular basis.
Please direct any questions that you may have regarding the reagent shortage to TVMDL. Please contact TPWD or your TAHC Region Office regarding CWD sample collecting.
Thank you,
Texas Animal Health Commission
***> CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE TSE PRP HUMANS ZOONOSIS ZOONOTIC <***
Published: 26 September 2021
Generation of human chronic wasting disease in transgenic mice
Zerui Wang, Kefeng Qin, Manuel V. Camacho, Ignazio Cali, Jue Yuan, Pingping Shen, Justin Greenlee, Qingzhong Kong, James A. Mastrianni & Wen-Quan Zou
Acta Neuropathologica Communications volume 9, Article number: 158 (2021)
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a cervid prion disease caused by the accumulation of an infectious misfolded conformer (PrPSc) of cellular prion protein (PrPC). It has been spreading rapidly in North America and also found in Asia and Europe. Although bovine spongiform encephalopathy (i.e. mad cow disease) is the only animal prion disease known to be zoonotic, the transmissibility of CWD to humans remains uncertain. Here we report the generation of the first CWD-derived infectious human PrPSc by elk CWD PrPSc-seeded conversion of PrPC in normal human brain homogenates using in vitro protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA). Western blotting with human PrP selective antibody confirmed that the PMCA-generated protease-resistant PrPSc was derived from the human PrPC substrate. Two lines of humanized transgenic mice expressing human PrP with either Val or Met at the polymorphic codon 129 developed clinical prion disease following intracerebral inoculation with the PMCA-generated CWD-derived human PrPSc. Diseased mice exhibited distinct PrPSc patterns and neuropathological changes in the brain. Our study, using PMCA and animal bioassays, provides the first evidence that CWD PrPSc can cross the species barrier to convert human PrPC into infectious PrPSc that can produce bona fide prion disease when inoculated into humanized transgenic mice.
Snip...
It is worth noting that the annual number of sporadic CJD (sCJD) cases in the USA has increased, with the total number of suspected and confirmed sCJD cases rising from 284 in 2003 to 511 in 2017 (https://www.cdc.gov/prions/cjd/occurrence-transmission.html). The greatly enhanced CJD surveillance and an aging population in the USA certainly contributed to the observed increase in annual sCJD case numbers in recent years, but the possibility cannot be excluded that some of the increased sCJD prevalence is linked to CWD exposure.
In the present study, using serial protein misfolding cyclic amplification (sPMCA) assay we generate PrPSc by seeding CWD prions in normal human brain homogenates. Importantly, we reveal that two lines of humanized Tg mice expressing human PrP-129VV and 129MM develop prion diseases upon intracerebral inoculation of the abnormal PrP generated by sPMCA. We believe that our study provides the first opportunity to dissect the clinical, pathological and biochemical features of the CWD-derived human prion disease in two lines of humanized Tg mice expressing two major human PrP genotypes, respectively.
i thought i might share some news about cwd zoonosis that i got, that i cannot share or post to the public yet, i promised for various reasons, one that it will cause a shit storm for sure, but it was something i really already knew from previous studies, but, i was told that ;
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''As you can imagine, 2 and 5 (especially 5) may raise alarms. The evidence we have for 4 are not as strong or tight as I would like to have. At this point, please do not post any of the points publicly yet, but you can refer to points 1-3 in private discussions and all 5 points when discussing with relevant public officials to highlight the long-term risks of CWD zoonosis.''
====================
so, i figure your as about as official as it gets, and i think this science is extremely important for you to know and to converse about with your officials. it's about to burn a whole in my pocket. this is about as close as it will ever get for cwd zoonosis to be proven in my time, this and what Canada Czub et al found with the Macaques, plus an old study from cjd surveillance unit back that showed cjd and a 9% increase in risk from folks that eat venison, i will post all this below for your files Sir. i remember back in the BSE nvCJD days, from when the first BSE case in bovine was confirmed around 1984 maybe 83, i forget the good vets named that screwed it up first, Carol something, but from 83ish to 95 96 when nvCJD was linked to humans from BSE in cattle, so that took 10 to 15 years. hell, at that rate, especially with Texas and cwd zoonsis, hell, i'll be dead before it's official, if ever, so here ya go Sir. there was a grant study on cwd zoonosis that had been going on for some time, i followed it over the years, then the grant date for said study had expired, so, i thought i would write the good Professor about said study i.e. Professor Kong, CWRU et al. i will post the grant study abstract first, and then after that, what reply i got back, about said study that i was told not to post/publish...
CWD ZOONOSIS GRANT FIRST;
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Cervid to human prion transmission
Kong, Qingzhong
Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
Abstract Prion disease is transmissible and invariably fatal. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is the prion disease affecting deer, elk and moose, and it is a widespread and expanding epidemic affecting 22 US States and 2 Canadian provinces so far. CWD poses the most serious zoonotic prion transmission risks in North America because of huge venison consumption (>6 million deer/elk hunted and consumed annually in the USA alone), significant prion infectivity in muscles and other tissues/fluids from CWD-affected cervids, and usually high levels of individual exposure to CWD resulting from consumption of the affected animal among often just family and friends. However, we still do not know whether CWD prions can infect humans in the brain or peripheral tissues or whether clinical/asymptomatic CWD zoonosis has already occurred, and we have no essays to reliably detect CWD infection in humans. We hypothesize that: (1) The classic CWD prion strain can infect humans at low levels in the brain and peripheral lymphoid tissues; (2) The cervid-to-human transmission barrier is dependent on the cervid prion strain and influenced by the host (human) prion protein (PrP) primary sequence; (3) Reliable essays can be established to detect CWD infection in humans; and (4) CWD transmission to humans has already occurred. We will test these hypotheses in 4 Aims using transgenic (Tg) mouse models and complementary in vitro approaches.
Aim 1 will prove that the classical CWD strain may infect humans in brain or peripheral lymphoid tissues at low levels by conducting systemic bioassays in a set of humanized Tg mouse lines expressing common human PrP variants using a number of CWD isolates at varying doses and routes. Experimental human CWD samples will also be generated for Aim 3.
Aim 2 will test the hypothesis that the cervid-to-human prion transmission barrier is dependent on prion strain and influenced by the host (human) PrP sequence by examining and comparing the transmission efficiency and phenotypes of several atypical/unusual CWD isolates/strains as well as a few prion strains from other species that have adapted to cervid PrP sequence, utilizing the same panel of humanized Tg mouse lines as in Aim 1.
Aim 3 will establish reliable essays for detection and surveillance of CWD infection in humans by examining in details the clinical, pathological, biochemical and in vitro seeding properties of existing and future experimental human CWD samples generated from Aims 1-2 and compare them with those of common sporadic human Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) prions.
Aim 4 will attempt to detect clinical CWD-affected human cases by examining a significant number of brain samples from prion-affected human subjects in the USA and Canada who have consumed venison from CWD-endemic areas utilizing the criteria and essays established in Aim 3. The findings from this proposal will greatly advance our understandings on the potential and characteristics of cervid prion transmission in humans, establish reliable essays for CWD zoonosis and potentially discover the first case(s) of CWD infection in humans.
Public Health Relevance There are significant and increasing human exposure to cervid prions because chronic wasting disease (CWD, a widespread and highly infectious prion disease among deer and elk in North America) continues spreading and consumption of venison remains popular, but our understanding on cervid-to-human prion transmission is still very limited, raising public health concerns. This proposal aims to define the zoonotic risks of cervid prions and set up and apply essays to detect CWD zoonosis using mouse models and in vitro methods. The findings will greatly expand our knowledge on the potentials and characteristics of cervid prion transmission in humans, establish reliable essays for such infections and may discover the first case(s) of CWD infection in humans.
Funding Agency Agency National Institute of Health (NIH) Institute National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Type Research Project (R01) Project # 1R01NS088604-01A1 Application # 9037884 Study Section Cellular and Molecular Biology of Neurodegeneration Study Section (CMND) Program Officer Wong, May Project Start 2015-09-30 Project End 2019-07-31 Budget Start 2015-09-30 Budget End 2016-07-31 Support Year 1 Fiscal Year 2015 Total Cost $337,507 Indirect Cost $118,756
snip...
Professor Kongs reply to me just this month about above grant study that has NOT been published in peer reveiw yet...
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Here is a brief summary of our findings:
snip...can't post, made a promise...tss
On Sat, Apr 3, 2021 at 12:19 PM Terry Singeltary <flounder9@verizon.net> wrote:
snip...
end...tss
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CWD ZOONOSIS THE FULL MONTY TO DATE
International Conference on Emerging Diseases, Outbreaks & Case Studies & 16th Annual Meeting on Influenza March 28-29, 2018 | Orlando, USA
Qingzhong Kong
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, USA
Zoonotic potential of chronic wasting disease prions from cervids
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is the prion disease in cervids (mule deer, white-tailed deer, American elk, moose, and reindeer). It has become an epidemic in North America, and it has been detected in the Europe (Norway) since 2016. The widespread CWD and popular hunting and consumption of cervid meat and other products raise serious public health concerns, but questions remain on human susceptibility to CWD prions, especially on the potential difference in zoonotic potential among the various CWD prion strains. We have been working to address this critical question for well over a decade. We used CWD samples from various cervid species to inoculate transgenic mice expressing human or elk prion protein (PrP). We found infectious prions in the spleen or brain in a small fraction of CWD-inoculated transgenic mice expressing human PrP, indicating that humans are not completely resistant to CWD prions; this finding has significant ramifications on the public health impact of CWD prions. The influence of cervid PrP polymorphisms, the prion strain dependence of CWD-to-human transmission barrier, and the characterization of experimental human CWD prions will be discussed.
Speaker Biography Qingzhong Kong has completed his PhD from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Post-doctoral studies at Yale University. He is currently an Associate Professor of Pathology, Neurology and Regenerative Medicine. He has published over 50 original research papers in reputable journals (including Science Translational Medicine, JCI, PNAS and Cell Reports) and has been serving as an Editorial Board Member on seven scientific journals. He has multiple research interests, including public health risks of animal prions (CWD of cervids and atypical BSE of cattle), animal modeling of human prion diseases, mechanisms of prion replication and pathogenesis, etiology of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (CJD) in humans, normal cellular PrP in the biology and pathology of multiple brain and peripheral diseases, proteins responsible for the α-cleavage of cellular PrP, as well as gene therapy and DNA vaccination.
SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2021
North American and Norwegian Chronic Wasting Disease prions exhibit different potential for interspecies transmission and zoonotic risk
''Our data suggest that reindeer and red deer from Norway could be the most transmissible CWD prions to other mammals, whereas North American CWD prions were more prone to generate human prions in vitro.''
MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021
***> U Calgary researchers at work on a vaccine against a fatal infectious disease affecting deer and potentially people
Terry S. Singeltary Sr.
posted by Terry S. Singeltary Sr. at
4:12 PM
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