Oklahoma Confirms Fourth Case Chronic Wasting Disease CWD in Wild Deer
Oklahoma officials confirm fourth wild deer case of chronic wasting disease in pandhandle
by Colleen WilsonFri, August 22nd 2025 at 1:24 PM
CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE OKLAHOMA WILD DEER TEXAS COUNTY WILDLIFE OFFICIALS CERVIDS DEER HERD SURVEILLANCE AREA chevron right arrow icon
TEXAS COUNTY, Okla. (KOKH) — Oklahoma wildlife officials are reporting another case of Chronic Wasting Disease in a wild deer.
This is the fourth case reported to the agency.
The infected white-tailed deer was found in Texas County, in the Oklahoma panhandle. A landowner had reported the animal was behaving strangely.
Chronic Wasting Disease is an always-fatal neurological disease that affects cervids like deer, elk, and moose. It does not affect pronghorn antelope. It creates holes in the brain that resemble sponges. CWD transmission from wild animals to humans or livestock has never been documented.
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation will expand its existing Selective Surveillance Area for the disease to Texas County westward and southward.
If a hunter harvests a disease in the SSA boundary, they must comply with specific regulations for handling and moving the deer.
"The Wildlife Department is implementing its response plan to monitor and slow the potential spread of CWD," said Dallas Barber, wildlife biologist over big game for the Wildlife Department. "Our priority is to continue to ensure the health and management of our deer herd in Oklahoma, and the steps in our CWD Response Strategy will help us do that."
The Wildlife Department has monitored deer for CWD since 1999, after it was discovered in a commercial elk herd the year prior. The first case of CWD in a free-ranging deer was confirmed in June 2023 in Texas County.
For more information on hunting regulations in CWD SSAs, click here.
Monday, August 25, 2025 New CWD-Positive Wild Deer Confirmed in Oklahoma
Oklahoma's fourth case of a wild deer infected with Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) was confirmed this month in the Oklahoma Panhandle. The white-tailed deer was located in Texas County after a landowner reported the animal behaving abnormally.
CWD is an always-fatal neurological disease that affects deer, elk, moose, and other members of the cervid family, creating holes in the brain resembling those in sponges.
As part of the state's CWD Response Strategy, the confirmation has prompted the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation to expand the existing Selective Surveillance Area (SSA) for chronic wasting disease in Texas County westward and southward. The CWD Response Strategy is a plan jointly produced by the Wildlife Department along with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry.
Hunters who harvest a deer within the SSA boundary must comply with specific regulations for handling and moving deer and other cervid parts outside the area. These boundary changes, along with cervid transport rules within an SSA, can be viewed at wildlifedepartment.com/hunting/resources/deer//cwd/ssa. The site also includes information about voluntary testing sites in Oklahoma's three active SSAs. Dispersed across SSAs in northwestern Oklahoma, the testing sites are locations where hunters may choose to leave the head of their harvested deer or elk to be tested for CWD.
"The Wildlife Department is implementing its response plan to monitor and slow the potential spread of CWD," said Dallas Barber, wildlife biologist over big game for the Wildlife Department. "Our priority is to continue to ensure the health and management of our deer herd in Oklahoma, and the steps in our CWD Response Strategy will help us do that."
The Wildlife Department has conducted CWD monitoring on hunter-harvested deer and elk and road-killed deer since 1999 following the discovery of the disease in a private, commercial elk herd in 1998. The first in-state CWD case in free-ranging deer was confirmed in June 2023 in Texas County. CWD does not affect pronghorn antelope, and natural CWD transmission from wild animals to humans or livestock has never been documented.
Additional human health information relating to CWD is available at https://www.usgs.gov/centers/nwhc/science/chronic-wasting-disease#publications. For more information on the disease, hunting regulations, and proper disposal of infected animals, go to https://www.wildlifedepartment.com/hunting/resources/deer/cwd.
More: CWD in Oklahoma
IMHO, Oklahoma CWD TSE Prion surveillance for both captive and wild Cervid are woefully lacking, and have been… terry
ATTENTION Cimarron, Texas, Woodward, Major, and Woods County Hunters
Two CWD-positive cases were confirmed in recent months in Oklahoma: one in Texas County about 4 miles north of Optima Wildlife Management Area, and another about 15 miles east of Woodward.
ODWC’s response plan in cooperation with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry is to contain CWD within areas where it is detected and to minimize its artificial spread to other areas by establishing selective surveillance areas (SSA).
Previously, ODWC was notified by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) of a road-killed deer infected with chronic wasting disease (CWD) found 2.5 miles south of the Oklahoma-Texas border near Felt, Okla., in southwestern Cimarron County.
SECOND CWD-POSITIVE WILD DEER CONFIRMED IN OKLAHOMA A second wild white-tailed deer has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Oklahoma.
The deer was located about 15 miles east of Woodward in Woodward County after a landowner reported the deer behaving abnormally.
Oklahoma's first case of a wild deer infected with CWD was confirmed the first week of June in Texas County, prompting the activation of the next stage in the state's CWD Response Strategy jointly produced by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry.
“We will be working through our response plan implementing surveillance efforts and steps to monitor and slow the potential spread of this disease. Our ultimate goal is to ensure healthy and well-managed deer with as little impact to either the resource or our constituents as possible,” said Jerry Shaw, Wildlife Programs Supervisor with ODWC.
CWD is an always-fatal neurological disease that affects the brains of deer, elk, moose, and other members of the cervid family, creating holes resembling those in sponges. CWD transmission from wild animals to people or to livestock has never been documented.
The Wildlife Department has conducted CWD monitoring on hunter-harvested deer and elk, and road-killed deer, since 1999.
Department staff will continue monitoring for evidence of CWD within Oklahoma’s borders and will release additional information, including ways deer and elk hunters can help with detection and mitigation, as hunting seasons approach.
Additional guidelines or management plans will be distributed and well-advertised if determined necessary to further protect Oklahoma’s deer and elk populations.
Additional human health information relating to CWD is available at https://www.usgs.gov/centers/nwhc/science/chronic-wasting-disease#publications.
For more information on the disease, hunting regulations, and proper disposal of infected animals, go to
CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE CONFIRMED IN ONE FARMED OKLAHOMA ELK JOINT RELEASE FROM THE OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FOOD & FORESTRY AND THE OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE CONSERVATION
OKLAHOMA CITY — An elk from a farmed herd in Lincoln County has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD), according to the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food & Forestry (ODAFF) and the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.
The 2-year-old bull elk died as the result of an injury. The elk was tested through routine surveillance in compliance with the breeding facility’s Certified Herd Plan.
CWD is a fatal neurological disease that affects the brains of elk, deer and other cervid species. No vaccine or treatment for the disease exists. Importantly, no health risk to humans or non-cervid livestock has been documented.
ODAFF has quarantined the farmed breeding facility, and the Wildlife Department will be testing wild deer in the area near the facility for the presence of CWD. The adjacent commercial hunting area associated with this facility has been quarantined as well. The State Veterinarian has issued a stop-movement order for any intrastate cervid transport for 30 days in order to assess the situation.
This is the second confirmed case of CWD in Oklahoma. The first case was confirmed in a farmed elk herd in Oklahoma County in 1998. Surveillance testing around that area since then has not revealed any deer with the disease.
The Department of Agriculture, Food & Forestry and the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation are implementing emergency measures to monitor and protect the state’s wild and farmed cervid herds and will provide information to the public as it becomes available.
* * *
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Dr. Rod Hall, Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food & Forestry (rod.hall@ag.ok.gov); Micah Holmes, Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (micah.holmes@odwc.ok.gov)
Oklahoma CWD 2025
***Oklahoma CWD TSE Prion
Oklahoma deer hunters may have heard about Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) afflicting deer and elk in other states. CWD is a neurological disease that affects the brains of deer, elk, moose, and other members of the deer family, creating holes that resemble those in sponges. It is always fatal to the animal, and no treatment or vaccine against CWD exists at this time. CWD has been confirmed in wild deer and/or elk in Oklahoma and surrounding states including Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas.
In 1998, CWD was confirmed in a captive elk herd in Oklahoma County which had originally been imported from Montana. The U.S. Department of Agriculture euthanized that herd to decrease the threat of the disease spreading into the surrounding free-ranging deer herd. Subsequent testing outside of the enclosure did not locate any positive animals. In April 2019, CWD was confirmed in one farmed Oklahoma elk in Lincoln County. ODWC announced it would step up surveillance in areas adjacent to the breeding facility.
In 2022, the Wildlife Department was notified by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) of a road-killed deer infected with chronic wasting disease (CWD) found 2.5 miles south of the Oklahoma-Texas border near Felt, Okla., in southwestern Cimarron County. With the proximity of this infected deer to Oklahoma's border, ODWC activated its CWD Response Strategy. This includes the designation of Selective Surveillance Areas (SSA).
ATTENTION Cimarron, Texas, Woodward, Major, and Woods County Hunters Two CWD-positive cases were confirmed in recent months in Oklahoma: one in Texas County about 4 miles north of Optima Wildlife Management Area, and another about 15 miles east of Woodward.
ODWC’s response plan in cooperation with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry is to contain CWD within areas where it is detected and to minimize its artificial spread to other areas by establishing selective surveillance areas (SSA).
Previously, ODWC was notified by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) of a road-killed deer infected with chronic wasting disease (CWD) found 2.5 miles south of the Oklahoma-Texas border near Felt, Okla., in southwestern Cimarron County.
In 2023, Oklahoma's first case of CWD was confirmed in a free-ranging wild deer in Texas County. ODWC has conducted CWD monitoring on hunter-harvested deer and road-killed deer and elk since 1999. This case marks the first time the disease has been detected in laboratory testing of tissue samples from more than 10,000 wild deer and elk throughout Oklahoma.
ODWC takes disease issues very seriously because of the potential effects on the state’s rich hunting traditions, human health concerns, the risk to natural resources, and the $1.2 billion impact hunting has on our state's economy annually. ODWC’s primary objective is to minimize the risk to Oklahoma's wild deer, elk, and other susceptible cervids within our borders.
ODWC is reviewing and updating its response strategy in response to new scientific research and the disease's closer proximity to our state. ODWC is also coordinating with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, and other agencies to monitor the state’s captive cervid herds and provide information to the public as it becomes available.
Importation of Cervid Carcasses or Carcass Parts No person shall import, transport, or possess any cervid carcass or part of a cervid carcass from outside the boundaries of Oklahoma. The following items are the only exceptions:
Antlers or antlers attached to clean skull plate or cleaned skulls (all tissue removed); Animal quarters containing no spinal materials or meat with all parts of the spinal column removed; Cleaned teeth; Finished taxidermy products; Hides or tanned products. ODWC continues to monitor and test for the presence of CWD. A total of 79 wild deer were sampled and tested for CWD in conjunction with the 2017 herd health evaluations. CWD was not detected in any of the samples. Most recently, as part of the 2018 herd health evaluations, 42 samples were collected and submitted to Colorado State University for testing. None of those samples tested positive for the disease. Testing is expected to continue into future years.
CWD was first detected in captive mule deer in Colorado in 1967. It is a slow-progressing disease with a long time lag between becoming infected and showing outward symptoms. Infected animals begin to lose weight, lose their appetite and develop an insatiable thirst. They tend to separate from their herds, walk in repetitive patterns, stumble or tremble, carry their head low, salivate, urinate frequently, and grind their teeth.
The disease spreads when animals are in close contact, but also when animals contact soil that contains prions (protein particles) from urine, feces, saliva, or an infected animal’s carcass.
CWD transmission to humans or livestock has not been documented. However, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends, as a precaution, that people or animals do not eat any part of an animal diagnosed with or showing signs of CWD.
Oklahoma CWD 2025 Test Results
Select CWD surveillance map
Greetings Honorable Oklahoma Governor Stitt, and other Officials,
i wish to kindly, once again, send you the latest on Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion.
kindest regards, terry
OKLAHOMA CONFIRMS SECOND CWD POSITIVE WTD
SECOND CWD-POSITIVE WILD DEER CONFIRMED IN OKLAHOMA
Jul 3, 2023 A second wild white-tailed deer has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Oklahoma.
The deer was located about 15 miles east of Woodward in Woodward County after a landowner reported the deer behaving abnormally.
Oklahoma's first case of a wild deer infected with CWD was confirmed the first week of June in Texas County, prompting the activation of the next stage in the state's CWD Response Strategy jointly produced by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry.
“We will be working through our response plan implementing surveillance efforts and steps to monitor and slow the potential spread of this disease. Our ultimate goal is to ensure healthy and well-managed deer with as little impact to either the resource or our constituents as possible,” said Jerry Shaw, Wildlife Programs Supervisor with ODWC.
CWD is an always-fatal neurological disease that affects the brains of deer, elk, moose, and other members of the cervid family, creating holes resembling those in sponges. CWD transmission from wild animals to people or to livestock has never been documented.
The Wildlife Department has conducted CWD monitoring on hunter-harvested deer and elk, and road-killed deer, since 1999.
Department staff will continue monitoring for evidence of CWD within Oklahoma’s borders and will release additional information, including ways deer and elk hunters can help with detection and mitigation, as hunting seasons approach.
Additional guidelines or management plans will be distributed and well-advertised if determined necessary to further protect Oklahoma’s deer and elk populations.
Additional human health information relating to CWD is available at https://www.usgs.gov/centers/nwhc/science/chronic-wasting-disease#publications
For more information on the disease, hunting regulations, and proper disposal of infected animals, go to https://www.wildlifedepartment.com/hunting/resources/deer/cwd
Oklahoma Detects First Wild Deer Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion
ODWC ACTIVATES CWD RESPONSE STRATEGY AFTER DISEASED WILD DEER FOUND IN PANHANDLE
Jun 6, 2023
A white-tailed deer in the Oklahoma Panhandle has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD).
A Texas County landowner reported the deer to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation after witnessing it behaving abnormally. The deer was recovered near Optima and testing was conducted.
This marks the first case of CWD in a wild deer in Oklahoma.
ODWC has activated the next stage of the CWD Response Strategy jointly produced with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry.
“While this is unfortunate news, it is not unexpected since CWD has already been detected in every state that borders Oklahoma. We will be working through our response plan to ensure we can monitor potential spread and keep our state’s deer herd healthy,” said Jerry Shaw, Wildlife Programs Supervisor with ODWC.
CWD is an always-fatal neurological disease that affects the brains of deer, elk, moose, and other members of the cervid family, creating holes that resemble those in sponges. It’s important to note that CWD transmission from wild animals to people or to livestock has never been documented
The Wildlife Department has conducted CWD monitoring on hunter-harvested deer and elk, and road-killed deer, since 1999. This case marks the first time the disease has been detected in laboratory testing of tissue samples from more than 10,000 wild deer and elk from throughout Oklahoma.
The Wildlife Department will continue monitoring for evidence of this disease within Oklahoma’s borders and will release additional information, including ways deer and elk hunters can help with detection and mitigation, as hunting seasons approach.
Additional guidelines or management plans will be distributed and well-advertised if determined necessary to further protect Oklahoma’s deer and elk populations.
Additional human health information relating to CWD is available at https://www.usgs.gov/centers/nwhc/science/chronic-wasting-disease#publications
For more information on the disease, hunting regulations, and proper disposal of infected animals, go to
Oklahoma Wild Deer Test Positive for CWD
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2022
OKLAHOMA ODWC ACTIVATES CWD RESPONSE PLAN AFTER DISEASED DEER FOUND WITHIN MILES OF PANHANDLE OKLAHOMA ODWC ACTIVATES CWD RESPONSE PLAN AFTER DISEASED DEER FOUND WITHIN MILES OF PANHANDLE
ODWC ACTIVATES CWD RESPONSE PLAN AFTER DISEASED DEER FOUND WITHIN MILES OF PANHANDLE Sep 9, 2022
A white-tailed deer carcass recently recovered along a Texas road about 2.5 miles south of the Oklahoma border in the western Panhandle south of Felt, Okla., has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD). The CWD positive deer was found in an area of Texas with a history of CWD detection dating back 3 years. Although not inside of our borders, due to the proximity of this finding to Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) has activated the next stage of the CWD Response Plan that was jointly produced with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry.
“With the ability of deer to easily travel many miles in a day, the CWD Response Plan dictates that we respond to this finding as if CWD has now been detected among free-roaming wild deer in Oklahoma,” said Jerry Shaw, Wildlife Programs Supervisor with ODWC.
CWD is an always-fatal neurological disease that affects the brains of deer, elk, moose, and other members of the cervid family, creating holes that resemble those in sponges. It’s important to note in this area of the state that CWD does not affect pronghorn antelope, and CWD transmission from wild animals to humans or livestock has never been documented either.
No CWD-positive wild deer have been found within Oklahoma’s borders. But CWD has been found in two captive elk herds in the state. CWD has been confirmed in wild cervids in every state surrounding Oklahoma. In total, 30 states now have detected CWD within their borders.
The Wildlife Department has conducted CWD monitoring on hunter-harvested deer and elk and road-killed deer since 1999. The disease has not been detected in laboratory testing of tissue samples from more than 10,000 wild deer and elk from throughout Oklahoma.
The Wildlife Department will continue monitoring for evidence of this disease within Oklahoma’s borders and will release additional information, including ways deer and elk hunters can help with detection and mitigation as hunting seasons approach. Additional guidelines or restrictions will be distributed and well-advertised if determined necessary to further protect Oklahoma’s deer and elk populations.
Additional human health information relating to CWD is available at https://www.usgs.gov/centers/nwhc/science/chronic-wasting-disease#publications
For more information on the disease, how it could affect hunting, and proper disposal of infected animals, go to https://www.wildlifedepartment.com/hunting/resources/deer/cwd
Oklahoma CWD Past History
TUESDAY, JANUARY 07, 2020
Oklahoma Farmed Elk Lincoln County CWD Depopulation 3 Positive Elk with 1 Additional Dead Trace Out Confirmed Positive
i was wondering what the results (if any), from all the other cervid that this Elk came into contact with, from any additional testing, was there any, from the existing herd, trace in and outs and such, and herds there from???
was that breeding farm completely depopulated yet, and if so, what are the numbers on any additional positives, if any?
PERSONAL COMMUNICATION @ag.ok.gov Tue, Jan 7, 2020 4:11 pm
We completed the depopulation of the elk herd.
Out of 250 head there were 3 positive elk.
We know of one trace out that died and was tested positive.
Many other trace outs (over 100) have been tested and are negative.
END...TSS
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2019
Oklahoma Farmed Elk Lincoln County has tested positive for chronic wasting disease CWD TSE Prion
JOINT RELEASE FROM THE OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FOOD & FORESTRY AND THE OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE CONSERVATION
Chronic Wasting Disease Confirmed in One Farmed Oklahoma Elk
re-Commission Hears Update on CWD Status in Oklahoma
Fri, May 10, 2019 4:19 pm
Terry Singeltary flounder9@verizon.net
To comdist1 comdist1@odwc.ok.gov Cc comdist2 comdist2@odwc.ok.gov, comdist3 comdist3@odwc.ok.gov, comdist4 comdist4@odwc.ok.gov, comdist5 comdist5@odwc.ok.gov, comdist6 comdist6@odwc.ok.gov, comdist7 comdist7@odwc.ok.gov, comdist8 comdist8@odwc.ok.gov, micah.holmes micah.holmes@odwc.ok.gov
Commission Hears Update on CWD Status in Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission on Monday authorized the Director of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation to take reasonable steps to respond to future developments related to chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Oklahoma.
The authorization by a vote of 5-1 also instructed Director J.D. Strong to bring any such actions to the attention of the Commission as soon as possible after any actions are taken.
CWD is a fatal neurological disease that affects the brains of elk, deer and other cervid species.
No vaccine or treatment for the disease exists. Importantly, no health risk to humans or non-cervid livestock has been documented.
In late April, an elk from a farmed herd in Lincoln County tested positive for CWD.
Strong emphasized that any CWD response related to farmed cervids, cervid breeding facilities or the import and export of farmed cervids is under the jurisdiction of the state Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry.
The Wildlife Department is responsible for managing the wild cervid populations and overseeing cervid hunting facilities.
Strong said the Wildlife Department’s goal is not to make any hasty, large-scale decisions right away in dealing with the threat of CWD, but to take a measured, scientific approach and collect all the information possible before deciding how to best respond to any possible confirmed cases in wild cervids.
He stressed the need for a team approach and expressed his continued willingness to work with the various stakeholder groups in finalizing a CWD action plan.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about hunting,” Strong said, whether CWD strikes farmed cervids or wild cervids. “One of the best ways is to enlist the help of hunters” in a strategy to minimize the spread of CWD.
snip...
''In late April, an elk from a farmed herd in Lincoln County tested positive for CWD.
Strong emphasized that any CWD response related to farmed cervids, cervid breeding facilities or the import and export of farmed cervids is under the jurisdiction of the state Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. The Wildlife Department is responsible for managing the wild cervid populations and overseeing cervid hunting facilities.
Strong said the Wildlife Department’s goal is not to make any hasty, large-scale decisions right away in dealing with the threat of CWD, but to take a measured, scientific approach and collect all the information possible before deciding how to best respond to any possible confirmed cases in wild cervids.''
if you wait for cwd to find you, then you have lost the fight already imo.
Greetings ODWC et al,
i kindly wish to submit the following updated science on the chronic wasting disease cwd tse prion. you do know that the new strain of cwd in Texas is of a more virulent strain? see below......GOOD LUCK!
kindest regards, terry
snip...end...TSS
TUESDAY, JANUARY 07, 2020
Oklahoma Farmed Elk Lincoln County CWD Depopulation 3 Positive Elk with 1 Additional Dead Trace Out Confirmed Positive
TUESDAY, MARCH 08, 2016
Oklahoma Chronic Wasting Disease CWD of Deer and Elk Surveillance, Testing, and Preparedness
Hunting: Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation 2015-2016 Harvest Report is updated weekly. Sportsmen have the option to exclude their name; however, your deer harvest information will still appear on the ... www.wildlifedepartment.comwww.wildlifedepartment.com/hunting/deer.htm
Oklahoma Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) of Deer and Elk Surveillance, Testing, and Preparedness
Chronic Wasting Disease CWD of Deer and Elk
Key Points
1. At this point there is no known cases of CWD in wild deer and elk in Oklahoma.
2. There has been no known transmission of CWD from deer or elk to any other animals or people even in states where CWD is found.
3. It is always wise to use common sense when handling any meat or when dealing with sick or injured animals.
For more information about CWD log on to www.cwd-info.org
"In 2006 more than 1,626 hunter harvested deer and elk were sampled in Oklahoma and all tested negative for chronic wasting disease. To date, some 7,088 animals have been tested statewide as part of The Wildlife Department's monitoring program and all have tested negative for CWD. The Department will continue to monitor the state's deer and elk herds through additional testing."
What is Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)?
It was 35 years ago and the biologists were baffled. Blood work showed nothing unusual, liver and kidney tests turned up negative for all known diseases, but the mule deer were still wasting away to skin and bones. It could have been straight out of an episode of “The X Files.”
A few of the captive deer at the Colorado Division of Wildlife’s research facilities in Fort Collins had begun to lose weight on a diet that sustained other deer. They drank incessantly and spent much of their time standing listlessly in their corrals. The biologists knew they had a unique syndrome on their hands, but it was like nothing they had ever seen before.
Captive deer at Wyoming Game and Fish Department's Sybille Research Unit were soon showing signs of the mystery disease. Because the Colorado and Wyoming facilities regularly traded deer and elk, the appearance of the disease in Wyoming came as no great surprise.
Over the next 10 years, researchers worked to understand the origin and causes of the affliction, but their studies led to more questions than answers.
One thing was certain, the disease was deadly. Between 1974 and 1979, 66 mule deer and one black-tailed deer were held captive in Colorado and Wyoming research corrals. Of those, 57 contracted the strange disease and not one survived.
The search went on for the cause of the disease. Viruses, bacteria and nutritional deficiencies were all ruled out. Biologists named it "chronic wasting disease” (CWD), identifying the disease’s most devastating outward symptom, irreversible weight loss.
The first break in the case came in 1978, when wildlife veterinarian Beth Williams began analyzing tissues of affected animals. She found microscopic holes in brain and nerve tissues of the deer. The disease was turning the brains of these deer into Swiss cheese.
This finding put Chronic Wasting Disease into a small category of diseases labeled transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE). As pathologists looked into CWD further, they began to see similarities between it and scrapie, a TSE that affects sheep.
Sheep and goats have been affected by scrapie in Europe for centuries. In all those years, no other type of animal has ever come down with the disease, including generations of shepherds who work with their flocks daily and consumers who eat their meat and drink their milk.
Although they now knew CWD was related to scrapie and other TSEs, this helped little because at the time pathologists knew little about the cause of this disease either. The scientific camps began to stake their claim on the origins of these enigma diseases. Some thought it was a genetic illness, others assumed it was a virus too small to be detected by existing techniques. Several different scientists were pursuing proof of their favorite theories.
In the meantime, unsettling news was reported from the field. In March 1981, biologists in north Colorado brought in a sick elk that turned out to be suffering from chronic wasting disease. The disease had somehow spread from captive animals into free-ranging herds.
Cervids (animals such as white-tailed deer and elk ) seemed to be the target of CWD, no other animals including cattle, horses or humans have been affected by CWD. The disease spread incrementally through northcentral Colorado affecting mule deer, white-tailed deer and elk. In 1986, CWD claimed an elk in southeastern Wyoming, the first confirmed case of the disease in a wild animal outside of Colorado.
Although this was not exactly a raging disease outbreak, the spread of the disease had started and wildlife vets and biologists were concerned. They knew little about it, and knew nothing about how to stop it.
Today, 34 years since the disease was discovered, pathologists have learned more about the disease, but still have much to learn before they fully understand it. However slowly, CWD has continued to creep across the United States and Canada, currently impacting either captive or free-ranging deer in nine states and a pair of Canadian provinces. This includes a closely monitored captive elk herd in central Oklahoma.
It is now generally accepted that prions, naked proteins with the ability to duplicate and multiply, are the culprits to blame for CWD and other TSE’s. There remains no known cure or even a reliable method of disinfecting contaminated areas. Biologists in Fort Collins, Colorado, where the disease was first discovered, found out how resilient these prions can be. They set out in an intensive effort to rid the research facilities of CWD. All captive deer and elk were killed and buried. Personnel then plowed up the soil in the pens in an effort to bury possible disease organisms and structures and pastures were repeatedly treated with a powerful disinfectant. A year later, 12 elk calves from the wild were released in the sanitized holding areas. In the next five years, two of these elk died from chronic wasting disease.
Fortunately, Oklahoma’s free-ranging deer herd is not known to carry the disease. Over the past three years biologists and veterinarians have examined almost 400 deer and elk taken during Oklahoma's hunting seasons as part of the Department’s CWD monitoring program. All samples obtained from animals taken from the wild have tested negative and biologists will continue to closely monitor the deer and elk herd for signs of the disease.
Currently, detecting the disease is far from simple. The only acceptable test is a microscopic examination of an animal’s brain stem. There are no live animal tests and only a handful of laboratories and pathologists are qualified to administer the brain test.
If there is a bright side to chronic wasting disease it is that it reminds how valuable our deer are. It wasn’t that long ago that deer seemed headed down the same path as the buffalo and the passenger pigeon, over-exploited and pushed out by land-hungry settlers. Through the tireless work of biologists and sportsmen, deer have been restored to once unthinkable numbers in Oklahoma and across their native range.
A deer is a symbol of grace and it provides a succulent, nutritious meal. It is that and more, it is a wild animal that makes the woods a better place just for being there. It is as American as they come, inhabiting just about every ecotone on this continent.
To know that a disease as serious as CWD is spreading should pain everyone who has ever marveled at a deer slinking over a barbed wire fence. But it is no surprise that it was hunters who were the first to step up to the plate for the animals. In Oklahoma, a CWD monitoring program is in place thanks to funds provided through hunter’s licenses. In Wisconsin, it is hunters who have taken on the grim task of thinning out the deer herd to prevent the spread of CWD, and across the United States it is sportsmen who are carrying much of the financial burden to pay for biologists, veterinarians and pathologists to study the disease.
Is Venison Safe to Eat?
According to current research, there is no scientific evidence linking CWD to human diseases. It is recommended that hunters practice standard safety practices when handling any wild game, or any meat for that matter, as general precautionary measures.
These practices include washing your hands after handling raw meat and cooking the meat at an appropriate temperature.
"In my opinion, venison is just as safe as any other game meat," said Mike Shaw, head deer biologist for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.
Even in the parts of Wyoming and Colorado where chronic wasting disease is found, less than six percent of deer are infected.
A few precautions are recommended:
1) Don't shoot an animal that is acting abnormally or looks sick. 2) Wear rubber or latex gloves when you field-dress your animal. 3) Don't eat deer brains or spinal cord. 4) Bone out your deer meat and discard the brain, spinal cord, eyes, spleen, and lymph nodes.
Prions: New germs
In 1972 neurologist Stanley Prusiner lost a patient to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a TSE that affect humans. Prusiner was serving his residency at the University of California’s School of Medicine and was astounded by the lack of information about the rare disease.
Two years later he set up his own laboratory at the University of California-San Francisco and set out to get to the root cause of scrapie, Creutzfeldt-Jakob and other TSE’s.
He took two known facts about the disease and came up with an astounding conclusion. He knew that scrapie infected tissue showed no signs of foreign DNA. He also knew that the only disinfectant techniques that affected the scrapie "germ" were those techniques that broke down not only DNA, but also proteins. From these two facts he assumed that the scrapie "germ" was a simple protein without DNA.
The notion seemed impossible in scientific circles. Since the 1950’s scientists had been working on the basis that proteins were duplicated using a blueprint provided by DNA. Prusiner was saying that these proteinaceous infectious particles, or prions for short, could recreate themselves without ever using DNA. His theory was accepted with just about the same enthusiasm that early mapmakers shared with Columbus when he told them the earth was round.
Prusiner spent the next two decades proving his theory and his efforts were rewarded in 1997 when he won the Nobel Prize for medicine. Although a few skeptics still remain, it is now generally accepted that prions play a causative role in CWD and other TSE’s.
The Worth of a Healthy Deer Herd
Wildlife agencies across the United States are scrambling to protect deer herds in their areas from the ravaging effects of CWD.
It is no wonder why. Not only are deer a beautiful natural resource and part of a rich hunting heritage, they also provide a significant economic impact. The annual pilgrimage of hunters into the woods each fall means big bucks, in more ways than one. In Oklahoma alone, 261,000 hunters, most of which are deer hunters, spent over $2.6 million on hunting expenditures according to a recent survey. While hunters are after deer, they spend money to gas their vehicles, eat meals and purchase equipment. These dollars go back into Oklahoma communities, particularly those in rural areas.
In an effort to keep Oklahoma’s deer safe from CWD, the Wildlife Conservation Commission has suspended the import of live deer and elk into the state from states that have CWD in their free-ranging deer herds. By suspending import of potentially infected animals, the Department hopes to avoid the consequences of the disease and the potential costs of controlling CWD. The detection of the disease has had immense economic impact on states such as Wisconsin where the disease was discovered last year. Within the first month after detection, the Wisconsin wildlife management agency spent approximately $250,000 in control and public information efforts and will spend upwards of $2.5 million this year as a result of CWD control efforts. The agency continues to try to control the spread of the disease and has publicly outlined plans to kill all 30,000 estimated animals in the focal area where infected animals have been found.
Wisconsin is not the only state fighting CWD. As an example, a supplemental appropriation of $300,143 has been made in Colorado to help combat the disease and more appropriations are being considered. Saskatchewan has spent approximately $30 million in attempts at eradicating the disease in infected commercially operated game farms.
*** While elk were historically found in Oklahoma, the majority of the current private lands elk population found in the state is the result of animals that were either intentionally liberated or escaped from a captive facility.
*** Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in deer and elk – *** has been recently confirmed in a captive elk herd in Oklahoma County
FEBRUARY 2001 NEWS RELEASES
A degenerative brain disease similar to mad cow disease - called Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in deer and elk – *** has been recently confirmed in a captive elk herd in Oklahoma County, but has never been documented in wild deer or elk in Oklahoma. Even if the disease did exist in wild herds, there has never been a confirmed case of a hunter contracting it through hunting or eating venison.
Deer Management Assistance Program: Erik Bartholomew - (405) 385-1791erik.bartholomew@odwc.ok.gov erik.bartholomew@odwc.ok.gov; doug.schoeling@odwc.ok.gov doug.schoeling@odwc.ok.gov; nichole.carrillo@ag.ok.gov
Oklahoma Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion Surveillance and Testing History ???
Oklahoma
Chronic Wasting Disease Surveillance in Oklahoma: Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a progressive, fatal, degenerative neurological disease that affects deer, elk, and moose.
First recognized in 1967 in captive mule deer in Colorado, CWD now affects free-ranging cervids in at least 15 states and 2 Canadian provinces. Research suggests that transmission may occur via several routes, with environmental contamination likely playing a significant role.
In 1998, a captive elk herd in central Oklahoma was diagnosed with CWD.
Infected animals in this herd originated in Montana, and although the herd was depopulated in September 2002, there remains the concern for possible exposure of native wild deer populations.
Since that time numerous captive cervid facilities have developed in Oklahoma.
Additionally, CWD has been located in free-ranging animals in multiple states including Texas, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, and Missouri.
From 1997 to 2012, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) Veterinary Services, and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture took a proactive approach to protect Oklahomas deer and elk resource.
This approach helped to reassure hunters, the general public, deer processors, taxidermists, rendering companies, and the states trading partners that Oklahomas wild deer population is free of CWD and to reduce the potential threat to human health concerns.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) funding supplied to ODWC is to conduct surveillance for CWD in Oklahoma and at the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge (WMNWR).
Funding received during the first year of this project will focus on CWD surveillance in southwest Oklahoma, which includes the WMNWR.
Surveillance will shift to other regions of Oklahoma in subsequent years if funding is available.
Funding for this project was received through the USFWS National Wildlife Refuge System Wildlife Health Office.
As such, eligible entities for this funding are USFWS divisions and programs or State wildlife management agencies that form partnerships with one or more USFWS National Wildlife Refuges.
Hence, ODWC is one such entity and responsible for the management of white-tailed deer and elk populations in Oklahoma.
WMNWR and ODWC formed such a partnership in order to jointly utilize this funding and conduct CWD surveillance in Oklahoma and on the WMNWR.
Depending upon funding allocations, this project could be funded for up to 5 years.
Federal Grant Title: Chronic Wasting Disease Surveillance in Oklahoma Federal Agency Name: Fish and Wildlife Service Grant Categories: Natural Resources Type of Opportunity: Discretionary Funding Opportunity Number: F14AS00385 Type of Funding: Grant CFDA Numbers: 15.650 CFDA Descriptions: Research Grants (Generic) Current Application Deadline: Aug 14, 2014 Notice of Intent to Award Single Source Original Application Deadline: Aug 14, 2014 Notice of Intent to Award Single Source Posted Date: Aug 8, 2014 Creation Date: Aug 8, 2014 Archive Date: Aug 7, 2015 Total Program Funding: $32250 Maximum Federal Grant Award: $32250 Minimum Federal Grant Award: $6450 Expected Number of Awards: 1 Cost Sharing or Matching: No
Applicants Eligible for this Grant State governments Grant Announcement Contact Michelle L. Willcox, Grants Specialist, 505-248-7486 michelle_willcox@fws.govmichelle_willcox@fws.gov
Fish and Wildlife Service 703-358-2459
Ear tags had been discarded in the Oklahoma CWD elk case, causing uncertainty in trace-back (limited to Montana, Idaho, or Utah). Oklahoma:
-- In June,1998 CW) was diagnosed in a captive elk in Oklahoma.
-- The Oklahoma herd received more than 80 elk from commercial sources in Montana and Idaho.
-- Animals from the same origins as the Oklahoma herd went to 13 other ranches in Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, Alberta, and Saskatchewan in the past 11 years, plus many secondary movements. [8]
-- no control or surveillance program.
Utah:
-- one trace-back zoo in Salt Lake City from elk possibly associated to Oklahoma game farm.
-- One 30 year old hunter dying of CJD of unknown origin (not familial or iatrogenic).
-- 135 deer sampled in 1998, 90 tested, all negative so far, pathology done in-state. Unpublished UF&G.
Montana:
-- Single trace-back elk game farm under quarantine from Oklahoma case, though importer destroyed ear tag.
-- Single trace-forward elk game farm that had bought elk from trace-back game farm connected to Oklahoma
Iowa, Illinois, Texas, and Wisconsin:
-- These states have trace-forward herds from an infected herd in Nebraska.
-- Missouri also sold elk from this herd at auction to buyers in unknown states.
-- Wisconsin has additional trace-forward game farms from affected South Dakota game farms [7]
-- Michigan allows deer to concentrate at bait stations, spread of tuberculosis attributed to this in NE Lower Peninsula [7].
Vermont:
-- ancedotal trace-forward herds from Colorado and Wyoming
Idaho:
-- no reported CWD, possible trace-back herd based on Oklahoma case, hold order on elk farm.
-- elk ranchers forced regulatory change to ag department to avoid regs.
http://www.mad-cow.org/99feb_cwd_special.html
PROGRAM GUIDELINES FOR OKLAHOMA CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE (CWD) CERVID SURVEILLANCE AND CERTIFICATION STATUS PROGRAM
http://www.oda.state.ok.us/ais/aiscervidaemonitor.pdf
Dec. 19, 2013
A service of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation
Wildlife Department offering online public comment period for proposed regulation changes
Sportsmen have the opportunity to log on to wildlifedepartment.com to voice their thoughts on a list of Oklahoma hunting and fishing related rule change proposals.
Most notable is a proposal to expand private lands elk hunting opportunity to statewide. For several years elk have been hunted on private lands in Caddo, Comanche, and Kiowa counties in southwest Oklahoma. More recently, Adair, Cherokee, Delaware, Mayes, Muskogee and Sequoyah counties in the northeast part of the state were added to the list of locations where these animals could be pursued by hunters.
While elk were historically found in Oklahoma, the majority of the current private lands elk population found in the state is the result of animals that were either intentionally liberated or ***escaped from a captive facility. A recent survey showed that at least 30 of the state's 77 counties are home to elk. The proposal will allow elk hunting opportunity in every county of the state. The popular controlled hunts program will not be affected by this proposal and will continue to offer hunters lucky enough to draw a permit the chance to pursue elk on certain state and federal managed areas.
http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/newsreleasearchive/2013/1213.htm
Monthly Activity Report Wildlife Division: February Alan Peoples, Chief Bill Dinkines, Assistant Chief Wildlife & Lands Management
CWD-95-12- Attended SE Deer Study Group meeting in Destin, FL. Reviewed literature from other states regarding new CWD cases in Virginia, Missouri, and West Virginia. Discussed CWD response plan with USDA HVIC. Provided CWD status update for Oklahoma at SEDSG meeting in Florida.
http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/employee/2012/april/wildlife.pdf
Monthly Activity Report Wildlife Division: March Alan Peoples, Chief Bill Dinkines, Assistant Chief Wildlife & Lands Management
CWD9512- Assisted with 2 roadkill deer in NW OKC for CWD samples. Removed obex from roadkilled deer. Disposed of heads. Traveled to reported roadkill location, evaluated deer for suitability. Removed unsuitable roadkill from roadway. Researched IR camera purchase. Researched and purchased digital camera.
http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/employee/2012/may/wildlife.pdf
Monthly Activity Report Wildlife Division: January, 2013 Alan Peoples, Chief Bill Dinkines, Assistant Chief Wildlife & Lands Management
095-CWD-13- Pulled CWD sample on road-killed deer. Prepared quarterly report, determined rollover/add-on for next budget cycle. Submitted paperwork to APHIS. Checked on and purchased equipment for CWD grant.
http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/employee/2013/March/Wildlife%20Feb.pdf
Monthly Activity Report Wildlife Division: April, 2013 Alan Peoples, Chief Bill Dinkines, Assistant Chief Wildlife & Lands Management
095-CWD-13- Held a meeting with ODAFF regarding captive cervid program and shared concerns regarding transmission of CWD from captive herds to native animals. Met with ODWC Wildlife Div. staff prior to ODAFF meeting to solidify Dept. position.
http://wildlifedepartment.com/employee/2013/July/Wildlife.pdf
Monthly Activity Report Wildlife Division: April, 2014 Alan Peoples, Chief Bill Dinkines, Assistant Chief Wildlife & Lands Management
F12AF00615- Big Game: Entered deer data from DMAP, DCAP and check station books onto spreadsheets. Entered student data for deer ages into spreadsheet. Completed DMAP summaries for each cooperator. Made copy of age sheets for each DMAP cooperator. Mailed DMAP summary packets. Sent DMAP summaries to each biologist for their properties. Bundled 10,000 carcass tags for 2014 season. Updated 2013 DMAP compliance spreadsheet. Made new 2014 spreadsheets for DMAP by biologists and by county. Aged deer jaws. Entered data, prepped data, edited data, and began SAS runs of data, started building tables for BGR. Research trailer and gun for SCI grant, prepped, and submitted grants request. Prep for field day in Okmulgee. Discuss CWD funding opportunity, responded to RMEF grant department on Dewey County survey, Send IE 2014-15 deer season dates. Submitted samples to SCWDS for testing. Discussions with supervisors about long range deer plan.
http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/employee/2014/may/wildlife.pdf
FEBRUARY 2001 NEWS RELEASES
> A degenerative brain disease similar to mad cow disease - called Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in deer and elk - has been recently confirmed in a captive elk herd in Oklahoma County Oklahoma Venison and Elk Safe To Eat
Recent media reports linking eating wild deer meat to a form of “mad cow disease” have been sensationalized, and hunters should not been worried about their venison, according to officials with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.
A degenerative brain disease similar to mad cow disease - called Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in deer and elk - has been recently confirmed in a captive elk herd in Oklahoma County, but has never been documented in wild deer or elk in Oklahoma. Even if the disease did exist in wild herds, there has never been a confirmed case of a hunter contracting it through hunting or eating venison.
“Chronic Wasting Disease has occurred in Colorado and Wyoming for 30 years, but nobody who has hunted there or eaten venison from those animals has come down with CWD,” said Mike Shaw, wildlife research supervisor for the Wildlife Department. “A hunter from Vinita contracted Creuztfelt-Jacob Disease (CJD), a related spongiform encephalopathy, in 1999, but the National Center for Disease Control never established a positive connection to his eating deer meat. We even investigated the possible link by sampling 16 deer from the area where the man hunted. None of the deer tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease. In addition, we have tested more than 200 deer from other parts of the state, and those deer have all been negative for CWD.”
In fact, nationally there are over 11 million big game hunters, and only two confirmed reports of hunters contracting Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease, Shaw said. The Center for Disease Control investigated both cases and concluded that their contracting CJD was coincidental to hunting.
“There is always a risk involved with handling any type of animals, domestic or wild, but that risk is very small,” he said. “The odds are many times greater that someone would be struck by lightning or die from a bee sting.”
Shaw said there are two precautions that anyone concerned about chronic wasting disease can take. Wearing protective gloves when dressing and butchering animals and avoiding consumption of brain and spinal cord tissue are good precautionary measures.
Dr. Gene Eskew, a veterinarian with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, said the captive elk in Oklahoma County are under quarantine, and they do not believe any infected elk have been killed for human consumption. Only four of the 140 elk have contracted the disease thus far. Agriculture Department officials will be watching for additional elk deaths, and will test the animals immediately through the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa.
“As a biological scientist who has studied deer most of my life, I can honestly say that I don’t see any danger in eating deer meat because there just isn’t any scientific evidence proving that Chronic Wasting Disease can cause Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease,” Shaw said. “There are far too many other things to worry about; real dangers like driving to work, having a heart attack because you don’t exercise enough or getting stung by a bee.
http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/newsreleasearchive/2001/02-01nr.htm
FEBRUARY 2001 NEWS RELEASES
A degenerative brain disease similar to mad cow disease - called Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in deer and elk – *** has been recently confirmed in a captive elk herd in Oklahoma County, but has never been documented in wild deer or elk in Oklahoma. Even if the disease did exist in wild herds, there has never been a confirmed case of a hunter contracting it through hunting or eating venison.
http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/newsreleasearchive/2001/02-01nr.htm
Farmed Cervidae
“Farmed Cervidae” are cervid species raised in captivity for the purpose of supplying the commercial hunting industry with livestock. In Oklahoma, the majority of this industry is whitetail deer with elk making up a smaller portion. These animals are intensively managed, fed, and selectively bred for antler mass, spread, and classification (typical vs. non-typical). Not all farmed cervidae are ultimately hunted, however. As global demand for venison rises, some animals are raised for slaughter, while other producers raise farmed cervidae for the sole purpose of hobby and enjoyment.
Current Topics
•License renewal applications for Farmed Cervidae Facilities will be mailed out in January and are due by April 1, 2016.
•Annual CWD Inventories and Triannual Tuberculosis/Brucellosis Testing is due between January 1, 2016 and April 1, 2016 for applicable herds.
•Cervid imports into Oklahoma from Missouri are once again permissible since Missouri is currently accepting cervid imports from Oklahoma.
Import Requirements
All cervidae imported into the state of Oklahoma must have the following: an approved permit application, valid certificate of veterinary inspection, proper identification, tuberculosis and brucellosis testing, and chronic wasting disease herd certification status. The permit application below explains these requirements in full. The veterinarian of the consignor in the exporting state completes and submits the permit application and certificate of veterinary inspection. The consignee of any import must hold a valid farmed cervidae facility license or commercial hunting area license. Cervidae imports are restricted from any county where Chronic Wasting Disease has been identified among free-ranging cervidae (map linked below).
•Cervidae Import Permit Application
•Import Requirements of Other States
• Map of CWD Positive Counties
Facility Licensing
Any farmed cervidae facility in Oklahoma maintaining whitetail deer, mule deer, red deer, or elk is required to be licensed by The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture. The purpose of facility licensing is multifold: to prevent the commingling of native cervidae with captive cervidae, to protect the farmed cervidae and hunting industries in Oklahoma from chronic wasting disease, and to protect the farmed cervidae and cattle industries of Oklahoma from the controlled diseases the two have in common. The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation licenses commercial hunting areas in Oklahoma where the majority of farmed cervidae are ultimately harvested.
•Farmed Cervidae License Application
•Oklahoma Farmed Cervidae Act & Rules
•Licensing Explained
• Carcass Disposal Regulations
Exotic Cervidae Species Registration
All species in the Cervidae Family (other than whitetail deer, mule deer, red deer, and elk) are currently considered “exotics” by Oklahoma regulations and are exempt from facility licensing. However, due to the concern of controlled diseases, owners of these species must register with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture unless already licensed by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation or USDA Animal Care. This registration will also help keep registrants informed of any emergency disease information.
Please submit the completed form below to nichole.carrillo@ag.ok.gov or Fax 405-522-0756.
Exotic Cervidae Owner Registration Form
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Herd Certification Program (HCP)
The CWD HCP is a voluntary surveillance program designed to verify that a cervidae herd is low risk for CWD. Federal rule and program standards for interstate transport of cervidae and a national CWD HCP were passed in August 2012 and implemented by ODAFF. Herds that complete five years of the program with no evidence of CWD are designated as “certified” and are allowed to transport cervidae species interstate. Producers can purchase CWD certified cervidae and “inherit” the status of the original herd or can start with non-monitored animals at year one and work their way up through the program year-by-year. CWD herd certification not only allows herds to be moved interstate, it also adds value to a herd while helping producers protect the health of their animals. A CWD HCP application must be submitted to ODAFF and approved for participation in the program.
•CWD HCP Application and Inventory Form
•CWD Inventory and Inspections Explained Presentation
•Map of CWD Certified Veterinarians
•CWD HCP Federal Rule
• CWD HCP Program Standards
• USDA CWD HCP WebPage
http://www.oda.state.ok.us/ais/farmedcervidae.htm
*** Oklahoma Captive figures for CWD testing and surveillance will come at a later date, and this url will but updated...tss ***
*** •Cervid imports into Oklahoma from Missouri are once again permissible since Missouri is currently accepting cervid imports from Oklahoma.
Sunday, March 06, 2016
Missouri 2015-2016 CWD Surveillance Summary to Date, with confirmed cases mounting
Snip...See full text;
Tuesday, March 08, 2016
Oklahoma Chronic Wasting Disease CWD of Deer and Elk Surveillance, Testing, and Preparedness ???
TEXAS CWD 2023
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14, 2023
Texas TPWD CWD 508 Cases Confirmed To Date
TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 2023
USAHA Report of the Subcommittee on Farmed Cervidae CWD TSE Prion Herds 2015 to 2023
Snip…see full text;
“CWD transmission to humans or livestock has not been documented. However, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends, as a precaution, that people or animals do not eat any part of an animal diagnosed with or showing signs of CWD.”
***> Price of TSE Prion Poker goes up substantially, all you cattle ranchers and such, better pay close attention here...terry <***
Transmission of the chronic wasting disease agent from elk to cattle after oronasal exposure
Justin Greenlee, Jifeng Bian, Zoe Lambert, Alexis Frese, and Eric Cassmann Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA-ARS, Ames, IA, USA
Aims: The purpose of this study was to determine the susceptibility of cattle to chronic wasting disease agent from elk.
Materials and Methods: Initial studies were conducted in bovinized mice using inoculum derived from elk with various genotypes at codon 132 (MM, LM, LL). Based upon attack rates, inoculum (10% w/v brain homogenate) from an LM132 elk was selected for transmission studies in cattle. At approximately 2 weeks of age, one wild type steer (EE211) and one steer with the E211K polymorphism (EK211) were fed 1 mL of brain homogenate in a quart of milk replacer while another 1 mL was instilled intranasally. The cattle were examined daily for clinical signs for the duration of the experiment. One steer is still under observation at 71 months post-inoculation (mpi).
Results: Inoculum derived from MM132 elk resulted in similar attack rates and incubation periods in mice expressing wild type or K211 bovine PRNP, 35% at 531 days post inoculation (dpi) and 27% at 448 dpi, respectively. Inoculum from LM132 elk had a slightly higher attack rates in mice: 45% (693 dpi) in wild type cattle PRNP and 33% (468) in K211 mice. Inoculum from LL132 elk resulted in the highest attack rate in wild type bovinized mice (53% at 625 dpi), but no K211 mice were affected at >700 days. At approximately 70 mpi, the EK211 genotype steer developed clinical signs suggestive of prion disease, depression, low head carriage, hypersalivation, and ataxia, and was necropsied. Enzyme immunoassay (IDEXX) was positive in brainstem (OD=4.00, but non-detect in retropharyngeal lymph nodes and palatine tonsil. Immunoreactivity was largely limited to the brainstem, midbrain, and cervical spinal cord with a pattern that was primarily glia-associated.
Conclusions: Cattle with the E211K polymorphism are susceptible to the CWD agent after oronasal exposure of 0.2 g of infectious material.
Funded by: This research was funded in its entirety by congressionally appropriated funds to the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. The funders of the work did not influence study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
"Cattle with the E211K polymorphism are susceptible to the CWD agent after oronasal exposure of 0.2 g of infectious material."
=====end
Strain characterization of chronic wasting disease in bovine-PrP transgenic mice
Nuria Jerez-Garrido1, Sara Canoyra1, Natalia Fernández-Borges1, Alba Marín Moreno1, Sylvie L. Benestad2, Olivier Andreoletti3, Gordon Mitchell4, Aru Balachandran4, Juan María Torres1 and Juan Carlos Espinosa1. 1 Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal, CISA-INIA-CSIC, Madrid, Spain. 2 Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Ås, Norway. 3 UMR Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)/École Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse (ENVT), Interactions Hôtes Agents Pathogènes, Toulouse, France. 4 Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Ottawa, Canada.
Aims: Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is an infectious prion disease that affects cervids. Various CWD prion strains have been identified in different cervid species from North America and Europe. The properties of the infectious prion strains are influenced by amino acid changes and polymorphisms in the PrP sequences of different cervid species. This study, aimed to assess the ability of a panel of CWD prion isolates from diverse cervid species from North America and Europe to infect bovine species, as well as to investigate the properties of the prion strains following the adaptation to the bovine-PrP context.
Materials and Methods: BoPrP-Tg110 mice overexpressing the bovine-PrP sequence were inoculated by intracranial route with a panel of CWD prion isolates from both North America (two white-tailed deer and two elk) and Europe (one reindeer, one moose and one red deer).
Results: Our results show distinct behaviours in the transmission of the CWD isolates to the BoPrP-Tg110 mouse model. Some of these isolates did not transmit even after the second passage. Those able to transmit displayed differences in terms of attack rate, survival times, biochemical properties of brain PrPres, and histopathology.
Conclusions: Altogether, these results exhibit the diversity of CWD strains present in the panel of CWD isolates and the ability of at least some CWD isolates to infect bovine species. Cattle being one of the most important farming species, this ability represents a potential threat to both animal and human health, and consequently deserves further study.
Funded by: MCIN/AEI /10.13039/501100011033 and by European Union NextGeneration EU/PRTR
Grant number: PCI2020-120680-2 ICRAD
"Altogether, these results exhibit the diversity of CWD strains present in the panel of CWD isolates and the ability of at least some CWD isolates to infect bovine species. Cattle being one of the most important farming species, this ability represents a potential threat to both animal and human health, and consequently deserves further study."
=====end
cwd scrapie pigs oral routes
***> However, at 51 months of incubation or greater, 5 animals were positive by one or more diagnostic methods. Furthermore, positive bioassay results were obtained from all inoculated groups (oral and intracranial; market weight and end of study) suggesting that swine are potential hosts for the agent of scrapie. <***
>*** Although the current U.S. feed ban is based on keeping tissues from TSE infected cattle from contaminating animal feed, swine rations in the U.S. could contain animal derived components including materials from scrapie infected sheep and goats. These results indicating the susceptibility of pigs to sheep scrapie, coupled with the limitations of the current feed ban, indicates that a revision of the feed ban may be necessary to protect swine production and potentially human health. <***
***> Results: PrPSc was not detected by EIA and IHC in any RPLNs. All tonsils and MLNs were negative by IHC, though the MLN from one pig in the oral <6 month group was positive by EIA. PrPSc was detected by QuIC in at least one of the lymphoid tissues examined in 5/6 pigs in the intracranial <6 months group, 6/7 intracranial >6 months group, 5/6 pigs in the oral <6 months group, and 4/6 oral >6 months group. Overall, the MLN was positive in 14/19 (74%) of samples examined, the RPLN in 8/18 (44%), and the tonsil in 10/25 (40%).
***> Conclusions: This study demonstrates that PrPSc accumulates in lymphoid tissues from pigs challenged intracranially or orally with the CWD agent, and can be detected as early as 4 months after challenge. CWD-infected pigs rarely develop clinical disease and if they do, they do so after a long incubation period. This raises the possibility that CWD-infected pigs could shed prions into their environment long before they develop clinical disease. Furthermore, lymphoid tissues from CWD-infected pigs could present a potential source of CWD infectivity in the animal and human food chains.
Conclusions: This study demonstrates that PrPSc accumulates in lymphoid tissues from pigs challenged intracranially or orally with the CWD agent, and can be detected as early as 4 months after challenge. CWD-infected pigs rarely develop clinical disease and if they do, they do so after a long incubation period. This raises the possibility that CWD-infected pigs could shed prions into their environment long before they develop clinical disease. Furthermore, lymphoid tissues from CWD-infected pigs could present a potential source of CWD infectivity in the animal and human food chains.
Volume 31, Number 1—January 2025
Dispatch
Detection of Prions in Wild Pigs (Sus scrofa) from Areas with Reported Chronic Wasting Disease Cases, United States
Paulina Soto, Francisca Bravo-Risi, Rebeca Benavente, Tucker H. Stimming, Michael J. Bodenchuk, Patrick Whitley, Clint Turnage, Terry R. Spraker, Justin Greenlee, Glenn Telling, Jennifer Malmberg, Thomas Gidlewski, Tracy Nichols, Vienna R. Brown, and Rodrigo Morales Author affiliation: The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Texas, USA (P. Soto, F. Bravo-Risi, R. Benavente, T.H. Stimming, R. Morales); Centro Integrativo de Biologia y Quimica Aplicada, Universidad Bernardo O’Higgins, Santiago, Chile (P. Soto, F. Bravo-Risi, R. Morales); US Department of Agriculture, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA (M.J. Bodenchuk, P. Whitley, C. Turnage, J. Malmberg, T. Gidlewski, T. Nichols, V.R. Brown); Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA (T.R. Spraker, G. Telling); US Department of Agriculture, Ames, Iowa, USA (J. Greenlee) Suggested citation for this article
Abstract
Using a prion amplification assay, we identified prions in tissues from wild pigs (Sus scrofa) living in areas of the United States with variable chronic wasting disease (CWD) epidemiology. Our findings indicate that scavenging swine could play a role in disseminating CWD and could therefore influence its epidemiology, geographic distribution, and interspecies spread.
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease of particular concern because of its uncontrolled contagious spread among various cervid species in North America (https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/distribution-chronic-wasting-disease-north-america-0External Link), its recent discovery in Nordic countries (1), and its increasingly uncertain zoonotic potential (2). CWD is the only animal prion disease affecting captive as well as wild animals. Persistent shedding of prions by CWD-affected animals and resulting environmental contamination is considered a major route of transmission contributing to spread of the disease. Carcasses of CWD-affected animals represent relevant sources of prion infectivity to multiple animal species that can develop disease or act as vectors to spread infection to new locations.
Free-ranging deer are sympatric with multiple animal species, including some that act as predators, scavengers, or both. Experimental transmissions to study the potential for interspecies CWD transmissions have been attempted in raccoons, ferrets, cattle, sheep, and North American rodents (3–7). Potential interspecies CWD transmission has also been addressed using transgenic (Tg) mice expressing prion proteins (PrP) from relevant animal species (8). Although no reports of natural interspecies CWD transmissions have been documented, experimental studies strongly suggest the possibility for interspecies transmission in nature exists (3–7). Inoculation and serial passage studies reveal the potential of CWD prions to adapt to noncervid species, resulting in emergence of novel prion strains with unpredicted features (9–11).
Wild pigs (Sus scrofa), also called feral swine, are an invasive population comprising domestic swine, Eurasian wild boar, and hybrids of the 2 species (12). Wild pig populations have become established in the United States (Appendix Figure 1, panel A), enabled by their high rates of fecundity; omnivorous and opportunistic diet; and widespread, often human-mediated movement (13). Wild pigs scavenge carcasses on the landscape and have an intimate relationship with the soil because of their routine rooting and wallowing behaviors (14). CWD prions have been experimentally transmitted to domestic pigs by intracerebral and oral exposure routes (15), which is relevant because wild pigs coexist with cervids in CWD endemic areas and reportedly prey on fawns and scavenge deer carcasses. Considering the species overlap in many parts of the United States (Appendix Figure 1, panel B), we studied potential interactions between wild pigs and CWD prions.
Snip…
Conclusions
In summary, results from this study showed that wild pigs are exposed to cervid prions, although the pigs seem to display some resistance to infection via natural exposure. Future studies should address the susceptibility of this invasive animal species to the multiple prion strains circulating in the environment. Nonetheless, identification of CWD prions in wild pig tissues indicated the potential for pigs to move prions across the landscape, which may, in turn, influence the epidemiology and geographic spread of CWD.
CDC, About Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)
KEY POINTS
Chronic wasting disease affects deer, elk and similar animals in the United States and a few other countries.
The disease hasn't been shown to infect people.
However, it might be a risk to people if they have contact with or eat meat from animals infected with CWD.
DETECTION OF CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE PRIONS IN PROCESSED MEATS.
Abstract
The zoonotic potential of chronic wasting disease (CWD) remains unknown. Currently, there are no known natural cases of CWD transmission to humans but increasing evidence suggests that the host range of CWD is not confined only to cervid species. Alarmingly, recent experimental evidence suggests that certain CWD isolates can induce disease in non-human primates. While the CDC strongly recommends determining CWD status in animals prior to consumption, this practice is voluntary. Consequently, it is plausible that a proportion of the cervid meat entering the human food chain may be contaminated with CWD. Of additional concern is that traditional diagnostic techniques used to detect CWD have relatively low sensitivity and are only approved for use in tissues other than those typically ingested by humans. In this study, we analyzed different processed meats derived from a pre-clinical, CWD-positive free-ranging elk. Products tested included filets, sausages, boneless steaks, burgers, ham steaks, seasoned chili meats, and spiced meats. CWD-prion presence in these products were assessed by PMCA using deer and elk substrates. Our results show positive prion detection in all products. To confirm the resilience of CWD-prions to traditional cooking methods, we grilled and boiled the meat products and evaluated them for any remnant PMCA seeding activity. Results confirmed the presence of CWD-prions in these meat products suggesting that infectious particles may still be available to people even after cooking. Our results strongly suggest ongoing human exposure to CWD-prions and raise significant concerns of zoonotic transmission through ingestion of CWD contaminated meat products.
***> Products tested included filets, sausages, boneless steaks, burgers, ham steaks, seasoned chili meats, and spiced meats.
***> CWD-prion presence in these products were assessed by PMCA using deer and elk substrates.
***> Our results show positive prion detection in all products.
***> Results confirmed the presence of CWD-prions in these meat products suggesting that infectious particles may still be available to people even after cooking.
***> Our results strongly suggest ongoing human exposure to CWD-prions and raise significant concerns of zoonotic transmission through ingestion of CWD contaminated meat products.
Transmission of prion infectivity from CWD-infected macaque tissues to rodent models demonstrates the zoonotic potential of chronic wasting disease.
Samia Hannaoui1,2, Ginny Cheng1,2, Wiebke Wemheuer3, Walter Schulz-Schaeffer3, Sabine Gilch1,2, Hermann Schatzl1,2 1University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada. 2Calgary Prion Research Unit, Calgary, Canada. 3Institute of Neuropathology, Medical Faculty, Saarland University, Homburg/Saar, Germany
Snip…
***> Further passage to cervidized mice revealed transmission with a 100% attack rate.
***> Our findings demonstrate that macaques, considered the best model for the zoonotic potential of prions, were infected upon CWD challenge, including the oral one.
****> The disease manifested as atypical in macaques and initial transgenic mouse transmissions, but with infectivity present at all times, as unveiled in the bank vole model with an unusual tissue tropism.
***> Epidemiologic surveillance of prion disease among cervid hunters and people likely to have consumed venison contaminated with chronic wasting disease
=====
Transmission of Cervid Prions to Humanized Mice Demonstrates the Zoonotic Potential of CWD
Samia Hannaouia, Irina Zemlyankinaa, Sheng Chun Changa, Maria Immaculata Arifina, Vincent Béringueb, Debbie McKenziec, Hermann M. Schatzla, and Sabine Gilcha
Results: Here, we provide the strongest evidence supporting the zoonotic potential of CWD prions, and their possible phenotype in humans. Inoculation of mice expressing human PrPCwith deer CWD isolates (strains Wisc-1 and 116AG) resulted in atypical clinical manifestations in > 75% of the mice, with myoclonus as leading clinical sign. Most of tg650brain homogenates were positive for seeding activity in RT-QuIC. Clinical disease and presentation was transmissible to tg650 mice and bank voles. Intriguingly, protease-resistant PrP in the brain of tg650 mice resembled that found in a familial human prion disease and was transmissible upon passage. Abnormal PrP aggregates upon infection with Wisc-1 were detectable in thalamus, hypothalamus, and midbrain/pons regions.
Unprecedented in human prion disease, feces of CWD-inoculated tg650 mice harbored prion seeding activity and infectious prions, as shown by inoculation of bank voles and tg650 with fecal homogenates.
Conclusions: This is the first evidence that CWD can infect humans and cause disease with a distinctive clinical presentation, signature, and tropism, which might be transmissible between humans while current diagnostic assays might fail to detect it. These findings have major implications for public health and CWD-management.
The finding that infectious PrPSc was shed in fecal material of CWD-infected humanized mice and induced clinical disease, different tropism, and typical three banding pattern-PrPres in bank voles that is transmissible upon second passage is highly concerning for public health. The fact that this biochemical signature in bank voles resembles that of the Wisc-1 original deer isolate and is different from that of bvWisc-1, in the migration profile and the glyco-form-ratio, is valid evidence that these results are not a product of contamination in our study. If CWD in humans is found to be contagious and transmissible among humans, as it is in cervids [57], the spread of the disease within humans might become endemic.
Transmission of cervid prions to humanized mice demonstrates the zoonotic potential of CWD
Acta Neuropathol 144, 767–784 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00401-022-02482-9
Published
22 August 2022
Fortuitous generation of a zoonotic cervid prion strain
Aims: Whether CWD prions can infect humans remains unclear despite the very substantial scale and long history of human exposure of CWD in many states or provinces of USA and Canada. Multiple in vitro conversion experiments and in vivo animal studies indicate that the CWD-to-human transmission barrier is not unbreakable. A major long-term public health concern on CWD zoonosis is the emergence of highly zoonotic CWD strains. We aim to address the question of whether highly zoonotic CWD strains are possible.
Materials and Methods: We inoculated several sCJD brain samples into cervidized transgenic mice (Tg12), which were intended as negative controls for bioassays of brain tissues from sCJD cases who had potentially been exposed to CWD. Some of the Tg12 mice became infected and their brain tissues were further examined by Western blot as well as serial passages in humanized or cervidized mice.
Results: Passage of sCJDMM1 in transgenic mice expressing elk PrP (Tg12) resulted in a “cervidized” CJD strain that we termed CJDElkPrP. We observed 100% transmission of the original CJDElkPrP in transgenic mice expressing human PrP. We passaged CJDElkPrP two more times in the Tg12 mice. We found that such second and third passage CJDElkPrP prions retained 100% transmission rate in the humanized mice, despite that the natural elk CWD isolates and CJDElkPrP share the same elk PrP sequence. In contrast, we and others found zero or poor transmission of natural elk CWD isolates in humanized mice.
Conclusions: Our data indicate that highly zoonotic cervid prion strains are not only possible but also can retain zoonotic potential after serial passages in cervids, suggesting a very significant and serious long-term risk of CWD zoonosis given that the broad and continuing spread of CWD prions will provide fertile grounds for the emergence of zoonotic CWD strains over time.
The finding that infectious PrPSc was shed in fecal material of CWD-infected humanized mice and induced clinical disease, different tropism, and typical three banding pattern-PrPres in bank voles that is transmissible upon second passage is highly concerning for public health. The fact that this biochemical signature in bank voles resembles that of the Wisc-1 original deer isolate and is different from that of bvWisc-1, in the migration profile and the glyco-form-ratio, is valid evidence that these results are not a product of contamination in our study. If CWD in humans is found to be contagious and transmissible among humans, as it is in cervids [57], the spread of the disease within humans might become endemic.
Transmission of cervid prions to humanized mice demonstrates the zoonotic potential of CWD
Acta Neuropathol 144, 767–784 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00401-022-02482-9
Published
22 August 2022
Oklahoma CWD past history;
THURSDAY, MAY 09, 2024
Oklahoma HB3462 Chronic Wasting Disease Genetic Improvement Act and Legislating CWD Science
WEDNESDAY, JULY 05, 2023
OKLAHOMA CONFIRMS SECOND CWD POSITIVE WTD OKLAHOMA CONFIRMS SECOND CWD POSITIVE WTD
SECOND CWD-POSITIVE WILD DEER CONFIRMED IN OKLAHOMA
Jul 3, 2023 A second wild white-tailed deer has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Oklahoma.
The deer was located about 15 miles east of Woodward in Woodward County after a landowner reported the deer behaving abnormally.
Oklahoma's first case of a wild deer infected with CWD was confirmed the first week of June in Texas County, prompting the activation of the next stage in the state's CWD Response Strategy jointly produced by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry.
“We will be working through our response plan implementing surveillance efforts and steps to monitor and slow the potential spread of this disease. Our ultimate goal is to ensure healthy and well-managed deer with as little impact to either the resource or our constituents as possible,” said Jerry Shaw, Wildlife Programs Supervisor with ODWC.
CWD is an always-fatal neurological disease that affects the brains of deer, elk, moose, and other members of the cervid family, creating holes resembling those in sponges. CWD transmission from wild animals to people or to livestock has never been documented.
The Wildlife Department has conducted CWD monitoring on hunter-harvested deer and elk, and road-killed deer, since 1999.
Department staff will continue monitoring for evidence of CWD within Oklahoma’s borders and will release additional information, including ways deer and elk hunters can help with detection and mitigation, as hunting seasons approach.
Additional guidelines or management plans will be distributed and well-advertised if determined necessary to further protect Oklahoma’s deer and elk populations.
Additional human health information relating to CWD is available at https://www.usgs.gov/centers/nwhc/science/chronic-wasting-disease#publications
For more information on the disease, hunting regulations, and proper disposal of infected animals, go to https://www.wildlifedepartment.com/hunting/resources/deer/cwd
Oklahoma confirms second positive CWD
Oklahoma Detects First Wild Deer Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion
ODWC ACTIVATES CWD RESPONSE STRATEGY AFTER DISEASED WILD DEER FOUND IN PANHANDLE
Jun 6, 2023
A white-tailed deer in the Oklahoma Panhandle has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD).
A Texas County landowner reported the deer to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation after witnessing it behaving abnormally. The deer was recovered near Optima and testing was conducted.
This marks the first case of CWD in a wild deer in Oklahoma.
ODWC has activated the next stage of the CWD Response Strategy jointly produced with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry.
“While this is unfortunate news, it is not unexpected since CWD has already been detected in every state that borders Oklahoma. We will be working through our response plan to ensure we can monitor potential spread and keep our state’s deer herd healthy,” said Jerry Shaw, Wildlife Programs Supervisor with ODWC.
CWD is an always-fatal neurological disease that affects the brains of deer, elk, moose, and other members of the cervid family, creating holes that resemble those in sponges. It’s important to note that CWD transmission from wild animals to people or to livestock has never been documented
The Wildlife Department has conducted CWD monitoring on hunter-harvested deer and elk, and road-killed deer, since 1999. This case marks the first time the disease has been detected in laboratory testing of tissue samples from more than 10,000 wild deer and elk from throughout Oklahoma.
The Wildlife Department will continue monitoring for evidence of this disease within Oklahoma’s borders and will release additional information, including ways deer and elk hunters can help with detection and mitigation, as hunting seasons approach.
Additional guidelines or management plans will be distributed and well-advertised if determined necessary to further protect Oklahoma’s deer and elk populations.
Additional human health information relating to CWD is available at https://www.usgs.gov/centers/nwhc/science/chronic-wasting-disease#publications
For more information on the disease, hunting regulations, and proper disposal of infected animals, go to
https://www.wildlifedepartment.com/hunting/resources/deer/cwd
Oklahoma detects first wild CWD
Oklahoma Wild Deer Test Positive for CWD
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2022
OKLAHOMA ODWC ACTIVATES CWD RESPONSE PLAN AFTER DISEASED DEER FOUND WITHIN MILES OF PANHANDLE OKLAHOMA ODWC ACTIVATES CWD RESPONSE PLAN AFTER DISEASED DEER FOUND WITHIN MILES OF PANHANDLE
ODWC ACTIVATES CWD RESPONSE PLAN AFTER DISEASED DEER FOUND WITHIN MILES OF PANHANDLE Sep 9, 2022
A white-tailed deer carcass recently recovered along a Texas road about 2.5 miles south of the Oklahoma border in the western Panhandle south of Felt, Okla., has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD). The CWD positive deer was found in an area of Texas with a history of CWD detection dating back 3 years. Although not inside of our borders, due to the proximity of this finding to Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) has activated the next stage of the CWD Response Plan that was jointly produced with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry.
“With the ability of deer to easily travel many miles in a day, the CWD Response Plan dictates that we respond to this finding as if CWD has now been detected among free-roaming wild deer in Oklahoma,” said Jerry Shaw, Wildlife Programs Supervisor with ODWC.
CWD is an always-fatal neurological disease that affects the brains of deer, elk, moose, and other members of the cervid family, creating holes that resemble those in sponges. It’s important to note in this area of the state that CWD does not affect pronghorn antelope, and CWD transmission from wild animals to humans or livestock has never been documented either.
No CWD-positive wild deer have been found within Oklahoma’s borders. But CWD has been found in two captive elk herds in the state. CWD has been confirmed in wild cervids in every state surrounding Oklahoma. In total, 30 states now have detected CWD within their borders.
The Wildlife Department has conducted CWD monitoring on hunter-harvested deer and elk and road-killed deer since 1999. The disease has not been detected in laboratory testing of tissue samples from more than 10,000 wild deer and elk from throughout Oklahoma.
The Wildlife Department will continue monitoring for evidence of this disease within Oklahoma’s borders and will release additional information, including ways deer and elk hunters can help with detection and mitigation as hunting seasons approach. Additional guidelines or restrictions will be distributed and well-advertised if determined necessary to further protect Oklahoma’s deer and elk populations.
Additional human health information relating to CWD is available at https://www.usgs.gov/centers/nwhc/science/chronic-wasting-disease#publications
For more information on the disease, how it could affect hunting, and proper disposal of infected animals, go to https://www.wildlifedepartment.com/hunting/resources/deer/cwd
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2022
OKLAHOMA ODWC ACTIVATES CWD RESPONSE PLAN AFTER DISEASED DEER FOUND WITHIN MILES OF PANHANDLE OKLAHOMA ODWC ACTIVATES CWD RESPONSE PLAN AFTER DISEASED DEER FOUND WITHIN MILES OF PANHANDLE
Oklahoma CWD Past History
TUESDAY, JANUARY 07, 2020
Oklahoma Farmed Elk Lincoln County CWD Depopulation 3 Positive Elk with 1 Additional Dead Trace Out Confirmed Positive
i was wondering what the results (if any), from all the other cervid that this Elk came into contact with, from any additional testing, was there any, from the existing herd, trace in and outs and such, and herds there from???
was that breeding farm completely depopulated yet, and if so, what are the numbers on any additional positives, if any?
PERSONAL COMMUNICATION @ag.ok.gov Tue, Jan 7, 2020 4:11 pm
We completed the depopulation of the elk herd.
Out of 250 head there were 3 positive elk.
We know of one trace out that died and was tested positive.
Many other trace outs (over 100) have been tested and are negative.
END...TSS
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2019
Oklahoma Farmed Elk Lincoln County has tested positive for chronic wasting disease CWD TSE Prion
JOINT RELEASE FROM THE OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FOOD & FORESTRY AND THE OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE CONSERVATION
Chronic Wasting Disease Confirmed in One Farmed Oklahoma Elk
re-Commission Hears Update on CWD Status in Oklahoma
Fri, May 10, 2019 4:19 pm
Terry Singeltary flounder9@verizon.net
To comdist1 comdist1@odwc.ok.gov Cc comdist2 comdist2@odwc.ok.gov, comdist3 comdist3@odwc.ok.gov, comdist4 comdist4@odwc.ok.gov, comdist5 comdist5@odwc.ok.gov, comdist6 comdist6@odwc.ok.gov, comdist7 comdist7@odwc.ok.gov, comdist8 comdist8@odwc.ok.gov, micah.holmes micah.holmes@odwc.ok.gov
Commission Hears Update on CWD Status in Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission on Monday authorized the Director of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation to take reasonable steps to respond to future developments related to chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Oklahoma.
The authorization by a vote of 5-1 also instructed Director J.D. Strong to bring any such actions to the attention of the Commission as soon as possible after any actions are taken.
CWD is a fatal neurological disease that affects the brains of elk, deer and other cervid species.
No vaccine or treatment for the disease exists. Importantly, no health risk to humans or non-cervid livestock has been documented.
In late April, an elk from a farmed herd in Lincoln County tested positive for CWD.
Strong emphasized that any CWD response related to farmed cervids, cervid breeding facilities or the import and export of farmed cervids is under the jurisdiction of the state Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry.
The Wildlife Department is responsible for managing the wild cervid populations and overseeing cervid hunting facilities.
Strong said the Wildlife Department’s goal is not to make any hasty, large-scale decisions right away in dealing with the threat of CWD, but to take a measured, scientific approach and collect all the information possible before deciding how to best respond to any possible confirmed cases in wild cervids.
He stressed the need for a team approach and expressed his continued willingness to work with the various stakeholder groups in finalizing a CWD action plan.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about hunting,” Strong said, whether CWD strikes farmed cervids or wild cervids. “One of the best ways is to enlist the help of hunters” in a strategy to minimize the spread of CWD.
snip...
''In late April, an elk from a farmed herd in Lincoln County tested positive for CWD.
Strong emphasized that any CWD response related to farmed cervids, cervid breeding facilities or the import and export of farmed cervids is under the jurisdiction of the state Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. The Wildlife Department is responsible for managing the wild cervid populations and overseeing cervid hunting facilities.
Strong said the Wildlife Department’s goal is not to make any hasty, large-scale decisions right away in dealing with the threat of CWD, but to take a measured, scientific approach and collect all the information possible before deciding how to best respond to any possible confirmed cases in wild cervids.''
if you wait for cwd to find you, then you have lost the fight already imo.
Greetings ODWC et al,
i kindly wish to submit the following updated science on the chronic wasting disease cwd tse prion. you do know that the new strain of cwd in Texas is of a more virulent strain? see below......GOOD LUCK!
kindest regards, terry
snip...end...TSS
Chronic Wasting Disease Confirmed in One Oklahoma Elk
04.24.2019
Oklahoma, to date, CWD has been detected in 6 cases of CWD TSE Prion documented to date in Captive Cervid...tss
1st cwd positive captive 1998,
2nd cwd positive captive 2019,
3 cwd positives from that herd depopulation,
with 1 additional Trace Out CWD Trace Out Positive,
equal to date 6 captive CWD positives in Oklahoma to date,
and since my confirming these figures the last time via phone, i am told now i will have to fill out a FOIA request for any further reports of CWD TSE Prion in captive herds in Oklahoma.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 05, 2023
OKLAHOMA CONFIRMS SECOND CWD POSITIVE WTD
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 07, 2023
Oklahoma Detects First Wild Deer Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2020
Oklahoma Proper Carcass Disposal Cervid Importation with 6 cases of CWD TSE Prion documented to date in Captive Cervid
TUESDAY, JANUARY 07, 2020
Oklahoma Farmed Elk Lincoln County CWD Depopulation 3 Positive Elk with 1 Additional Dead Trace Out Confirmed Positive
Pennsylvania trying to legislate CWD, instead of fixing the problem, and we know what the problem has been
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 04, 2020
Politicians State Rep. David Maloney, R-Berks Helping to Spread Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion
https://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2020/03/politicians-state-rep-david-maloney-r.html
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 04, 2019
Legislators legislating, or throwing away your money for battling cwd tse prion, State Rep. Steve Green, R-Fosston more money to deer farms for antibiotics?
https://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2019/11/legislators-legislating-or-throwing.html
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2023
Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion Cervid Update By State December 2023 (Long Verzion)
(Short Version)
SUNDAY, MAY 05, 2024
Chronic Wasting Disease, Cervid Captive Herd CWD Infection rates, Zoonosis, and Environmental Risk Factors
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2025
Distribution of Chronic Wasting Disease in North America February 2025
WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2025
Texas CWD TSE Prion Cases Rises to 1099 Confirmed Cases To Date
Terry S. Singeltary Sr.
posted by Terry S. Singeltary Sr. at
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