Georgia Detects Four new positive CWD test results Nov 2026
NEW INFORMATION (posted 11/13/26): Four new positive CWD test results have been identified in and around the CWD Management Area (CMA). These results include the first detection in Coffee County and will result in both Coffee and Cook counties to be added to the CMA. Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) was initially discovered in Georgia in January 2025. CWD is a neurological disease of the brain and central nervous system affecting cervids (deer, elk and moose). It is always fatal and there are no current vaccines or treatments.
Georgia DNR has implemented the state’s CWD Response Plan and established a CWD Management Area (CMA), which includes the county where the positive samples were found and any county touching a 5-mile radius around the location. The current CMA includes Atkinson, Lanier, Berrien, Lowndes, Coffee and Cook counties.
Working together with all Georgians’ we can manage CWD. Please select a Topic below and review included information to learn more.
Georgia Detects Four new positive CWD test results
https://georgiawildlife.com/cwd#test-results
https://georgiawildlife.com/cwd
Georgia Coffee And Cook County Added To CWD Management Area
GON Staff | November 14, 2026
CWD has been confirmed in six Georgia counties to this point—Atkinson, Berrien, Lanier, Lowndes, Coffee and Cook.
Georgia wildlife officials have found four new positive cases of CWD, including the first case in Coffee County, one close to the Cook County line, according to the DNR. The detections will expand the state’s CWD Management Area to include Coffee and Cook counties.
The management area is part of the state’s CWD Response Plan. Under it, DNR designates the county where an infected animal is found, along with any county touching a 5-mile radius around that spot. The area now covers six counties: Atkinson, Lanier, Berrien, Lowndes, Coffee and Cook.
https://gon.com/news/coffee-and-cook-county-added-to-cwd-management-area
Georgia DNR Wildlife CWD: Positive Case Confirmed in Atkinson County
CWD: Positive Case Confirmed in Atkinson County
SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga Friday, December 5, 2025, 14:00 pm
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Wildlife Resources Division has received notification of a preliminary positive Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) test result for a deer in Atkinson County. The deer, which was collected for disease monitoring, CWD and Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD), was in Atkinson County, near the Berrien County line, approximately 14 miles from the nearest CWD-positive deer location.
“We applaud hunters and private landowners for their efforts so far this season with submitting samples and staying vigilant for signs of the disease. This continued partnership will help us continue to manage CWD in the state and ensure a healthy deer herd,” said DNR Commissioner Walter Rabon.
In January 2025, Georgia confirmed its first positive case of CWD in a hunter-harvested deer from the Lanier/Berrien County line. Following this detection, Georgia DNR initiated its CWD Response Plan and established the CWD Management Area (CMA), which includes any county touching a 5-mile radius around each positive location found. With a recent preliminary-positive CWD sample detected, Atkinson County is added to the CMA, which also includes Berrien, Lanier and Lowndes counties. Since the initial finding in January 2025, 398 samples have been submitted from the CMA counties, with nine total positive samples.
The Georgia DNR encourages all hunters in the CMA to take their deer to sampling locations. Free sampling locations have been established throughout the CMA, including new ones in Atkinson County, and in counties surrounding the CMA. Hunters can expect testing results (for deer in the CMA) to take between 2-6 weeks. Testing location information and test results are posted on the website at GeorgiaWildlife.com/CWD.
What is Being Done? Georgia DNR’s CWD Management Area expands to include Atkinson County. Georgia DNR staff are working to establish additional testing and drop off locations for hunters in Atkinson County. Staff will continue working with landowners and hunters in the immediate area to determine the geographic extent and prevalence rate (i.e., how far it has spread and what percent of deer in that area have CWD). To keep prevalence low, additional deer (up to 5-10) are harvested around each CWD detection (cluster sampling) as they are most likely to have been in contact with the positive deer.
What is CWD? CWD was first discovered in 1967 in Fort Collins, Colorado. CWD is a fatal neurological disease of deer, elk, and moose caused by infectious, misfolded proteins called prions. There are no current treatments or preventative vaccines.
CWD in deer, elk, and/or moose has been reported in 36 states and 5 Canadian provinces. For up-to-date information on where CWD has been found, please visit cwd-info.org.
There is no known transmission of CWD to humans. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that hunters harvesting a deer, elk, or moose from an area where CWD is known to be present have their animal tested for CWD prior to consuming the meat and do not consume the meat if the animal tests positive.
For more information on Chronic Wasting Disease and Georgia’s management efforts or to find testing location information, visit GeorgiaWildlife.com/CWD.
###
https://gadnr.org/cwd-positive-case-confirmed-atkinson-county
Georgia CWD testing sample results history, how many sampled and tested in totality, to date?
Google AI Overview of Georgia Deer Population
Georgia's white-tailed deer population is estimated to be between 1.2 million and 1.3 million as of late 2024
Georgia Confirms Third Deer With CWD Oct. 1, 2025
A third Georgia deer with Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) was confirmed 5 miles south of the original case in Lanier County. The CWD Management Area is now expanded to include Lowndes County.
https://gon.com/news/new-cwd-case-expands-zone-lowndes-county
New CWD Case Expands Zone To Include Lowndes County
CWD has been confirmed in six Georgia counties to this point—Atkinson, Berrien, Lanier, Lowndes, Coffee and Cook.
Georgia wildlife officials have found four new positive cases of CWD, including the first case in Coffee County, one close to the Cook County line, according to the DNR. The detections will expand the state’s CWD Management Area to include Coffee and Cook counties.
The management area is part of the state’s CWD Response Plan. Under it, DNR designates the county where an infected animal is found, along with any county touching a 5-mile radius around that spot. The area now covers six counties: Atkinson, Lanier, Berrien, Lowndes, Coffee and Cook.
https://gon.com/news/coffee-and-cook-county-added-to-cwd-management-area
Georgia DNR Wildlife CWD: Positive Case Confirmed in Atkinson County
CWD: Positive Case Confirmed in Atkinson County
SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga Friday, December 5, 2025, 14:00 pm
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Wildlife Resources Division has received notification of a preliminary positive Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) test result for a deer in Atkinson County. The deer, which was collected for disease monitoring, CWD and Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD), was in Atkinson County, near the Berrien County line, approximately 14 miles from the nearest CWD-positive deer location.
“We applaud hunters and private landowners for their efforts so far this season with submitting samples and staying vigilant for signs of the disease. This continued partnership will help us continue to manage CWD in the state and ensure a healthy deer herd,” said DNR Commissioner Walter Rabon.
In January 2025, Georgia confirmed its first positive case of CWD in a hunter-harvested deer from the Lanier/Berrien County line. Following this detection, Georgia DNR initiated its CWD Response Plan and established the CWD Management Area (CMA), which includes any county touching a 5-mile radius around each positive location found. With a recent preliminary-positive CWD sample detected, Atkinson County is added to the CMA, which also includes Berrien, Lanier and Lowndes counties. Since the initial finding in January 2025, 398 samples have been submitted from the CMA counties, with nine total positive samples.
The Georgia DNR encourages all hunters in the CMA to take their deer to sampling locations. Free sampling locations have been established throughout the CMA, including new ones in Atkinson County, and in counties surrounding the CMA. Hunters can expect testing results (for deer in the CMA) to take between 2-6 weeks. Testing location information and test results are posted on the website at GeorgiaWildlife.com/CWD.
What is Being Done? Georgia DNR’s CWD Management Area expands to include Atkinson County. Georgia DNR staff are working to establish additional testing and drop off locations for hunters in Atkinson County. Staff will continue working with landowners and hunters in the immediate area to determine the geographic extent and prevalence rate (i.e., how far it has spread and what percent of deer in that area have CWD). To keep prevalence low, additional deer (up to 5-10) are harvested around each CWD detection (cluster sampling) as they are most likely to have been in contact with the positive deer.
What is CWD? CWD was first discovered in 1967 in Fort Collins, Colorado. CWD is a fatal neurological disease of deer, elk, and moose caused by infectious, misfolded proteins called prions. There are no current treatments or preventative vaccines.
CWD in deer, elk, and/or moose has been reported in 36 states and 5 Canadian provinces. For up-to-date information on where CWD has been found, please visit cwd-info.org.
There is no known transmission of CWD to humans. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that hunters harvesting a deer, elk, or moose from an area where CWD is known to be present have their animal tested for CWD prior to consuming the meat and do not consume the meat if the animal tests positive.
For more information on Chronic Wasting Disease and Georgia’s management efforts or to find testing location information, visit GeorgiaWildlife.com/CWD.
###
https://gadnr.org/cwd-positive-case-confirmed-atkinson-county
Georgia CWD testing sample results history, how many sampled and tested in totality, to date?
Google AI Overview of Georgia Deer Population
Georgia's white-tailed deer population is estimated to be between 1.2 million and 1.3 million as of late 2024
Georgia Confirms Third Deer With CWD Oct. 1, 2025
A third Georgia deer with Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) was confirmed 5 miles south of the original case in Lanier County. The CWD Management Area is now expanded to include Lowndes County.
https://gon.com/news/new-cwd-case-expands-zone-lowndes-county
New CWD Case Expands Zone To Include Lowndes County
GON Staff | October 1, 2025 (opens in new tab)(opens in new tab)
A third Georgia deer with Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) was confirmed 5 miles south of the original case in Lanier County. The CWD Management Area is now expanded to include Lowndes County. Hunters who kill deer in the CWD Management Area must follow deer carcass disposal rules, but currently there are no restrictions on baiting or plans to reduce deer herd numbers in the zone. A third case of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is confirmed in Georgia.
In a statement, DNR said, “Early this week, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GA DNR) (opens in new tab)received confirmation notification that a 2 1/2-year-old buck in Lanier County tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)(opens in new tab). The landowner, in cooperation with GA DNR, collected the deer for disease monitoring, CWD and Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD).
“The location of this new positive deer sample is approximately 5 miles south of the initial detection of CWD. In accordance with our CWD Management Plan, a five-mile radius has been set around this new positive sample and counties that are within the five-mile radius will be part of the CWD Management Area (CMA) for enhanced surveillance. The updated CMA (as of Oct. 1, 2025) will include Lanier, Berrien and now Lowndes counties.”
For Hunters: Chronic Wasting Disease
DNR encourages all hunters who harvest deer in the CWD Management Area (Lanier, Berrien and Lowndes counties) to submit their deer for testing. Knowing the geographic spread and prevalence is critical to managing the disease. Working together we can manage CWD.
New Deer Carcass Disposal Rules in Effect: Proper deer carcass disposal reduces the risk for spreading CWD to new areas and is now required across all of Georgia. This applies to anyone transporting or disposing of deer carcasses or parts, including hunters, processors and taxidermists. Proper disposal methods for carcasses or unused parts include:
Leave them on the property where the deer was killed Use a commercial deer processor, they are required to properly dispose of unused carcass parts Permitted solid waste landfill (as you would for household garbage), smaller parts can be bagged and thrown in household garbage containers Deep burial, incineration, or any other approved method in the Dead Animal Disposal Act (O.C.G.A. § 4-5-1 to 4-5-11) Deer Bag Limit Credits for Deer With CWD: Deer that test positive for CWD through a DNR-approved test do not count towards the deer bag limit. Hunter participation in voluntary testing in counties with CWD is vital to managing the disease; deer bag limit credits for CWD positives ensure no net loss of opportunity.
Feeding-Baiting If you choose to bait or feed deer in the CWD Management Area, here are the recommended practices that may reduce transmission risk:
Broadcast the feed over large areas (500+ square feet), Avoid trough and gravity feeders or piles on the ground, Move feeding locations periodically to minimize buildup of excrement in soil, Limit feeding to when you are actively hunting.
https://gon.com/news/new-cwd-case-expands-zone-lowndes-county
Georgia Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion Update
Georgia Deer Program Report
By: Charlie Killmaster
July 22, 2025
I. Harvest / Population Trends
Georgia’s deer harvest was 274,134 made up of 130,933 bucks and 143,201 does. Harvest has been very stable over the last few years. Hurricane Helene slowed harvest early on and may have had lasting effects in some areas, but the statewide harvest was within normal range by the end of the season.
IV. Disease Issues / Updates
Georgia’s first CWD positive was detected in January 2025 right along the Lanier/Berrien county line in a 2.5 year old hunter-killed buck during routine surveillance. A second positive was later found during targeted removals in the immediate vicinity in a 4.5 year- old buck. Since the first case we have collected 13 additional samples within a 1-mile radius and an additional 13 samples in the CWD management counties. We’re continuing to collect samples through crop damage permits through the summer. We are in the process of establishing numerous self-serve freezers for samples as well as working with most local taxidermists and processors.
Key Points
• Sampling in the CWD management area is completely voluntary
• We are offering free CWD testing statewide, but samples from the CWD counties will be tested first, results may take months for other counties
• We implemented a statewide deer carcass disposal rule, legal methods include leaving on the property of kill, take it to a taxidermist/processor, landfill, burial, or any other method consistent with livestock disposal
• No intrastate carcass transport restrictions
• No feeding or baiting bans in the CWD counties, just BMPs
• Targeted removals by permitting landowners and hunters, no DNR personnel
• Exploring incentives for removing positive deer to maintain participation
• Exploring offering/encouraging free DMAP on properties in the immediate area
snip…see full report;
https://seafwa.org/sites/default/files/public-files/2025-seafwa-cervid-working-group-report.pdf
***> Georgia Second Case Of Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion Confirmed
Second Case Of Chronic Wasting Disease Confirmed In Georgia
Social Circle, Ga.
Tuesday, April 22, 2025
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Wildlife Resources Division confirmed a second deer has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD). The deer, a 4.5 year-old male, was taken in Berrien County approximately 400 yards from the first CWD-positive deer harvest location. The deer was taken by a landowner permittee assisting with ongoing sampling as part of DNR’s CWD response plan.
“Our staff continues to work in collaboration with landowners and hunters in the CWD Management Area to sample for the disease. These collaborative efforts will help us manage CWD and ensure Georgia maintains healthy deer herds,” said DNR Commissioner Walter Rabon.
What is Being Done? The CWD Management Area includes the county where positive samples are found and any county that touches a 5-mile radius around the location of positive samples. Because this new positive deer was taken near the first positive, DNR’s CWD Management Area remains the same, consisting of Lanier and Berrien counties. DNR is working with landowners and hunters to determine the geographic extent and prevalence rate in that Management Area (i.e., how far it has spread and what percent of deer have CWD). To keep prevalence low, additional deer are harvested around each CWD detection as they are most likely to have been in contact with the positive deer.
What is CWD? CWD was first discovered in 1967 in Fort Collins, Colorado. CWD is a fatal neurological disease of deer, elk, and moose caused by infectious, misfolded proteins called prions. There are no current treatments or preventative vaccines.
CWD in deer, elk, and/or moose has been reported in 36 states and 5 Canadian provinces. For up-to-date information on where CWD has been found, please visit cwd-info.org.
There is no known transmission of CWD to humans. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that hunters harvesting a deer, elk, or moose from an area where CWD is known to be present have their animal tested for CWD prior to consuming the meat and do not consume the meat if the animal tests positive.
For more information on Chronic Wasting Disease and Georgia’s management efforts, visit GeorgiaWildlife.com/CWD.
https://gadnr.org/second-case-chronic-wasting-disease-confirmed-georgia
TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2025
Georgia Second Case Of Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion Confirmed
https://gadnr.org/second-case-chronic-wasting-disease-confirmed-georgia
https://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2025/04/georgia-second-case-of-chronic-wasting.html
First Positive Case of Chronic Wasting Disease Confirmed In Georgia
Thursday, January 23, 2025, 14:30 pm
First Positive Case of Chronic Wasting Disease Confirmed In Georgia
Social Circle, GA Thursday, January 23, 2025, 14:30 pm The Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Wildlife Resources Division (WRD) has confirmed through the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories that a hunter-harvested deer sampled for routine surveillance in Lanier County has tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). This is the first case of CWD detected in Georgia. The sample was taken from a two-and-a-half-year-old male white-tailed deer harvested on private property. Immediately following the positive confirmation, WRD staff implemented the CWD Response Plan and are taking additional samples from the area.
“I want to assure our hunters that deer hunting will continue to thrive in Georgia, despite this current discovery," said Walter Rabon, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. “Working together with our hunters and all Georgians, we will manage CWD and maintain healthy deer herds.”
What is Being Done? The DNR CWD Response Plan is in effect and a CWD Management Area is established. The CWD Management Area includes the county where the positive sample was found and any county that touches a 5-mile radius around the location of the positive sample. The current CWD Management Area includes Lanier and Berrien counties.
The critical next step is to determine the geographic extent and prevalence rate in that Management Area (i.e., how far it has spread and what percent of deer have CWD). The Department will do that with landowner cooperation through “cluster sampling” in the immediate area.
What is CWD? CWD was first discovered in 1967 in Fort Collins, Colorado. CWD is a fatal neurological disease of deer, elk, and moose caused by infectious, misfolded proteins called prions. There are no current treatments or preventative vaccines.
CWD in deer, elk ,and/or moose has been reported in 36 states and 3 Canadian provinces: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming as well as Canadian provinces Alberta, Quebec, and Saskatchewan.
There is no known transmission of CWD to humans. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that hunters harvesting a deer, elk, or moose from an area where CWD is known to be present have their animal tested for CWD prior to consuming the meat and do not consume the meat if the animal tests positive. How You Can Help Prevent Spread
Don’t move live deer. Moving live deer is the greatest risk for introducing CWD to new areas. Dispose of carcasses properly and don’t bring whole carcasses into Georgia from out of state or move whole carcasses outside the CWD Management Area. Any carcass parts you don’t intend to consume should be left on the property the deer was killed, sent to a landfill, or buried. Report sick or abnormal deer to your nearest WRD Game Management Office. The Georgia DNR with its partners – Georgia Department of Agriculture and the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study – will continue to update the public as more information becomes available.
For more information on Chronic Wasting Disease, visit https://georgiawildlife.com/CWD.
###
Media Contact: Kaitlin Goode, kaitlin.goode@dnr.ga.gov, 912-346-8280
The sample was taken from a two-and-a-half-year-old male white-tailed deer harvested on private property.
https://gadnr.org/first-positive-case-chronic-wasting-disease-confirmed-georgia
https://web.archive.org/web/20250123225602/https://gadnr.org/first-positive-case-chronic-wasting-disease-confirmed-georgia
https://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2013/09/georgia-house-bill-1043-and-chronic.html
Update January 25
Georgia Chronic Wasting Disease Response Plan Georgia Department of Natural Resource January 2025
https://georgiawildlife.com/sites/default/files/wrd/pdf/CWD/CWD%20Response%20Plan%202025.pdf
Chronic Wasting Disease Herd Certification Program Standards Singeltary Comment
Posted by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service on Oct 26, 2026
Comment from Singeltary Sr., Terry
Attachments 1
https://www.regulations.gov/comment/APHIS-2026-0563-0006
APHIS USDA CWD Captive
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/status-of-captive-herds.pdf
A third Georgia deer with Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) was confirmed 5 miles south of the original case in Lanier County. The CWD Management Area is now expanded to include Lowndes County. Hunters who kill deer in the CWD Management Area must follow deer carcass disposal rules, but currently there are no restrictions on baiting or plans to reduce deer herd numbers in the zone. A third case of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is confirmed in Georgia.
In a statement, DNR said, “Early this week, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GA DNR) (opens in new tab)received confirmation notification that a 2 1/2-year-old buck in Lanier County tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)(opens in new tab). The landowner, in cooperation with GA DNR, collected the deer for disease monitoring, CWD and Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD).
“The location of this new positive deer sample is approximately 5 miles south of the initial detection of CWD. In accordance with our CWD Management Plan, a five-mile radius has been set around this new positive sample and counties that are within the five-mile radius will be part of the CWD Management Area (CMA) for enhanced surveillance. The updated CMA (as of Oct. 1, 2025) will include Lanier, Berrien and now Lowndes counties.”
For Hunters: Chronic Wasting Disease
DNR encourages all hunters who harvest deer in the CWD Management Area (Lanier, Berrien and Lowndes counties) to submit their deer for testing. Knowing the geographic spread and prevalence is critical to managing the disease. Working together we can manage CWD.
New Deer Carcass Disposal Rules in Effect: Proper deer carcass disposal reduces the risk for spreading CWD to new areas and is now required across all of Georgia. This applies to anyone transporting or disposing of deer carcasses or parts, including hunters, processors and taxidermists. Proper disposal methods for carcasses or unused parts include:
Leave them on the property where the deer was killed Use a commercial deer processor, they are required to properly dispose of unused carcass parts Permitted solid waste landfill (as you would for household garbage), smaller parts can be bagged and thrown in household garbage containers Deep burial, incineration, or any other approved method in the Dead Animal Disposal Act (O.C.G.A. § 4-5-1 to 4-5-11) Deer Bag Limit Credits for Deer With CWD: Deer that test positive for CWD through a DNR-approved test do not count towards the deer bag limit. Hunter participation in voluntary testing in counties with CWD is vital to managing the disease; deer bag limit credits for CWD positives ensure no net loss of opportunity.
Feeding-Baiting If you choose to bait or feed deer in the CWD Management Area, here are the recommended practices that may reduce transmission risk:
Broadcast the feed over large areas (500+ square feet), Avoid trough and gravity feeders or piles on the ground, Move feeding locations periodically to minimize buildup of excrement in soil, Limit feeding to when you are actively hunting.
https://gon.com/news/new-cwd-case-expands-zone-lowndes-county
Georgia Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion Update
Georgia Deer Program Report
By: Charlie Killmaster
July 22, 2025
I. Harvest / Population Trends
Georgia’s deer harvest was 274,134 made up of 130,933 bucks and 143,201 does. Harvest has been very stable over the last few years. Hurricane Helene slowed harvest early on and may have had lasting effects in some areas, but the statewide harvest was within normal range by the end of the season.
IV. Disease Issues / Updates
Georgia’s first CWD positive was detected in January 2025 right along the Lanier/Berrien county line in a 2.5 year old hunter-killed buck during routine surveillance. A second positive was later found during targeted removals in the immediate vicinity in a 4.5 year- old buck. Since the first case we have collected 13 additional samples within a 1-mile radius and an additional 13 samples in the CWD management counties. We’re continuing to collect samples through crop damage permits through the summer. We are in the process of establishing numerous self-serve freezers for samples as well as working with most local taxidermists and processors.
Key Points
• Sampling in the CWD management area is completely voluntary
• We are offering free CWD testing statewide, but samples from the CWD counties will be tested first, results may take months for other counties
• We implemented a statewide deer carcass disposal rule, legal methods include leaving on the property of kill, take it to a taxidermist/processor, landfill, burial, or any other method consistent with livestock disposal
• No intrastate carcass transport restrictions
• No feeding or baiting bans in the CWD counties, just BMPs
• Targeted removals by permitting landowners and hunters, no DNR personnel
• Exploring incentives for removing positive deer to maintain participation
• Exploring offering/encouraging free DMAP on properties in the immediate area
snip…see full report;
https://seafwa.org/sites/default/files/public-files/2025-seafwa-cervid-working-group-report.pdf
***> Georgia Second Case Of Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion Confirmed
Second Case Of Chronic Wasting Disease Confirmed In Georgia
Social Circle, Ga.
Tuesday, April 22, 2025
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Wildlife Resources Division confirmed a second deer has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD). The deer, a 4.5 year-old male, was taken in Berrien County approximately 400 yards from the first CWD-positive deer harvest location. The deer was taken by a landowner permittee assisting with ongoing sampling as part of DNR’s CWD response plan.
“Our staff continues to work in collaboration with landowners and hunters in the CWD Management Area to sample for the disease. These collaborative efforts will help us manage CWD and ensure Georgia maintains healthy deer herds,” said DNR Commissioner Walter Rabon.
What is Being Done? The CWD Management Area includes the county where positive samples are found and any county that touches a 5-mile radius around the location of positive samples. Because this new positive deer was taken near the first positive, DNR’s CWD Management Area remains the same, consisting of Lanier and Berrien counties. DNR is working with landowners and hunters to determine the geographic extent and prevalence rate in that Management Area (i.e., how far it has spread and what percent of deer have CWD). To keep prevalence low, additional deer are harvested around each CWD detection as they are most likely to have been in contact with the positive deer.
What is CWD? CWD was first discovered in 1967 in Fort Collins, Colorado. CWD is a fatal neurological disease of deer, elk, and moose caused by infectious, misfolded proteins called prions. There are no current treatments or preventative vaccines.
CWD in deer, elk, and/or moose has been reported in 36 states and 5 Canadian provinces. For up-to-date information on where CWD has been found, please visit cwd-info.org.
There is no known transmission of CWD to humans. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that hunters harvesting a deer, elk, or moose from an area where CWD is known to be present have their animal tested for CWD prior to consuming the meat and do not consume the meat if the animal tests positive.
For more information on Chronic Wasting Disease and Georgia’s management efforts, visit GeorgiaWildlife.com/CWD.
https://gadnr.org/second-case-chronic-wasting-disease-confirmed-georgia
TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2025
Georgia Second Case Of Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion Confirmed
https://gadnr.org/second-case-chronic-wasting-disease-confirmed-georgia
https://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2025/04/georgia-second-case-of-chronic-wasting.html
First Positive Case of Chronic Wasting Disease Confirmed In Georgia
Thursday, January 23, 2025, 14:30 pm
First Positive Case of Chronic Wasting Disease Confirmed In Georgia
Social Circle, GA Thursday, January 23, 2025, 14:30 pm The Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Wildlife Resources Division (WRD) has confirmed through the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories that a hunter-harvested deer sampled for routine surveillance in Lanier County has tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). This is the first case of CWD detected in Georgia. The sample was taken from a two-and-a-half-year-old male white-tailed deer harvested on private property. Immediately following the positive confirmation, WRD staff implemented the CWD Response Plan and are taking additional samples from the area.
“I want to assure our hunters that deer hunting will continue to thrive in Georgia, despite this current discovery," said Walter Rabon, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. “Working together with our hunters and all Georgians, we will manage CWD and maintain healthy deer herds.”
What is Being Done? The DNR CWD Response Plan is in effect and a CWD Management Area is established. The CWD Management Area includes the county where the positive sample was found and any county that touches a 5-mile radius around the location of the positive sample. The current CWD Management Area includes Lanier and Berrien counties.
The critical next step is to determine the geographic extent and prevalence rate in that Management Area (i.e., how far it has spread and what percent of deer have CWD). The Department will do that with landowner cooperation through “cluster sampling” in the immediate area.
What is CWD? CWD was first discovered in 1967 in Fort Collins, Colorado. CWD is a fatal neurological disease of deer, elk, and moose caused by infectious, misfolded proteins called prions. There are no current treatments or preventative vaccines.
CWD in deer, elk ,and/or moose has been reported in 36 states and 3 Canadian provinces: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming as well as Canadian provinces Alberta, Quebec, and Saskatchewan.
There is no known transmission of CWD to humans. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that hunters harvesting a deer, elk, or moose from an area where CWD is known to be present have their animal tested for CWD prior to consuming the meat and do not consume the meat if the animal tests positive. How You Can Help Prevent Spread
Don’t move live deer. Moving live deer is the greatest risk for introducing CWD to new areas. Dispose of carcasses properly and don’t bring whole carcasses into Georgia from out of state or move whole carcasses outside the CWD Management Area. Any carcass parts you don’t intend to consume should be left on the property the deer was killed, sent to a landfill, or buried. Report sick or abnormal deer to your nearest WRD Game Management Office. The Georgia DNR with its partners – Georgia Department of Agriculture and the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study – will continue to update the public as more information becomes available.
For more information on Chronic Wasting Disease, visit https://georgiawildlife.com/CWD.
###
Media Contact: Kaitlin Goode, kaitlin.goode@dnr.ga.gov, 912-346-8280
The sample was taken from a two-and-a-half-year-old male white-tailed deer harvested on private property.
https://gadnr.org/first-positive-case-chronic-wasting-disease-confirmed-georgia
https://web.archive.org/web/20250123225602/https://gadnr.org/first-positive-case-chronic-wasting-disease-confirmed-georgia
https://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2013/09/georgia-house-bill-1043-and-chronic.html
Update January 25
Georgia Chronic Wasting Disease Response Plan Georgia Department of Natural Resource January 2025
https://georgiawildlife.com/sites/default/files/wrd/pdf/CWD/CWD%20Response%20Plan%202025.pdf
Chronic Wasting Disease Herd Certification Program Standards Singeltary Comment
Posted by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service on Oct 26, 2026
Comment from Singeltary Sr., Terry
Attachments 1
https://www.regulations.gov/comment/APHIS-2026-0563-0006
APHIS USDA CWD Captive
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/status-of-captive-herds.pdf
2026 USDA EXPLANATORY NOTES ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE CWD, Scrapie, BSE, and CJD, Singeltary Revie
***> i’m thinking environmental contamination from cwd, the fact the tse prion can survive in the environment, soil, from 15, 16, to 21 years, what about Real Estate Property Values over time?
we know now from laboratory scientific, transmission studies, CWD, TSE, Prion, will transmit, by oral routes to, Cattle, Pigs; Sheep, Cervid, and Primates. i can still remember, from early BSE days, very frightening stuff.
I remember what “deep throat” told me about Scrapie back around 2001, during early days of my BSE investigation, after my Mom died from hvCJD, I never forgot, and it seems it’s come to pass;
***> Confidential!!!!
***> As early as 1992-3 there had been long studies conducted on small pastures containing scrapie infected sheep at the sheep research station associated with the Neuropathogenesis Unit in Edinburgh, Scotland. Whether these are documented...I don't know. But personal recounts both heard and recorded in a daily journal indicate that leaving the pastures free and replacing the topsoil completely at least 2 feet of thickness each year for SEVEN years....and then when very clean (proven scrapie free) sheep were placed on these small pastures.... the new sheep also broke out with scrapie and passed it to offspring. I am not sure that TSE contaminated ground could ever be free of the agent!! A very frightening revelation!!!
---end personal email---end...tss
Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion
THE CWD TSE Prion aka mad cow type disease is not your normal pathogen.
The TSE prion disease survives ashing to 600 degrees celsius, that’s around 1112 degrees farenheit.
You cannot cook the TSE prion disease out of meat. In fact new data now shows that exposure to high temperatures used to cook the meat increased the availability of prions for in vitro amplification.
you can take the ash and mix it with saline and inject that ash into a mouse, and the mouse will go down with TSE.
Prion Infected Meat-and-Bone Meal Is Still Infectious after Biodiesel Production as well.
the TSE prion agent also survives Simulated Wastewater Treatment Processes.
IN fact, you should also know that the TSE Prion agent will survive in the environment for years, if not decades.
you can bury it and it will not go away.
The TSE agent is capable of infected your water table i.e. Detection of protease-resistant cervid prion protein in water from a CWD-endemic area.
it’s not your ordinary pathogen you can just cook it out and be done
and so it seems…2026
CWD, So, this is what we leave our children and grandchildren?
cwd, environmental factors, soil saturation of cwd PrP over time, and growing vegetables, hay, straw, or anything, if plants can uptake the cwd PrP, and then, what about, surrounding environmental cwd factors, water, what about real estate and property values, over time, why is Timmy afraid of cwd science and transmission studies i wonder, and seems to sides with the fake news conspiracy groups about cwd? i don’t make this stuff up…
=====***>
"Additionally, we have determined that prion seeding activity is retained for at least fifteen years at a contaminated site following attempted remediation."
=====***>
Detection of prions in soils contaminated by multiple routes
Results: We are able to detect prion seeding activity at multiple types of environmental hotspots, including carcass sites, contaminated captive facilities, and scrapes (i.e. urine and saliva). Differences in relative prion concentration vary depending on the nature and source of the contamination. Additionally, we have determined that prion seeding activity is retained for at least fifteen years at a contaminated site following attempted remediation.
Conclusions: Detection of prions in the environment is of the utmost importance for controlling chronic wasting disease spread. Here, we have demonstrated a viable method for detection of prions in complex environmental matrices. However, it is quite likely that this method underestimates the total infectious prion load in a contaminated sample, due to incomplete recovery of infectious prions. Further refinements are necessary for accurate quantification of prions in such samples, and to account for the intrinsic heterogeneities found in the broader environment.
Funded by: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Prion 2023 Conference Abstracts
https://web.archive.org/web/20250828201533/https://prion2023.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Meeting-book-final-version2.pdf
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Syed-Zahid-Shah/publication/378314391_Meeting-book-final-version_prion_2023/links/65d44dad28b7720cecdca95f/Meeting-book-final-version-prion-2023.pdf
***> Infectious agent of sheep scrapie may persist in the environment for at least 16 years
***> Nine of these recurrences occurred 14–21 years after culling, apparently as the result of environmental contamination, but outside entry could not always be absolutely excluded.
JOURNAL OF GENERAL VIROLOGY Volume 87, Issue 12
Infectious agent of sheep scrapie may persist in the environment for at least 16 years Free
https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/vir.0.82011-0
Rapid recontamination of a farm building occurs after attempted prion removal
First published: 19 January 2019 https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.105054
The data illustrates the difficulty in decontaminating farm buildings from scrapie, and demonstrates the likely contribution of farm dust to the recontamination of these environments to levels that are capable of causing disease. snip...
This study clearly demonstrates the difficulty in removing scrapie infectivity from the farm environment. Practical and effective prion decontamination methods are still urgently required for decontamination of scrapie infectivity from farms that have had cases of scrapie and this is particularly relevant for scrapie positive goatherds, which currently have limited genetic resistance to scrapie within commercial breeds.24 This is very likely to have parallels with control efforts for CWD in cervids.
https://bvajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1136/vr.105054
***>This is very likely to have parallels with control efforts for CWD in cervids.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30602491/
and so it seems…
ARS Research Project: Elucidating the Pathobiology and Transmission of Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies 2025
snip…
Accomplishments
***> 1. 01 Determined that white-tailed deer (WTD) infected with scrapie from sheep can transmit the disease to other deer under conditions mimicking natural exposure. It has long been suggested that prion disease in deer (chronic wasting disease (CWD)) was caused by the prion agent from sheep. The prion disease that affects sheep, scrapie, has been recognized for hundreds of years. However, chronic wasting disease, a similar disease found in WTD, has only been recognized since the 1960s. ARS researchers in Ames, Iowa, showed that white-tailed deer sick with scrapie from sheep can infect other deer under conditions mimicking natural exposure. Furthermore, this work shows that CWD is difficult to differentiate from WTD infected with scrapie. WTD scrapie prions accumulate in the lymphoreticular system in a manner similar to CWD, meaning that environmental contamination may occur through feces, saliva, and other body fluids of scrapie affected WTD as has been shown for CWD. The presence of WTD infected with scrapie could confound mitigation efforts for chronic wasting disease. This information informs regulatory officials, the farmed cervid industry, and officials tasked with protecting animal health such as state Departments of Agriculture, Natural Resources, or Parks and Wildlife with regard to a disease similar to CWD but arising from sheep scrapie that could be present in WTD that have contact with scrapie affected sheep and/or goats.
https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/project/?accnNo=440677&fy=202
Chronic Wasting Disease CWD vs Scrapie TSE Prion
https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publication/?seqNo115=410511
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) prion detection in environmental and biological samples from a taxidermy site and nursing facility, and instruments used in surveillance activities
Available online 9 April 2025
Highlights
• CWD prions were identified in a taxidermy and deer nursing facility.
• Contaminated samples included waters, soils, dermestid beetles, domestic flies and a dumpster.
• Surgical instruments used to collect deer samples can get contaminated with CWD prions.
• Some of the infectious particles are readily released from surgical instruments when washed.
• Our results suggest that taxidermy practices actively contribute in the spreading of CWD.
Snip…
In summary, the information provided in this report demonstrate how anthropogenic activities, specifically taxidermy practices, animal processing, and rehabilitation of CWD susceptible species, may facilitate CWD transmission through the environmental dissemination of CWD prions. This study, along with future research efforts characterizing the overall level of infectivity, provides relevant information on managing CWD and to control its rapid geographic expansion. …
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969725009544
Chronic wasting disease detection in environmental and biological samples from a taxidermy site
Results: The PMCA analysis demonstrated CWD seeding activity in some of the components of this facility, including insects involved in head processing, soils, and a trash dumpster.
Conclusions: Different areas of this property were used for various taxidermy procedures. We were able to detect the presence of prions in
i) soils that were in contact with the heads of dead animals, ii) insects involved in the cleaning of skulls, and iii) an empty dumpster where animal carcasses were previously placed.
This is the first report demonstrating that swabbing is a helpful method to screen for prion infectivity on surfaces potentially contaminated with CWD. These findings are relevant as this swabbing and amplification strategy may be used to evaluate the disease status of other free-ranging and captive settings where there is a concern for CWD transmissions, such as at feeders and water troughs with CWD-exposed properties. This approach could have substantial implications for free-ranging cervid surveillance as well as in epidemiological investigations of CWD.
Prion 2022 Conference abstracts: pushing the boundaries
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19336896.2022.2091286
Artificial mineral sites that pre-date endemic chronic wasting disease become prion hotspots
The Ames Research and Educational Center property, centrally located within the CWD zone of southwest Tennessee, contains 49 historical mineral supplementation sites that were decommissioned in 2012. Here, we demonstrate that 32 of the 49 (65%) mineral sites within Ames established prior to the regional CWD outbreak, serve as foci of environmental PrPCWD contamination. Detection of PrPCWD in soils from these artificial mineral sites was dependent on site-specific management efforts. Soil physical properties were very similar across sites and no correlation between PrPCWD detection and soil physical properties was found. The detection of PrPCWD in soils at attractant sites within an endemic CWD zone significantly advances our understanding of environmental PrPCWD accumulation dynamics, providing valuable information for advancing adaptive CWD management approaches.
https://intcwdsympo.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/final-agenda-with-abstracts.pdf
Shedding of Chronic Wasting Disease Prions in Multiple Excreta Throughout Disease Course in White-tailed Deer
Conclusions: These studies demonstrate: (a) CWD prion excretion occurs throughout infection; (2) PRNP genotype (GG≫GS/NT) influences the excreta shedding; and (3) detection sensitivity in excreta can vary with different RT-QuIC protocols. These results provide a more complete perspective of prion shedding in deer during the course of CWD infection.
Prion 2022 Conference abstracts: pushing the boundaries
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19336896.2022.2091286
Characterizing Hydrological Transport Pathways of Chronic Wasting Disease in the Environment
Authors Anu Wille, Diana L Karwan, Stuart Siegfried Lichtenberg, Madeline Grunklee, Gage Rowden, Victoria Ferguson-Kramer, Marc D Schwabenlander, Tiffany M Wolf, Peter A Larsen Publication date 2024/6 Journal Water Science Conference (WaterSciCon24 Pages 110-04
Description Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal neurodegenerative prion disease found in deer, moose, and elk. Cases of CWD in Minnesota have risen considerably over the last few years, raising wildlife, environmental, and public health concerns.
Infectious prions, such as those causing CWD, enter the environment through bodily fluids or decomposing carcasses of infected individuals and can persist for at least fifteen years in soil and water.
Previous studies have shown strong prion sorption to various mineral particles in soils.
Through field observation and laboratory experimentation, we observed that prions readily partition to the particulate fraction of environmental waters, suggesting that hydrological transport of prions is likely sediment-facilitated.
To effectively contain the spread of CWD through the environment, it is imperative to predict prion transport times and pathways in the context of specific landscape and …
Scholar articles Characterizing Hydrological Transport Pathways of Chronic Wasting Disease in the Environment
A Wille, DL Karwan, SS Lichtenberg, M Grunklee… - Water Science Conference (WaterSciCon24, 2024 Related articles
https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=cVqWACIAAAAJ&cstart=20&pagesize=80&citation_for_view=cVqWACIAAAAJ:0EnyYjriUFMC
Characterizing Hydrological Transport Pathways of Chronic Wasting Disease in the Environment
Wille, Anu search by orcid.svg ; Karwan, Diana L. search by orcid.svg ; Lichtenberg, Stuart Siegfried ;Grunklee, Madeline ; Rowden, Gage ; Ferguson-Kramer, Victoria ;Schwabenlander, Marc D. ; Wolf, Tiffany M. ; Larsen, Peter A.
https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024wsc..conf11004W/abstract
https://agu.confex.com/agu/hydrology24/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/1502243
Characterizing Hydrological Transport Pathways of Chronic Wasting Disease in the Environment
Wille, Anu search by orcid ; Karwan, Diana L. search by orcid ; Lichtenberg, Stuart Siegfried ; Grunklee, Madeline ; Rowden, Gage ; Ferguson-Kramer, Victoria ; Schwabenlander, Marc D. ; Wolf, Tiffany M. ; Larsen, Peter A.
Abstract Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal neurodegenerative prion disease found in deer, moose, and elk. Cases of CWD in Minnesota have risen considerably over the last few years, raising wildlife, environmental, and public health concerns. Infectious prions, such as those causing CWD, enter the environment through bodily fluids or decomposing carcasses of infected individuals and can persist for at least fifteen years in soil and water. Previous studies have shown strong prion sorption to various mineral particles in soils. Through field observation and laboratory experimentation, we observed that prions readily partition to the particulate fraction of environmental waters, suggesting that hydrological transport of prions is likely sediment-facilitated. To effectively contain the spread of CWD through the environment, it is imperative to predict prion transport times and pathways in the context of specific landscape and watershed conditions. Our purpose is to characterize the hydrological transport of prions through watersheds at multiple scales. Through spatial analysis, we mapped surface flow pathways from CWD hotspots in Minnesota to identify how they overlap with major rivers and regions of high soil erosion. Based on in-stream measurements and sediment characterization, we used empirical equations to predict sediment mobilization conditions and transport rates in CWD-contaminated regions with diverse flow regimes. In order to model subsurface prion transport, we began conducting flow-through column experiments testing various flow rates and soil matrices.
Publication: Water Science Conference (WaterSciCon24), held in St. Paul, Minnesota, 24-27 June 2024, Session: Learning from observations / Catchment and Critical Zone Science - Understanding Ecosystems through Monitoring, Analysis, and Experimentation III Oral (Coupled Workshop: 231), id. 110-04. Pub Date: June 2024
https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024wsc..conf11004W/abstract
New studies on the heat resistance of hamster-adapted scrapie agent: Threshold survival after ashing at 600°C suggests an inorganic template of replication
http://www.pnas.org/content/97/7/3418.full
Prion Infected Meat-and-Bone Meal Is Still Infectious after Biodiesel Production
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2493038/
Rapid assessment of bovine spongiform encephalopathy prion inactivation by heat treatment in yellow grease produced in the industrial manufacturing process of meat and bone meals
https://bmcvetres.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/1746-6148-9-134.pdf
Detection of infectivity in orally inoculated pigs using mouse bioassay raises the possibility that naturally exposed pigs could act as a reservoir of CWD infectivity. Currently, swine rations in the U.S. could contain animal derived components including materials from deer or elk. In addition, feral swine could be exposed to infected carcasses in areas where CWD is present in wildlife populations. The current feed ban in the U.S. is based exclusively on keeping tissues from TSE infected cattle from entering animal feeds. These results indicating the susceptibility of pigs to CWD, 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.
https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publication/?seqNo115=353091
https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/project/?accnNo=432011&fy=2017
https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publication/?seqNo115=337105
https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publication/?seqNo115=326166
***> hay, straw, plants, vegetables, CWD TSE Prion uptake, oh my!
Tuesday, June 9, 2026
Hazard identification for the risks to terrestrial animal health from the import of hay and straw, BSE, CWD, Scrapie, TSE, Prion
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hazard-identification-for-the-risks-to-terrestrial-animal-health-from-the-import-of-hay-and-straw/hazard-identification-for-the-risks-to-terrestrial-animal-health-from-the-import-of-hay-and-straw
https://defrauktseprp.blogspot.com/2026/06/hazard-identification-for-risks-to.html
So, we just let CWD spread to other species?
don’t forget the pigs, outbreak of cwd in pigs in Texas and Arkansas;
Chronic wasting disease prions in cervids and wild pigs in North America Preliminary Outbreak Assessment
DEFRA 26 January 2026 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Preliminary Outbreak Assessment
Chronic wasting disease prions in cervids and wild pigs in North America 26 January 2026
Disease report
“They analysed over 300 brain and lymph node samples from 178 wild pigs living across Arkansas and Texas, USA…the researchers identified CWD prions in up to 37% of the lymph node samples and 15% of brain samples. The lowest detection rates were in the Texas samples (below 16%), matching the lower CWD prevalence in the state’s cervid population.”
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/697a3b013c71d838df6bd413/CWD_Prions_in_Cervids_and_Wild_Pigs_in_North_America.pdf
Detection of Prions in Wild Pigs (Sus scrofa) from Areas with Reported Chronic Wasting Disease Cases, United State Volume 31, Number 1—January 2025
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/31/1/24-0401_article
***> cwd, tse, prion, cattle, pigs, sheep, primates, oh my!
***> Very low oral exposure to prions of brain or saliva origin can transmit chronic wasting disease
Nathaniel D. Denkers , Clare E. Hoover , Kristen A. Davenport, Davin M. Henderson, Erin E. McNulty, Amy V. Nalls, Candace K. Mathiason, Edward A. Hoover
Published: August 20, 2020
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237410
Abstract
The minimum infectious dose required to induce CWD infection in cervids remains unknown, as does whether peripherally shed prions and/or multiple low dose exposures are important factors in CWD transmission. With the goal of better understand CWD infection in nature, we studied oral exposures of deer to very low doses of CWD prions and also examined whether the frequency of exposure or prion source may influence infection and pathogenesis. We orally inoculated white-tailed deer with either single or multiple divided doses of prions of brain or saliva origin and monitored infection by serial longitudinal tissue biopsies spanning over two years. We report that oral exposure to as little as 300 nanograms (ng) of CWD-positive brain or to saliva containing seeding activity equivalent to 300 ng of CWD-positive brain, were sufficient to transmit CWD disease. This was true whether the inoculum was administered as a single bolus or divided as three weekly 100 ng exposures. However, when the 300 ng total dose was apportioned as 10, 30 ng doses delivered over 12 weeks, no infection occurred. While low-dose exposures to prions of brain or saliva origin prolonged the time from inoculation to first detection of infection, once infection was established, we observed no differences in disease pathogenesis. These studies suggest that the CWD minimum infectious dose approximates 100 to 300 ng CWD-positive brain (or saliva equivalent), and that CWD infection appears to conform more with a threshold than a cumulative dose dynamic.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0237410
Prion Conference 2023
***> 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.”
Strain characterization of chronic wasting disease in bovine-PrP transgenic mice
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.
Prion 2023 Congress Organizing Committee and the NeuroPrion Association, we invite you to join us for the International Conference Prion2023 from 16-20 October 2023 in Faro, Portugal.
https://prion2023.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Meeting-book-final-version2.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20250828201533/https://prion2023.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Meeting-book-final-version2.pdf
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Syed-Zahid-Shah/publication/378314391_Meeting-book-final-version_prion_2023/links/65d44dad28b7720cecdca95f/Meeting-book-final-version-prion-2023.pdf
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
=====
https://intcwdsympo.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/final-agenda-with-abstracts.pdf?force_download=true
Transmission of Cervid Prions to Humanized Mice Demonstrates the Zoonotic Potential of CWD
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.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19336896.2022.2091286
you can’t cook the CWD TSE Prion out of meat, in fact, cooking enhances the CWD TSE OrP, increasing seeding activity…terry
Volume 31, Number 2—February 2025
Dispatch
Detection of Chronic Wasting Disease Prions in Raw, Processed, and Cooked Elk Meat, Texas, USA
Snip…
Of note, our data show that exposure to high temperatures used to cook the meat increased the availability of prions for in vitro amplification. Considering the potential implications in food safety and public health, we believe that the findings described in this study warrant further research. Our results suggest that although the elk meat used in this study resisted different manipulations involved in subsequent consumption by humans, their zoonotic potential was limited. Nevertheless, even though no cases of CWD transmission to human have been reported, the potential for human infection is still unclear and continued monitoring for zoonotic potential is warranted.
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/31/2/24-0906_article
Detection of chronic wasting disease prions in processed meats
Results: Our results show positive prion detection in all the samples analyzed using deer and elk substrates. Surprisingly, cooked meats displayed increased seeding activities. This data suggests that CWD-prions are available to people even after meats are processed and cooked.
Conclusions: These results suggest CWD prions are accessible to humans through meats, even after processing and cooking. Considering the fact that these samples were collected from already processed specimens, the availability of CWD prions to humans is probably underestimated.
"Our results show positive prion detection in all the samples analyzed using deer and elk substrates. Surprisingly, cooked meats displayed increased seeding activities."
Meeting-book-final-version prion 2023 Prion 2023 Congress Organizing Committee and the NeuroPrion Association, we invite you to join us for the International Conference Prion2023 from 16-20 October 2023 in Faro, Portugal.
https://prion2023.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Meeting-book-final-version2.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20250828201533/https://prion2023.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Meeting-book-final-version2.pdf
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Syed-Zahid-Shah/publication/378314391_Meeting-book-final-version_prion_2023/links/65d44dad28b7720cecdca95f/Meeting-book-final-version-prion-2023.pdf
DETECTION OF CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE PRIONS IN PROCESSED MEATS.
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.
https://intcwdsympo.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/final-agenda-with-abstracts.pdf?force_download=true
Transmission of prion infectivity from CWD-infected macaque tissues to rodent models demonstrates the zoonotic potential of chronic wasting disease.
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
=====
https://intcwdsympo.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/final-agenda-with-abstracts.pdf?force_download=true
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
snip…
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.
snip…
Our results are the first evidence of a zoonotic risk of CWD when using one of the most common CWD strains, Wisc-1/CWD1 for infection. We demonstrated in a human transgenic mouse model that the species barrier for transmission of CWD to humans is not absolute. The fact that its signature was not typical raises the questions whether CWD would manifest in humans as a subclinical infection, whether it would arise through direct or indirect transmission including an intermediate host, or a silent to uncovered human-to-human transmission, and whether current detection techniques will be sufficient to unveil its presence.
snip…
Furthermore, our findings provide striking insights into how CWD might manifest in humans and the impact it may have on human health. We have used Wisc-1/CWD1, one of the most common CWD strains, notably white-tailed deer prions, which have been shown to be more prone to generate human prions in vitro [47]. This implies a high risk of exposure to this strain, e.g., through consumption or handling of infected carcasses, in contrast to rarer CWD strains, and therefore, an actual risk for human health. Fecal shedding of infectious prions, if it occurs in humans, is particularly concerning because of potential human-to-human transmission and adaptation of hCWD. Overall, our findings suggest that CWD surveillance in humans should encompass a wider spectrum of tissues/organs tested and include new criteria in the diagnosis of potential patients.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00401-022-02482-9
MONDAY, JULY 06, 2026
Cervid CWD TSE PrP Transmission to Humans, has it already happened and being masked as sporadic CJD, What if? July 2026 Review
https://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2026/07/cervid-cwd-tse-prp-transmission-to.html
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2025
Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion Environmental Factors Update
https://prpsc.proboards.com/thread/180/chronic-wasting-disease-environmental-factors
https://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2025/09/chronic-wasting-disease-cwd-tse-prion.html
CWD TSE PRION CERVID ENVIRONMENTAL RISK FACTORS 2023
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/375182191_CWD_TSE_PRION_CERVID_ENVIRONMENTAL_RISK_FACTORS_2023
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2026
Looming Crisis U. S. Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy TSE Prion, in Cattle, Cervid, Sheep, Pigs, and Humans
https://transmissiblespongiformencephalopathy.blogspot.com/2026/09/looming-crisis-u-s-transmissible.html
https://prpsc.proboards.com/thread/246/looming-crisis-prion-cattle-cervid
SUNDAY, AUGUST 09, 2026
Chronic Wasting Disease CWD and Population Declines of Cervid
https://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2026/08/chronic-wasting-disease-cwd-and.html
CWD, So, this is what we leave our children and grandchildren?
Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion, Economical, Environmental, Zoonotic, Risk Factors 2026
https://transmissiblespongiformencephalopathy.blogspot.com/2026/02/chronic-wasting-disease-cwd-tse-prion.html
Deer don’t die from CWD, it’s the insurance companies, or it's a Government conspiracy?
For all you …folks, that keep saying deer don’t die form CWD, or it's a Government conspiracy?
here’s your sign…
“The deer was found dead by a landowner and was severely emaciated.”
CWD-POSITIVE DETECTED IN CARBON COUNTY
February 12, 2025
HARRISBURG -- The Pennsylvania Game Commission today announced an additional CWD-positive deer has been detected in the northeastern part of the state.
The deer, an adult male, was detected in Packer Township, Carbon County. This detection is the first in Carbon County and is more than 10 miles from any other confirmed CWD-positive deer. The deer was found dead by a landowner and was severely emaciated.
https://www.pa.gov/agencies/pgc/newsroom/pheasants-to-be-released-next-week/cwd-positive-detected-in-carbon-county.html
Ever seen a dead deer from Cwd?
That dog don’t hunt!
First chronic wasting disease case confirmed in Spokane County
SPOKANE- Washington’s first case of chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been confirmed in an adult female white-tailed deer that was found dead in the Fairwood area of north Spokane.
https://wdfw.wa.gov/newsroom/news-release/first-chronic-wasting-disease-case-confirmed-spokane-county
Case of Chronic Wasting Disease found in dead deer at Breckinridge County farm Oct 14, 2024 Updated Oct 14, 2024 The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife said Monday that a case of the disease was found in a dead deer from a Breckinridge County deer farm. This is Kentucky's first case of CWD in a captive group of deer, the department said in a news release.
https://www.wdrb.com/news/case-of-chronic-wasting-disease-found-in-dead-deer-at-breckinridge-county-farm/article_e874f26c-8a95-11ef-b4fb-2f583a5d3105.html
Oklahoma CIMARRON COUNTY SSA ENLARGED AFTER CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE CONFIRMED IN DEAD DEER
https://www.wildlifedepartment.com/outdoor-news/cimarron-county-ssa-enlarged-after-chronic-wasting-disease-confirmed-dead-deer
MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) confirms the first positive test result for chronic wasting disease (CWD) in a wild deer in Waushara County. The deer was found dead in early February in the town of Wautoma and is within 10 miles of the Marquette and Portage county borders.
https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/newsroom/release/91086
Ever see a dead deer from Cwd?
CWD, Seeing is believing Videos Part 1, Part 2
The below video series is provided by the Mississippi State Deer Lab with many contributing Partners. Click image to find all videos in the series.
Seeing is Believing is a two part documentary film that hopes to increase awareness about chornic wasting disease (CWD). Although most hunters and landowners may never witness a clinically ill animal in an area with high CWD prevalence, the documentary demonstrates how CWD is certainly present, explains why it is a major concern, and how stakeholders are key to managing the disease. Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) developed these films in partnership with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance, Colorado Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, and multiple private conservation organizations.
CWD Seeing is believing part 1 Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvDTHEwnmO8
CWD Seeing is believing part 2 Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbaYYLWewNg
The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation - CWD Informational Video
https://wgfd.wyo.gov/Wildlife-in-Wyoming/More-Wildlife/Wildlife-Disease/CWD-in-Wyoming-Wildlife/CWD-Videos-Learn-all-about-CWD
Cwd videos
15 minute mark video shows sick deer with cwd, and this deer DIED FROM CWD, IT'S DOCUMENTED, commentator says ''so if anyone every tells you, that a deer has never died from CWD, think of this picture, because the Wisconsin Veterinary Lab told us, what when they looked at her sample under a microscope, she was the hottest animal they had ever seen, and that's in terms of the fluorescents that comes off the slide when the look at it, so, a lot of Prion in her system.''
''SCENTS AND LURES, we know that the Prion is shed in urine, and essentially the production of these products is unregulated, we have no idea, you can't tell where they come from, what species are in them, how many animals, how they are processed, there is really no rules about them, so we are concerned it is a way to bring the disease into new areas, and have us fighting on multiple fronts, AND there are zero risk synthetic options that are readily available in stores, so we have ask hunters to switch to zero risk options.''
see much more about 2 hours long...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3CAI-EwlgM&t=922s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3CAI-EwlgM
TEXAS BREEDER DEER ESCAPEE WITH CWD IN THE WILD, or so the genetics would show?
OH NO, please tell me i heard this wrong, a potential Texas captive escapee with cwd in the wild, in an area with positive captive cwd herd?
apparently, no ID though. tell me it ain't so please...
23:00 minute mark
''Free Ranging Deer, Dr. Deyoung looked at Genetics of this free ranging deer and what he found was, that the genetics on this deer were more similar to captive deer, than the free ranging population, but he did not see a significant connection to any one captive facility that he analyzed, so we believe, Ahhhhhh, this animal had some captive ahhh, whatnot.''
https://youtu.be/aoPDeGL6mpQ?t=1384
Texas symposium Cwd
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nsX4MUWX_d8
Arkansas Cwd
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OWpyhEu77hw
Wyoming Cwd 2022 test results
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cy_CDnNKQSE
key takeaways ;
CWD substantially reduces deer survival rates and suppresses population growth.
Where CWD prevalence is high, deer populations are likely declining.
If CWD continues to spread, it will eventually impact deer populations elsewhere.
https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/research/projects/dpp/StudyResults
WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2026
Limited transmission of cervid prions to nonhuman primates provides insights into the zoonotic potential of chronic wasting disease
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aeb7613
https://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2026/05/limited-transmission-of-cervid-prions.html
https://prpsc.proboards.com/thread/220/limited-transmission-cervid-nonhuman-primates
Cervid CWD TSE PrP Transmission to Humans, has it already happened and being masked as sporadic CJD, What if? July 2026 Review
https://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2026/07/cervid-cwd-tse-prp-transmission-to.html
https://prpsc.proboards.com/thread/224/cervid-transmission-humans-july-review
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