TPWD Chronic Wasting Disease Detected at Kerr Wildlife Management Area Captive Deer Research Facility
Chronic Wasting Disease Detected at Kerr Wildlife Management Area Captive Deer Research Facility
Dec. 1, 2023
Media Contact: TPWD News, Business Hours, 512-389-8030
AUSTIN — Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) biologists have reported a suspect-positive case of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in a 14-month-old captive male white-tailed deer at the Kerr Wildlife Management Area (WMA) research facility. The detection resulted from ante-mortem testing conducted on all captive white-tailed deer as part of ongoing research. Samples from the buck were sent to the National Veterinary Service Laboratory in Iowa for confirmation.
Out of an abundance of caution, TPWD staff euthanized all deer in the research facility and collected post-mortem samples, which resulted in no additional detections. TPWD will continue monitoring for CWD throughout the research facility and the WMA.
“TPWD staff are disappointed to abruptly end nearly 50 years of white-tailed deer research that has significantly influenced deer management in Texas and across the country” said John Silovsky, Wildlife Division Director. “Staff will continue to investigate opportunities to enhance the understanding of this insidious disease in both captive environments and free-ranging populations.”
Built in 1974, the high-fenced research facility offers researchers facilities to study white-tailed deer in a controlled setting. The 23-acre facility now is double high fenced and consists of breeding and rearing enclosures, and a series of other structures that facilitate the safe handling of research animals.
The initial stock of deer in the research facility consisted of native Texas whitetails obtained from various locations throughout the state. TPWD did not routinely move deer into or out of the facility after that initial stocking.
The research herd has been maintained as a pedigreed herd investigating nutritional, age and genetic relationships in deer. Research programs in the facility have supported wild deer herd management activities, outreach programs, trainings and the development of antler regulations across the state.
The Kerr WMA has conducted CWD surveillance of its wild and captive deer herds since 2002. Surveillance efforts within the research facility totaled 242 regulatory tests since 2018. Wild deer harvested on the WMA through the public hunting program and field research since 2018 have provided an additional 259 regulatory tests with no detections.
TPWD has intensified its investigations within the facility for the presence of CWD prions since May 8, when the agency received conflicting results —from a presumptive positive RT-QuIC amplification test and not-detected regulatory tests— on a female deer euthanized in January of this year. Assessments within the facility this summer included surveillance with swabs of equipment, water and feed sites paired with targeted euthanasia and tissue testing. Subsequent amplification and regulatory tests confirmed not-detected results on the 66 deer postmortem tested, as part of the investigation. Remaining individuals in the facility were screened with ante-mortem tonsil and rectal biopsies in October resulting in the positive detection from a tonsil biopsy on the 14-month-old male.
CWD is a fatal neurological disease found in certain cervids including deer, elk, moose and other members of the deer family. This slow, progressive disease may not produce visible signs in susceptible species for several years after infection. As the disease process continues, animals with CWD may show changes in behavior and appearance. Clinical signs may include progressive weight loss, stumbling or tremors with a lack of coordination, loss of appetite, teeth grinding, abnormal head posture and/or drooping ears, and excessive thirst, salivation or urination.
CWD has an incubation period that can span years, so the first indication of the disease in a herd is often found through surveillance testing rather than observed clinical signs. Early detection and proactive monitoring improve the state’s response time to the detection of CWD and can greatly reduce the risk of further disease spread.
In Texas, the disease was first discovered in 2012 in free-ranging mule deer along a remote area of the Hueco Mountains near the Texas-New Mexico border. CWD has since been detected in Texas captive and free-ranging cervids, including white-tailed deer, mule deer, red deer and elk.
For more information on previous detections in Texas and CWD best management practices for hunters and landowners, visit TPWD’s CWD page. For more information about the Kerr WMA and research projects visit Kerr WMA web page.
very sad TPWD et al, but keep up the good work trying to detect and contain CWD...terry
HERE IS some previous suspect deer there i ask about in August 2023;
***>I recommend you send questions to WL.Health@tpwd.texas.gov and our knowledge experts can respond to you.
Greetings TPWD et al, I have followed Cwd, BSE, Scrapie, Camel Prion Disease, CJD, closely since 1997, and every deer in Texas that had CWD since 2012, Mule deer. The travesty of the junk science the breeders are throwing out on cwd is almost comical, if not for the seriousness of Cwd. I keep hearing about a Deer at Kerr WMA, all these breeders keep asking about. Now I read a while back about Kerr WMA, that there was a false positive cwd, that was followed by two negative tests, so this deer was negative, but I have no confirmation on this. Could you please confirm or deny this please, and give me a bit of background on this?
Thank you kindly for all the hard work you are doing trying to contain this monster…
Kindest regards, terry Terry S. Singeltary Sr. flounder9@verizon.com
On Aug 1, 2023, at 12:19 PM, WL Health <WL.Health@tpwd.texas.gov> wrote:
Hello sir, please see below for the background you are looking for. In the case of the Kerr WMA, included are 2 statements written by TPWD as the situation unfolded and the course of action taken by test type and subsequent results. These include the dates they were prepared as well. Currently the facility, as stated below, is conducting further testing out of an abundance of caution. June 8, 2023
TPWD is continuing to investigate a test result on a white-tailed deer at the Kerr Wildlife Management Area. Researchers working with TPWD have reported a CWD-positive test result on the deer, produced by an experimental test not yet validated by USDA. However, this result conflicts with a “not-detected” test result from the same animal using a USDA-validated test.
TPWD has now received additional test results, using immunohistochemistry (IHC) testing, from Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL). The results came back “Not Detected.”
Additional analysis is still being conducted to compare results.
TPWD is investigating this case, which involves one deer. The suspect and unofficial CWD-positive detection resulted from an RT-QuIC test, an experimental assay that shows some promise as a more sensitive CWD detection technique that can be used on a wider range of tissues than other available methods of detection. The “not-detected” test result was produced using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). ELISA is a USDA-validated immunological test administered by Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory. Out of an abundance of caution and to reconcile the different test results, TPWD is seeking further tissue testing and in the meantime is treating the facility with a high standard of precautionary measures. All deer from this CWD research project were euthanized at the end of the project and tested for CWD as part of established research protocol. All other deer tested “not detected” for CWD.
Since 1974, TPWD has maintained the closed, pedigreed white-tailed deer herd at Kerr WMA for controlled studies on age, nutrition and genetics, providing results to stakeholders for management of wild deer herds. TPWD continues to operate the facility to share results with stakeholders for research and demonstration purposes and does not routinely move deer into or out of the facility.
6-28-2023 Update The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) has received additional test results on a suspect CWD-positive white-tailed deer at the Kerr Wildlife Management Area (WMA). Researchers working with TPWD originally reported a suspect CWD-positive test result on the deer, produced by an RT-QuIC test, an experimental test not yet validated by USDA. However, this result conflicted with two “Not-Detected” test results from the same animal using USDA-validated tests, from Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory. Further testing on lymph nodes and brain tissue from the suspect animal utilizing protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) testing, a technique similar to RT-QuIC, have been performed and reported with “Not Detected” results. Out of an abundance of caution, TPWD is pursuing further testing in the facility and maintaining biosecurity measures. All deer from this CWD research project were euthanized at the end of the project and tested for CWD as part of established research protocol. All other deer tested “Not Detected” for CWD. The facility performs CWD testing on mortalities and euthanized individuals as part of routine protocols. Since 1974, TPWD has maintained the closed, pedigreed white-tailed deer herd at Kerr WMA for controlled studies on age, nutrition, and genetics, providing results to stakeholders for management of wild deer herds. TPWD does not routinely move deer into or out of the facility.
end...personal communication...terry
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Counties where CWD Exposed Deer were Released
Number of CWD Exposed Deer Released by County
Chronic Wasting Disease CWD Captive Herds updated April 2023
Chronic Wasting Disease CWD Captive Herds updated April 2023
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posted by Terry S. Singeltary Sr. at
2:08 PM
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