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Education and Preventing the Spread of Chronic Wasting Disease in Deer

U.S. Fishing and Wildlife Service
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Table of Contents
I. Introduction to Chronic Wasting Disease.......................................................... Page 3
II. Symptoms of CWD ............................................................................................. Page 4
III. How CWD is spread ........................................................................................... Page 4
IV. Human impact on spreading ............................................................................. Pages 4-5
V. Why CWD is a problem ...................................................................................... Page 5
VI. Solution to CWD ................................................................................................ Pages 5-6
VII. Long term effects of CWD ................................................................................. Pages 6-7
VIII. Conclusion.......................................................................................................... Pages 7-8
IX. References ......................................................................................................... Page 9

Table of Figures
I. Distribution of Chronic Wasting Disease in North America .............................. Page 3
II. Deer infected with Chronic Wasting Disease .................................................... Page 4
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Education and Preventing the Spread of Chronic Wasting Disease in Deer

Introduction to Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a brain disease that is known to affect adult elk, mule deer,
white-tailed deer, and moose. This disease causes deterioration of the brain, resulting in the tissues
and organs to turn into a spongy material. Reactions to this include starvation, loss of bodily
functions, extremely abnormal behavior, and ultimately death. CWD is always a fatal disease. CWD
has been found in deer across areas of the United States, namely the mid-west and Rocky
Mountains. CWD has also been found in other countries such as Canada, Norway, and South Korea.
Figure 1 shows the precise areas in the U.S and Canada where cases of CWD have been found.

Figure 1: Distribution of Chronic Wasting Disease in North America

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https://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/images/cwd/cwd_map_ico.jpg

Symptoms of CWD
The most obvious and consistent sign clinical sign of CWD is weight loss over time. Deer affected
with CWD eat less, drink more, and urinate significantly more. Infected deer also tend to have
strange behavior. This includes limited interaction with other animals, showing no interest in
anything, walking in set patterns, and having consistently blank facial expressions. Excessive
salivation and drooling/grinding of the teeth are also noted in deer infected with CWD.

Figure 2: Deer infected with Chronic Wasting Disease

http://static-17.sinclairstoryline.com/resources/media/9ce5f247-b4b9-40f2-8167-1cebb4aeeefe-
large16x9_CWDdeerhealthydeercomparison.jpg?1512615494594

How CWD is spread

Experts are unsure about exactly how CWD is transmitted. It is possible that CWD is transmitted
through feces, urine, or saliva. CWD infectious agents have proven to be exceedingly resistant to the
environment. Cold and hot weather do not change the spread of the disease. Due to this resistance,
CWD agents can be transmitted directly or indirectly. Direct transmission refers to when there is
physical contact between the infected deer and the uninfected, susceptible deer. Indirect
transmission refers to when there is no physical contact between the two deer.

A possible way that indirect transmission occurs is through environmental contamination of soil,
food, or water. Water is thought to be the primary method of indirect transmission. If an infected
deer drinks from the same water source as an uninfected deer, it is entirely possible that the
uninfected deer comes in contact with the disease.
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Human Impact on spreading

Humans are thought to play a large part in increasing the spread of CWD. Artificial water structures,
such as troughs or guzzlers, are used for agriculture or specifically for wild animals. These
structures are frequently accessed by and attract deer. This results in sites of increased contact
between deer. Another way humans play a role in the spread is through Urine Based Scents (UBS).
Urine Based Scents have the potential to spread CWD to areas where is has not been previously
detected. UBS use attracts deer and can create large concentrations of deer in areas where deer
typically don’t dwell.

A final way that humans are thought to expedite the spread of the disease is through both handling
and transporting carcasses. Hunters often move their harvested deer carcasses across geographic
barriers. Due to the infectious nature of CWD, it is possible to have CWD infected areas despite not
having a high concentration of deer. CWD can infect the areas where dead animals are transported
to if they are not disposed of and handled correctly.

Why CWD is a problem

Due to the lack of proper studies conducted on Chronic Wasting Disease, there is a lot of important
information that is unknown. This includes a clear-cut way to test for and detect CWD. There have
not been any practical live animal tests performed. As of now, the only way to perform a completely
accurate diagnosis of CWD is to examine the brain, tonsils, and lymph nodes of a deceased deer or
elk. This current method is expensive, time consuming, and very tedious.

Another issue scientists are unsure about is the impact of CWD on deer and elk population
dynamics. Creating an official surveillance program is not only expensive, but would draw
resources from other wildlife management needs. However, computing modelling has suggested
that CWD could drastically reduce deer and elk populations by lowering the adult survival rate and
would destabilize long term population dynamics.

A final major unknown detail about deer infected with CWD is whether or not it can be contracted
by or affect humans. The World Health Organization has reviewed all available scientific
information on CWD and concluded that there is not sufficient evidence to determine whether or
not humans can contract the disease. However, during the period of 1997-1998, three sporadic
cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) occured in the U.S. in young adults. CJD is a rare,
degenerative, and invariably fatal brain disorder. These three individuals had recently consumed
venison. While the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) did not find a certain link
between the venison consumed and CJD, it is strongly advised not to eat from infected animals. The
potential effects, if any, are largely unknown.

Solution to CWD
The ultimate solution to preventing the spread of CWD is keeping the disease contained. The best
way to contain the disease is by adopting regulations to reduce the human impact. Currently, states
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with increasing CWD cases are either considering or adopting regulations to prevent future human
impact on the spread. In fact, Colorado has implemented regulations that only allow boned meat,
quarters (no spines or heads), or processed deer meat to be transported out of known CWD areas.
Ways to prevent the human impact on the spread include –

 Properly transporting, handling, and disposing deer carcasses

It is important to avoid transporting any wild deer carcasses or any deer brains, spinal cords, or
lymph tissue across counties. This assists in preventing the spread of CWD into areas that are
uninfected. When dressing deer inside of CWD infected areas it is important that hunters use
utensils dedicated to field dressing, remove all deer organs, and limit contact between the deer
carcass and the ground. The disease can spread easily without proper handling of carcasses. For
proper disposal of carcasses, hunters should use landfills or their regular municipal waste
stream. This prevents the disease from being introduced to new areas.

 Adjusting use of artificial water sources

It is recommended that artificial water structures are built in locations that are undesirable or
inaccessible to deer. Water should be replaced frequently and should be kept clean of organic
matter and particulates. Water should not be left out intentionally for deer use.

 Limiting use of urine-based scents

The UBS that hunters and state residents use should be commercially produced scent-wicks
that are dipped in the bottle of scent and hung on twigs or branches. Scents should be in
resalable containers that can be hung in a tree or placed on a stake in the ground. This
prevents scents from contacting the soil or surrounding areas that could potentially be
infected with CWD.

If CWD areas are contained and infected deer are harvested, we can successfully study the disease
and learn more information about it. Having the opportunity to study the disease more in depth can
potentially lead to a cure or the disease being removed entirely. Containing CWD areas by
eliminating human impacts will dramatically reduce the rate at which the disease is spreading. In
turn, this will protect other deer populations from being infected and give us a chance to eradicate
the disease from infected areas.

Long-term effects of CWD

It is vital to implement this solution to protect the future of U.S. wildlife. If CWD keeps spreading at
the current rate, the disease can destroy entire ecosystems. The predators that rely on deer, such as
bears and coyotes, will not be able to survive due to a lack of fresh prey. The food-chain could be
violently shaken, causing both under-populations and over-populations of different animals.

Implementing a solution would also allow for hunting to exist in the future. If CWD continues to
spread, there are serious and dangerous long term effects. Hunting will not be possible as overall
deer populations will decrease immensely. The main focus will have to be set to preserving deer
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species. Excessive hunting in areas with low deer populations will result in eliminations of the
whole population.

Not only will the spreading of CWD affect the ecosystem and the future of hunting, it will affect the
economy. According to the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, hunting enthusiasts spent a total of $33.7
billion on hunting products and services. The hunting industry is still very popular, with more than
13.7 million people participating in hunting activities each year. A decline in hunting activities will
result in jobs lost, money lost, and collapse of businesses. It is vital for the industry to stay afloat.

Conclusion
Preventing the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease is urgent. The disease has the potential to wipe
out deer populations across the globe and can be detrimental to ecosystems. A solution to prevent
spreading of the disease is by decreasing the amount of deer located in CWD infected areas. This
can be done by containing infected deer populations and selectively harvesting deer with the
disease. In turn, this will ultimately prevent the disease from making its way into unknown areas
and will limit the disease to specific areas. Ultimately, preventing the disease will save ecosystems,
deer populations, and the hunting industry. It is important to implement a working solution as soon
as possible.
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References

Wagner, Nancy. “Hunting Industry Analysis.” Smallbusiness.chron.com, Houston Chronicle,

smallbusiness.chron.com/hunting-industry-analysis-71160.html

"RECOMMENDATIONS FOR REDUCING THE SPREAD OF CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE (CWD)."

Http://dnr.wi.gov. January 1, 2014. Accessed March 3, 2018.
http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/wildlifehabitat/documents/transmission.pdf.

“Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).” Www.cdc.gov, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 17
Aug. 2017, www.cdc.gov/prions/cwd/index.html

“Chronic Wasting Disease FAQ.” Http://Cwd-Info.org, Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance, cwd-
info.org/faq/.