By NewsDesk  @infectiousdiseasenews

The Norwegian Veterinary Institute reported Thursday of a confirmed case of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in a wild reindeer shot during the ordinary hunt on the Hardanger plateau in central southern Norway.

Image/skeeze

This is the first case of classical CWD in reindeer identified outside the Nordfjella zone 1, where the disease was first detected in 2016.

Two types of CWD prions have been identified in Norway. In wild reindeer, this prion seems to be contagious (classical CWD) as opposed to seven cases in moose and one red deer where it has probably occurred spontaneously in older animals (atypical CWD). CWD is a deadly prion disease for cervids, but has never been detected in humans.

Since 2016, more than 100,000 cervids have been tested for CWD in Norway. From Hardangervidda, 3520 wild reindeer have been tested and found to be CWD negative. Of these, 518 have been tested already in 2020 without positive findings.


Prion diseases: Possible effective treatment strategy in new research

Prion disease: Technician in France diagnosed with vCJD more than 7 years after lab exposure

Chronic Wasting Disease: Bleach inactivates the prion according to research

Prion expert: ‘A link between consumption of squirrel brain and human prion disease is unjustifiably speculative’