In a follow-up on a report earlier this year on Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in Pennsylvania, state agriculture officials are reporting third case of CWD in a captive deer farm in four months.
The five-year-old white-tailed deer died on a farm in Fulton County in April 2017 – the same premises on which it was born and raised. Samples from this deer tested positive for the disease at the Pennsylvania Veterinary Laboratory in Harrisburg. The test results were confirmed by the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, on April 28, 2017.
“This positive case shows not only that CWD is still a threat to our deer herd, but, just as important, that our surveillance and disease response program works,” said Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. “We will continue to work with deer farmers and sportsmen to protect the health of Pennsylvania’s deer, and find ways to keep CWD from spreading further into Pennsylvania.”
Chronic Wasting Disease attacks the brain of infected deer, elk and moose, producing small lesions that eventually result in death. Animals in those species can get the disease through direct contact with saliva, feces and urine from an infected animal.
Symptoms include weight loss, excessive salivation, increased drinking and urination, and abnormal behavior like stumbling, trembling and depression. Infected deer and elk also may allow unusually close approach by humans or natural predators. The disease is fatal and there is no known treatment or vaccine.
There is no strong evidence that humans or livestock can contract Chronic Wasting Disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Related:
- Pennsylvania Lyme disease: An interview with Dr Amesh Adalja
- Prion diseases and the Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Foundation
- Norway: Moose diagnosed with Chronic Wasting Disease, 2nd case in Europe
- France reports ‘mad cow disease’ case in Ardennes
- Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease takes the life of Utah House speaker, Becky Lockhart
- Vaccine against prion disease, chronic wasting disease, developed by NYU researchers
Subject: CWD TRANSMITS TO MACAQUE ORALLY MUSCLE INTAKE
Notice to Members Regarding Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)
Posted on: May 31st, 2017
To: MNA Members
From: Métis Nation of Alberta
Date: Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Métis Nation of Alberta (MNA) was made aware of a recent Canadian research study examining the transmission of Chronic Wasting Disease. The initial results of the study indicate that macaque monkeys (genetically similar to humans) can be infected with Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) after eating deer that is infected with CWD. CWD is a prion disease, which are fatal, transmissible diseases characterized by abnormal proteins in the brain and nervous system. To date no research has shown that CWD can be passed on to humans, and no human cases of CWD have ever been identified. However, this new research indicates that it is a possibility. The Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Health has reached out to us to share with our Métis harvesters this important information.
For more information you can visit:
http://aep.alberta.ca/fish-wildlife/wildlife-diseases/chronic-wasting-disease/cwd-updates/default.aspx
and
http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/disease_information/chronic_wasting_disease/index.jsp.
What the Alberta Government knows:
CWD is present in southeastern Alberta, with the area slowly spreading westward over time (introduced into Alberta from Saskatchewan) – see map for more information at http://aep.alberta.ca/fish-wildlife/fishing-hunting-trapping/hunting-alberta/documents/HuntersCWD-HarvestedDeerHeads-2016.pdf
CWD circulates in deer populations, particularly mule deer; it has been found in about 4% of deer tested in 2016;
Elk can be infected in areas where CWD has been present in deer for a long period of time;
Moose can also be infected, but this would be fairly rare.
Necessary Precautions for Harvesters:
Hunters and others who handle carcasses follow basic handling precautions (available here http://aep.alberta.ca/fish-wildlife/fishing-hunting-trapping/hunting-alberta/documents/CWDGuidelines-DeerCarcassTransportationHandling-Oct2009.pdf
All deer, moose and elk harvested from CWD mandatory submission wildlife management units (WMUs) be tested for CWD; and
A negative result (no CWD detected by the test) must be obtained before any part of an animal is eaten.
For more information, contact:
Amy Quintal
Métis Nation of Alberta
Métis Harvesting Liaison
Tel: (780) 455 – 2200
[email protected]
http://albertametis.com/2017/05/notice-members-regarding-chronic-wasting-disease-cwd/
FRIDAY, JUNE 02, 2017
Alberta Canada Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Surveillance Update: 2016/17 Final
http://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2017/06/alberta-canada-chronic-wasting-disease.html
Chronic Wasting Disease: CFIA Research Summary
Embargoed until May 23, 2017
(OCR of a scanned original)
Research Findings
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a progressive, fatal disease of the nervous system of cervids including deer, elk, moose, and reindeer that is caused by abnormal proteins called prions. It is known as a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE). Other TSEs include scrapie in sheep, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans.
A limited number of experimental studies have demonstrated that non-human primates, specifically squirrel monkeys, are susceptible to CWD prions. An ongoing research study has now shown that CWD can also be transmitted to macaques, which are genetically closer to humans.
The study led by Dr. Stefanie Czub, a scientist at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), and funded by the Alberta Prion Research institute has demonstrated that by orally administering material under experimental conditions from cervids (deer and elk) naturally infected with CWD, the disease can be transmitted to macaques.
in this project, which began in 2009, 18 macaques were exposed to CWD in a variety of ways: by injecting into the brain, through contact with skin, oral administration, and intravenously (into the bloodstream through veins). So far, results are available from 5 animals. At this point, two animals that were exposed to CWD by direct introduction into the brain, one that was administered infected brain material by oral administration and two that were given infected muscle by oral administration have become infected with CWD. The study is ongoing and testing continues in the remaining animals. The early results will be presented at PRlON 2017, the annual international conference on prion diseases, in Edinburgh, Scotland, May 23 to 26, 2017.
Potential impacts of the new finding
Since 2003 Canada has a policy that recommends that animals and materials known to be infected with prions be removed from the food chain and from health products. Although no direct evidence of CWD prion transmission to humans has ever been recorded, the policy advocates a precautionary approach to managing CWD and potential human exposure to prions. These initial findings do not change Health Canada’s Health Products and Food Branch (HPFB) position on food and health products. A precautionary approach is still recommended to manage the potential risks of exposure to prions through food and health products. Measures are in place at federal, provincial and territorial levels to reduce human exposure to products potentially contaminated by CWD by preventing known infected animals from entering the marketplace.
While Federal and P/T government’s animal disease control policies continue to divert known CWD-infected animals away from entering the food and feed supply, research and development of sensitive detection methods including live-animal sampling techniques remain crucial for ensuring an accurate diagnosis. In addition, consistent federal, provincial and territorial communications of appropriate precautionary measures for hunters and indigenous communities are required.
Next Steps
The CFlA will continue to collaborate with national and international partners to develop and validate new diagnostic techniques. The CFlA will also continue to offer confirmatory testing services and reference laboratory expertise to provincial and territorial partners on demand.
Currently, CFlA laboratories are leading or collaborating on several research projects to understand the potential for CWD to infect humans. These projects use non‐human primates, genetically modified mice, and cell-free amplification approaches. Given the present findings, CFiA encourages continued research into TSEs.
The results of this study reinforce the need to redesign the federal program to foster greater adoption of risk mitigation measures for farmed cervids. Federal and provincial government collaboration will continue as new program options are assessed.
The results of Dr. Czub’s research into CWD will be of interest to scientists, governments, industry and people who consume cervid products. After the presentation at PRION 2017, the research will follow the normal steps of completion, peer review and publication. The Government of Canada will monitor the response to this research and determine whether further review of the science is required. Other studies underway by other researchers may also become public as a result of the presentation of Dr. Czub’s research.
The Public Health Agency of Canada, Health Canada, CFlA and other Federal partners are working together to assess what policies or programs need further review as well as preparing other communications about the research and health policy and advice to Canadian. 2017/04/28
===end…UNOFFICIAL…NO URL LINK…TSS===
0:30 First evidence of intracranial and peroral transmission of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) into Cynomolgus macaques: a work in progress
Dr Stefanie Czub University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine/Canadian Food Inspection Agency Canada
http://prion2017.org/programme/
WEDNESDAY, MAY 03, 2017
*** First evidence of intracranial and peroral transmission of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) into Cynomolgus macaques
http://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2017/05/first-evidence-of-intracranial-and.html
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
PRION2017 CONFERENCE VIDEO UPDATE 23 – 26 May 2017 Edinburgh UPDATE 1
Subject: PRION2017 CONFERENCE VIDEO UPDATE 23 – 26 May 2017 Edinburgh
*see archives of previous Prion Conferences, the ones that are still available, scroll down towards bottom in this link.
http://prionprp.blogspot.com/2017/05/prion2017-conference-video-update-23-26.html
WEDNESDAY, MAY 31, 2017
Texas New Exotic CWD Susceptible Species Rules Now in Effect
http://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2017/05/texas-new-exotic-cwd-susceptible.html
TUESDAY, JUNE 13, 2017
Pennsylvania Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE PRION Senate Joint Hearing Tuesday, June 13, 2017
http://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2017/06/pennsylvania-chronic-wasting-disease.html