Published Date: 2001-02-17 23:50:00
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Chronic wasting disease, cervids - USA (Colorado)
Archive Number: 20010217.0314
CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE, CERVIDS - USA (COLORADO)
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See Also
Chronic wasting disease, captive elk - USA (Oklahoma) 20010209.0266Chronic wasting disease, captive deer - USA (Nebraska) 20010125.0180
Chronic wasting disease, cervid - USA: human risk? 20010126.0193
Chronic wasting disease, elk: informing hunters 20010118.0141
Chronic wasting disease, wild deer - USA (Nebraska) 20010117.0140
2000
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Chronic wasting disease, elk - USA (Montana) 20000112.0043
Chronic wasting disease, elk - USA (Montana) (02) 20000718.1186
Chronic wasting disease, elk - USA (Montana) (03) 20000721.1205
Chronic wasting disease, elk - USA (Montana) (04) 20000728.1252
1999
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Chronic wasting disease, deer & elk - USA (western) 19991015.1830
Chronic wasting disease, deer & elk - USA (western... 19991016.1838
Chronic wasting disease, deer - USA (Maine) 19991027.1943
Chronic wasting disease, elk - USA (OK, MT) (02) 19991108.2000
Chronic wasting disease, elk - USA (Oklahoma, Mont... 19990629.1098
1998
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Chronic wasting dis., deer & elk - USA (Colorado)(04) 19980201.0205
Chronic wasting dis., deer & elk - USA (Colorado)(05) 19980203.0212
Chronic wasting dis., deer & elk - USA (Colorado)(06) 19980314.0479
1997
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Chronic wasting dis., deer & elk - USA (Colorado)(03) 19971122.2346
Chronic wasting disease, deer & elk - USA (Colorad... 19971113.2296
Chronic wasting disease, deer & elk - USA (Colorado) 19970601.1122
1996
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Chronic wasting disease - Canada & USA 19960613.1094
Chronic wasting disease - Canada & USA (2) 19960620.1132
Chronic wasting disease - USA 19960503.0850
Chronic wasting disease - USA (2) 19960503.0853
Chronic wasting disease - USA (2) (Repeat) 19960507.0872
Chronic wasting disease - USA (3) 19960508.0890
Chronic wasting disease - USA [Repeat 19960507.0870
[Our 9 Feb 2001 posting on the occurrence of chronic wasting disease (CWD)
in a herd of captive elk in Oklahoma contained erroneous information taken
from The Shawnee News-Star. We regret the oversight in not removing the
misinformation on the Colorado CWD surveillance system. The press release
in question contained a suggestion that 3 cases of CJD among young hunters
may have been related to CWD. Our posting should also have contained a
reminder that no link has been proven between CWD and human disease, and
that the three cases mentioned in that article had been confirmed as
sporadic CJD and not CJD (new var.), the form of disease associated with
BSE in cattle. The current posting is meant to clarify the current status
of CWD in Colorado and the surveillance system in place. - Mods.MPP/TG
[1
Date: Fri 16 Feb 2001 10:41:01 -0700
From: Beth Williams <storm@uwyo.edu>
We feel compelled to clarify some items in a recent post to ProMED-mail
about the occurrence of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in farmed elk in
Oklahoma. Unfortunately there were several important errors in the piece
reprinted from the Shawnee News-Star, 8 Feb 2001. It is unsettling that
such errors are printed in local newspapers and even more disturbing that
these items are posted to ProMED-mail without the appropriate caveats. Many
of the facts presented in this article could have been easily checked for
accuracy.
The cases of the 3 hunters with CJD ([Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, NOT CWD)
were investigated by the Centers for Disease Control [and Prevention and
its findings have been summarized by the World Health Organization (WHO
Consultation on Public Health and Animal Transmission Spongiform
Encephalopathies: Epidemiology, Risk and Research Requirements, Geneva,
Switzerland, 1999
committee (transcripts found at
<http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/ac/01docsbc.htm>).
We are not aware of a specific Colorado law designed to curb CWD by
requiring "whenever a deer or elk dies in that state, the hunter or owner
must take in the animal's head for testing." Over 80 000 free-ranging deer
and elk are harvested annually in Colorado and testing every deer or elk
would be an overwhelming and totally unnecessary endeavor. Chronic wasting
disease is a significant problem in the commercial elk industry and in
free-ranging cervids in geographically limited areas of Wyoming, Colorado,
and a small corner of Nebraska. However, it is important that factual
information about the disease be disseminated on ProMED-mail.
--
Beth Williams
Department of Veterinary Sciences
University of Wyoming
Laramie, Wyoming
Mike Miller
Colorado Division of Wildlife
Fort Collins, Colorado
*****
[2
Date: 14 Feb 2001
From: Michael W. Miller, D.V.M., Ph.D. <mike.miller@state.co.us>
With respect to surveillance for CWD in Colorado, we have no law requiring
submission of every deer or elk that dies in our state. Obviously such a
law would be neither practical nor enforceable. We do have an ongoing
program combining targeted and harvest-based surveillance for CWD in select
free-ranging deer and elk populations, as described in our recent
publication (and several previous ProMED-mail postings).
Under some circumstances, we have required sample submissions from
harvested animals in order to boost sample sizes and improve prevalence
estimates. In addition, there are rules in place requiring that
privately-owned, 12 month-old elk and deer be submitted upon death for CWD
screening. Again, this is part of ongoing CWD surveillance rather than some
form of public health action, as implied in the [Shawnee News-Star story.
--
Michael W. Miller, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Wildlife Veterinarian
Colorado Division of Wildlife
317 West Prospect Road
Fort Collins, Colorado 80526-2097 USA
phone: 970-472-4348
fax: 970-472-4457
e-mail: <mike.miller@state.co.us>
*****
[3
Date: 16 Feb 2001
Source: Colorado Division of Wildlife [edited
<http://www.dnr.state.co.us/cdnr_news/wildlife/2001116113028.html>
Tests Confirm Wasting Disease Has Not Spread
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An ongoing testing program conducted by the Colorado Division of Wildlife
[CDW has found that chronic wasting disease is still confined to a small
portion of northeastern Colorado. It has not spread to deer herds elsewhere
in the state.
"Based on our testing, CWD is still confined to the endemic area in
northeastern Colorado," said Division veterinarian Mike Miller. "We've
examined more than 1500 animals from throughout the state, including Middle
and North Park, the Gunnison area, the Uncompahgre Plateau, San Luis
Valley, the Piceanace Basin, the Colorado Springs and Canon City areas, and
other areas in northwestern Colorado over the past 4 years," Miller said.
"None have been infected with wasting disease."
Chronic wasting disease is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, or
TSE. Other TSEs include scrapie in sheep, bovine spongiform encephalopathy
(BSE) in cattle, Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease (CJD), a rare brain disease in
humans, and Kuru, once found among New Guinea tribesmen who ate the brains
of their dead relatives.
Miller has worked closely with state and federal health officials because
BSE, dubbed "mad cow disease" in Great Britain, has been linked to more
than 80 fatal cases of a new variant of Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease in
humans. State and federal officials say there is no evidence to link
chronic wasting disease to naturally occurring TSEs in humans. More than
200 animals taken by hunters last fall [2000 were examined, Miller said.
Tests conducted this fall in the area in northeastern Colorado where
wasting disease already exists show the incidence of the disease remains
about 5 per cent.
"The level of infection hasn't changed appreciably since we began testing 5
years ago," Miller said. "The pathogen seems to be firmly established in
the endemic area, but transmission does not appear to be accelerating."
Chronic wasting disease attacks the brains of infected deer and elk, and is
fatal. Infected animals appear disoriented, lose weight and lose control of
bodily functions as their overall body condition deteriorates. The animal
dies within a few weeks or months of the first symptoms. The disease was
first noted in the late 1960s but was likely present previously. Wildlife
officials don't know how it began and why it has only been found in
portions of northeastern Colorado and southeastern Wyoming.
Infection rates in deer have ranged from one to 15 percent in those areas.
Experiments underway in several states have shown that it is extremely
difficult to infect cattle with the pathogen, and in fact, the only way
researchers have been successful is to inject the CWD pathogen directly
into the brains of test animals. Cattle that have been in close contact
with infected deer or have ingested the pathogen have not developed the
disease. "Based on this research, it appears that there is a good
biological barrier between the transmission of CWD between deer and
cattle," Miller said. BSE, or mad cow disease, has never been found in the
United States, nor have there been any cases of the new variant of CJD in
the US. Other TSEs, including scrapie in sheep, have existed in the US for
decades, but health studies have found no link between scrapie and any
human disease.
The CDW continues to discourage hunters from taking animals that appear to
be sick no matter the cause. Animals that appear to be diseased should not
be consumed. The CDW especially recommends that the brain and nervous
tissue of deer and elk not be consumed, though human consumption of these
organs is unusual.
Hunters who field-dress game animals should wear protective gloves,
especially if they have open cuts or wounds on their hands. They should
also carefully wash knives and other tools used to field-dress game. Miller
said hunters have reported a number of animals that appear to be sick. Most
have been ill with other diseases such as hemorrhagic disease and other
bacterial or viral infections, injuries or old age. "If hunters, landowners
or others see ill animals, they should report them to the local Division
office," Miller said.
Last November, the Colorado Wildlife Commission approved a late deer
hunting season in Game Management Unit 9 north of Fort Collins as part of
the DOW's efforts to reduce the incidence of chronic wasting disease. Only
deer hunters who had previously obtained permission from private landowners
were allowed to purchase a deer license at the Division's Fort Collins
office. "If hunters don't have permission for this hunt from a private
landowner, they may not participate," Miller said.
--
ProMED-mail
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