# CWD Tests



## yoopertoo (Nov 23, 2005)

It is my understanding that they require dead deer to test for CWD. I think I read they do histological examinations on brain tissue. Am I wrong here? If I'm right I have to ask why in the world they can not develop a live test. You would think they could test some fluid like spinal fluid or something to check for the prions. Anyone know?


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## Munsterlndr (Oct 16, 2004)

There is a live test that has been developed, they take some tissue from the tonsils and subject it to testing. Not as reliable as the post-mortem examination but it is an option for captive cervid testing. Not well suited for testing wild deer due to the stress involved.


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## BigDog25 (Sep 19, 2008)

Have you ever tried to wrestle a live deer? Go give it a shot and then you wil have the answer


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## yoopertoo (Nov 23, 2005)

Munsterlndr said:


> There is a live test that has been developed, they take some tissue from the tonsils and subject it to testing. Not as reliable as the post-mortem examination but it is an option for captive cervid testing. Not well suited for testing wild deer due to the stress involved.


Thanks. 

Lymphatic tissue makes sense. I wonder if there are lymph nodes more easily accessible. I suspect the only reason we don't do live wild testing is because of the cost. Well, if sally soccer mom truly feels little tommy is threatened maybe we would have true epidemiology at work instead of gross bureaucratic CYA.


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## yoopertoo (Nov 23, 2005)

BigDog25 said:


> Have you ever tried to wrestle a live deer?


No, I haven't, but I bet it would make for a great UP roadside attraction. :lol:

Good thing animal wrestling is not needed, otherwise we would have a lot less grizzly bio data.


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## 6inchtrack (Sep 29, 2008)

Now hold on,
The DNR released this;
_CWD is a fatal neurological disease that affects deer, elk and moose. Most cases of the disease have been in western states, but in the past several years, it has spread to Midwestern and eastern states. Infected animals display abnormal behaviors, loss of bodily functions and a progressive weight loss. Current evidence suggests that the disease is transmitted through infectious, self-multiplying proteins (prions). Prions are normal cell proteins whose shape has been transformed, causing CWD. The disease is transmitted by exposure to saliva of infected animals. Susceptible animals can also acquire CWD by eating feces from an infected animal, or soil contaminated by them.* Once contaminated, soil can remain a source of infection for many years, making CWD a particularly difficult disease to manage._
How do they know that these prions get into the ground?
There must be some sort of test.
The DNR said that they didnt want to dig up the body of the infected deer because of the chance of releasing these prions.
So how about taking core samples of the burial site and testing these?
I have the same problem that a lot of other people have, I do not understand how only one deer in a pen of fifty can test positive for this disease and none of the others did.
Has the DNR or somebody else made a mistake?
Couldn't testing core samples prove positively as to that there really was or wasn't a disease in that pen.
Sorry, I just do not understand and have doupts.
B


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## mooney373 (Sep 30, 2008)

6inchtrack said:


> Now hold on,
> The DNR released this;
> _CWD is a fatal neurological disease that affects deer, elk and moose. Most cases of the disease have been in western states, but in the past several years, it has spread to Midwestern and eastern states. Infected animals display abnormal behaviors, loss of bodily functions and a progressive weight loss. Current evidence suggests that the disease is transmitted through infectious, self-multiplying proteins (prions). Prions are normal cell proteins whose shape has been transformed, causing CWD. The disease is transmitted by exposure to saliva of infected animals. Susceptible animals can also acquire CWD by eating feces from an infected animal, or soil contaminated by them.* Once contaminated, soil can remain a source of infection for many years, making CWD a particularly difficult disease to manage._
> How do they know that these prions get into the ground?
> ...


I agree... some info is missing one way or the other. While the DNR wont dig up the body of the infected deer, due to risk of releasing the prions, wont they eventually surface anyhow? And if they are capable of being in the soil for several years, what difference does it make?


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## Munsterlndr (Oct 16, 2004)

6inchtrack said:


> Now hold on,
> The DNR released this;
> _CWD is a fatal neurological disease that affects deer, elk and moose. Most cases of the disease have been in western states, but in the past several years, it has spread to Midwestern and eastern states. Infected animals display abnormal behaviors, loss of bodily functions and a progressive weight loss. Current evidence suggests that the disease is transmitted through infectious, self-multiplying proteins (prions). Prions are normal cell proteins whose shape has been transformed, causing CWD. The disease is transmitted by exposure to saliva of infected animals. Susceptible animals can also acquire CWD by eating feces from an infected animal, or soil contaminated by them.* Once contaminated, soil can remain a source of infection for many years, making CWD a particularly difficult disease to manage._
> How do they know that these prions get into the ground?
> ...


A soil test has been developed by some French researchers within the last year or so but I don't think it is in wide use yet. Prions are proteins, they can't be seen even with a microscope. Testing for their presence is not easy. The reason that autopsy's are more accurate is not because they can see the prions, what they see are the holes that are eaten in brain & lymphatic tissue, which are the result of the disease. I agree that the idea of not digging up the deer carcass due to fear of releasing prions is kind of silly while at the same time they are telling hunters in the hot zone to go ahead and leave gut piles in the woods. Studies show that decomposing infected deer carcasses can infect soil and transmit the disease, it stands to reason that a gut pile from an infected deer would do the same thing.


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## steveboss (Sep 4, 2002)

There is no mistake, that deer obviously was not born there, I am sure it came from another state and the guy doesn't have the proper permits so he claims it was mysteriously born there, but no other deer in his enclosure or anywhere else in this state has CWD. He is single handedly causing chaos and panic when he knows thruth. If I am wrong someone please explain how this disease that is passed on by nose to nose contact can all of a sudden just appear. Sorry I am not buying it. Just my 2 cents


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## blahblah (Oct 8, 2008)

The problem with these facilities is that they mix too many herds and also often have taxidermy shops on site. This leaves a lot of opportunity for spreading disease from herd to herd as well as introducing CWD from taxidermy animals coming in from CWD states.

Just like any other industry, when money is there to be made some people are not going to follow the rules and bring in animals, alive and dead, from where they aren't supposed to. Obviously then there won't be any paperwork for the DNR to look at and find out where this really came from.


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