Chronic Wasting Disease

by the NetPlaces Network Staff

You’ve probably never heard of this gruesome disease. That in itself is a problem which is why we are running this article. CWD is an ii enzootic and as a prion disease it is currently related to ii cervids including reindeer. The NIH (National Institute Of Health) states “CWD is a type of brain-damaging and fatal prion disease found in deer, elk and moose; in humans, prion diseases can take more than a decade to develop.”

The problem for dog owners living near wooded areas or National Parks is that Chronic Wasting Disease can be transmitted through soil contact or your dog sniffing the ground where urine or feces of infected animals has been deposited. Prions have a long life… Hounds and Bird dogs are at high risk as are their owners and field trial enthusiasts.

Can People Get Chronic Wasting Disease?

We’re told it is “not likely” but the NetPlaces Network would be remiss in not informing dog owners. If you hunt or field trial your dog, you could be at risk. If you deer-hunt or buy local venison you could be at higher risk.

Our staff could find no scientific evidence of cervid-to-human transmission of CWD but the Alberta Prion Research Institute recently discovered that the disease can be spread to monkeys when they were given infected deer meat... No confirmed cases of CWD have been reported in humans as of January 2020.

The infectious prions of Chronic Wasting Disease are of a type associated with “mad cow disease and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans”. See “Plum Scary” ^{Ref #1} by Patricia Jordan, DVM, CVA, CTCVH.

The CDC says in moose, deer, and elk “infection rates may exceed 10 percent … and localized infection rates of more than 25 percent (1 in 4) have been reported.”

Indestructible CWD Prions

According to researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center, grass and plants can bind, uptake and transport infectious prions. Why this is so important takes some understanding of what prions are. Prions are single proteins that cannot be destroyed by typical “kill strategies” such as extreme heat or ultraviolet light.

Chronic Wasting Disease may be hard to destroy and harder to control in the environment. The NetPlaces Network staff will continue to research this gruesome disease as we trust our scientists to find ways to prevent species-jumping which thankfully has not occurred.

After TheDogPress.com and a handful of other brave websites covered the mystery of Lyme Disease and its connection to the Plum Island “Biological Weapons Research Lab”, the facility was moved to Manhattan Kansas in early 2018. There it was re-named as the National Bio and Agro-Defense (NBAF) ^{{Ref # 2}}. The NBAF’s new location in Manhattan, Kansas, places it within the largest concentration of animal health companies in the world.

We trust the NBAF is monitoring and researching CWD. Locals say Chronic Wasting Disease is not the same as “Lyme’s Disease” which similarly affected deer (and workers!) at the super-secret Plum Island facility.

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is caused by a misfolded protein. “The origin and mode of transmission of the prions causing CWD is unknown” which raises eyebrows even as the risk of transmission is stressed.

According to the NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) ^{{Ref #3}} “Chronic wasting disease (CWD)… can be transmitted directly, animal to animal, or indirectly via the environment… and it survives in the soil, water, and forage following deposition of bodily fluids such as urine, saliva, and feces, or by the decomposition of carcasses.”

This is not to scare you but to inform you as pet owners that there is risk if you live “in the country.” If you are a city dweller who visits or hunts in the woodlands, be aware of the risk to yourself and your dogs.

CWD.org advises hunters not to “harvest deer or elk that appear to be sick or abnormal; wear rubber, plastic, or latex gloves when dressing the carcass; avoid contact with brain, spinal cord, and lymphoid tissues; debone the meat when processing; disinfect knives, saws, and tables with 50% bleach…” One of our staff who is a hunter wondered “If Chronic Wasting Disease is that transmissible why would anyone dress out a deer that was symptomatic?”

We are assured that Lyme Disease and Flu, both of which affect humans and dogs, can be prevented by a vaccination. Will there be a vaccine for Chronic Wasting Disease?

Reference Information Articles:  #1 Plum Scary Animals by Patricia Jordan DVM, CVA, CTCVH, SAAB Member

#2 dhs.gov/national-bio-and-agro-defense-facility     ~   #3 National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)

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