Occurrence, Transmission, and Zoonotic Potential of Chronic Wasting Disease

Authors

Samuel E. Saunders, Stanford Law School
Shannon L. Bartelt-Hunt, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Jason C. Bartz, Creighton University, Omaha, NebraskaFollow

Date of this Version

2012

Citation

Emerging Infectious Diseases Vol. 18, No. 3, March 2012

Comments

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid1803.110685

Abstract

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal, transmissible prion disease that affects captive and free-ranging deer, elk, and moose. Although the zoonotic potential of CWD is considered low, identification of multiple CWD strains and the potential for agent evolution upon serial passage hinders a defi nitive conclusion. Surveillance for CWD in free-ranging populations has documented a continual geographic spread of the disease throughout North America. CWD prions are shed from clinically and preclinically affected hosts, and CWD transmission is mediated at least in part by the environment, perhaps by soil. Much remains unknown, including the sites and mechanisms of prion uptake in the naive host. There are no therapeutics or effective eradication measures for CWD-endemic populations. Continued surveillance and research of CWD and its effects on cervid ecosystems is vital for controlling the long-term consequences of this emerging disease.