Management of chronic wasting diseases of domestic and wild deer

Minneapolis — Beltrami County currently has land under quarantine.

“You’ll see a 20-foot strip with all the trees removed and a 10-foot fence built around a plot of about 12 acres,” said John Zanmiller. Zanmiller is responsible for community and government operations at the Bluffland Whitetails Association.

According to the site, Bluffland White TalesIs a group of hunters, scientists and researchers dedicated to deer population control.

Zanmiller said the Animal Health Commission was tracking down chronic wasting disease when approaching a particular farm in Beltrami County. The board found that farmers had dumped deer carcasses in nearby areas.

“When they arrived, they found many deer that shouldn’t have been there. Asking the peasants further, they found that he had disposed of them on the land behind his farm. I did, “explained Zan Miller.

Subsequent tests revealed that the dumped carcasses were positive for chronic wasting disease, and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) was urged to build a fence around Beltrami County.

Chronic wasting disease or CWD is caused by a protein that is out of shape. It is highly contagious and can contaminate the soil for up to 20 years. To prevent wild deer from passing through contaminated areas, DNR has installed fences as their only containment method.

Dr. Peter Larsen University of Minnesota Prion Research Center, He said he was going to the problem area in Beltrami County to carry out the diagnosis.

“The way it spreads is most likely in deer,” Larsen said. “Most commonly ingested and slowly spreads throughout the animal like a domino effect.”

He explained that once the malformed protein entered the body, there was no problem with growth.

according to CDC, “CWD deer, elk, reindeer, sika deer, and elk may show no signs of illness for years after infection. As CWD progresses, the behavior and appearance of infected animals vary. Changes can occur. “

• Significant weight loss (consumption)
• Stumbling
• Lack of coordination
• Malaise
• Drool
• Excessive thirst or urination
• drooping ears
• Lack of fear of people

The CDC states that chronic wasting disease is always fatal.

At Bertramie’s site, Dr. Larsen said he used a relatively new technique called RT-QuIC to confirm that soil was also actually positive for prions that cause CWD.

Larsen said he was expecting, although only countermeasures were possible in the already contaminated plots. RT-QuIC It has a permanent spot in the deer farming industry and leads to early detection to prevent its spread.

“If animal health and state committees want, RT-QuIC can be used as a pre-movement test, so you can test deer before moving to the state to determine if you have CWD,” Larsen said. Mr. says. Said. “Therefore, prevent what happened in Beltrami County.”

RT-QuIC can also be used to test venison.

“The CDC recommends not consuming CWD-positive venison,” Larsen said. “Both the 2018 FDA and USDA recommended not consuming positive venison, but classified it as inferior. If detected, it cannot be further processed.”

Regarding whether hunters are worried about the possibility of consuming CWD-positive meat, Zanmiller said he is looking at those who are worried.

“Some people see it as a problem,” Zanmiller said. “But what I’ve come across is just paying attention to the test and its clearance coming back.”

So why do people who don’t hunt or work closely with a particular farm need to worry about CWD?

“I don’t want to be a guard. Many years ago, mad cows would never jump seeds, they said, and they had it in the UK, And virtually all cows on the island had to be wiped out, “said Zammirer. “All of these animals were fenced. What about the millions of white-tailed deer in this country?”

And although definitive data on human infections are not yet available, CDC recommends preventing human exposure to CWD..

“It should be a top priority for the state, as it has a negative impact on so many economic sectors,” Larsen added. “It’s not just deer, it’s agriculture, it’s agriculture, it’s the hunting industry. It’s a multifaceted issue for the state and we expect them to invest in additional CWD research.”

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