A fatal, prion-caused neurodegenerative disease of deer, elk, moose and reindeer, first identified in Colorado in the 1960s, that causes progressive weight loss, behavioral changes and, invariably, death. It has spread through free-ranging and farmed cervid populations across much of North America and, more recently, to Scandinavia and South Korea, and because farmed elk and deer are raised commercially for venison, velvet antler and hunting stock in many countries, its detection on a farm typically triggers herd depopulation and long-term movement restrictions, since its prions can persist in soil for years.
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1. Chronic Wasting Disease (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationOpening definition paragraph
Chronic wasting disease (CWD), is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) naturally affecting members of the deer family. TSEs are a family of diseases caused by misfolded proteins called prions and include similar diseases such as mad cow disease in cattle, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, and scrapie in sheep. In the United States, CWD affects mule deer, white-tailed deer, red deer, sika deer, elk, caribou, and moose.
lead description
A fatal, prion-caused neurodegenerative disease of deer, elk, moose and reindeer, first identified in Colorado in the 1960s, that causes progressive weight loss, behavioral changes and, invariably, death.
In Group: Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies, Lead
Chronic wasting disease (CWD), is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) naturally affecting members of the deer family.
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