A Risk Management Tool for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in Captive Cervid Farms

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a prion disease of cervids (captive elk and deer) endemic in some Western and Mid-Western states of the United States. Prions are infectious proteins and the causal agent of fatal neurological disease in animals and humans including CWD in deer and elk, "Mad Cow Disease" (BSE) in cattle, Scrapie in sheep and the variant Creutzfeld-Jakob (vCJD) disease in humans. Transmission of prions causing CWD to other animals or humans has not been demonstrated. However, because of its similarity with the "Mad Cow Disease" and potential public health implications, there is a strong desire to impede the introduction of the disease in areas where it has not been reported and eradicate the disease from captive and wild cervid populations. Occurrence of CWD causes economic and market losses to US cervid farmers. Trade restrictions within and outside the US are currently in place. This project will provide a risk management tool to assist cervid farmers in the assessment, management and mitigation of CWD risks and in the improvement of disease detection should it be present or introduced in the farm.