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Chronic Wasting Disease . Diagnosis of the disease began in 1977. S cientists suspected that CWD was caused by a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE ). TSEs are diseases of the nervous system that have distinctive lesions in the brain .
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Chronic Wasting Disease • Diagnosis of the disease began in 1977. • Scientists suspected that CWD was caused by a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE). • TSEs are diseases of the nervous system that have distinctive lesions in the brain. • Scientists do not know what the transmissible agent is that causes the transformation from cellular PrP (protein prion) to the resistant PrP.
Symptoms • lack of coordination • separation from other animals in a herd • excess salivation • depression • unusual behavior • weight loss • difficulty swallowing • increased thirst and urination
Deer Species With CWD • Whitetail Deer, Odocoileus virginianus • Elk, Cervus canadensis • Mule Deer, Odocoileus hemionus • Moose, Alces alces • Black-tail Deer, Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis
Ways We Can Help • Hunters can help by sending in the heads of a harvested animal that is in an effected area. • By NOT feeding wild animals. • By reporting all suspicious cases.