The disease has not been detected in Oregon yet, but it has been found in deer just a few miles east of the border in Idaho, so Oregon wildlife officials say it’s only a matter of time and they want hunters to be aware.
— Faster and more widespread testing for chronic wasting disease in deer is now possible due to a new partnership between the Oregon Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at Oregon State University’s Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Chronic wasting disease is spread through animals’ waste and saliva, and infected animals can be contagious for months or years before showing symptoms.
It is incurable and affects members of the cervidae family: deer, elk and moose.
To prepare for the disease’s arrival, the Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Oregon Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory received a one-year grant to enable testing for chronic wasting disease in Oregon, rather than sending samples out of state to other national animal laboratories, which officials say can lead to long wait times.
Currently, the Oregon Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory does not have the capacity to test for prions, the infectious proteins that cause the disease by altering the way proteins are folded in cells within the animal’s central nervous system.
“We’re going to have to acquire the equipment and the expertise to test for these prions.
It’s going to be a challenge for us, but that’s what we’re here for,” said Kurt Williams, director of the laboratory at OSU.
“I think it’s super important for the state of Oregon and all of us interested in the outdoors.
For both hunters and non-hunters — this is something we ought to be doing here in Oregon.” There is no evidence that the disease affects humans or spreads to livestock, Williams said, so at this point, the concern is for the health of the deer, elk and moose populations in the state.
Chronic wasting disease is a “spongiform encephalopathic” disease, akin to mad cow in cattle and Creutzfeldt-Jakob in humans, named for the holes it causes within an animal’s brain.
The report adds to ongoing university-led research relevant to veterinary medicine, animal health, and clinical decision-making.
university website: Oregon State University Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine
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