http://www.mucc.org/dnr_suspects_fourth_deer_with_cwd
When a younger male contracts it, it's usually due to being exposed while part of a family group made up of does and other male fawns, which is why it's plausible that it was related to the older doe who tested positive in Meridian Township. Depending on where in Dewitt township it was harvested, this buck dispersing from Meridian may or may not be a plausible possibility.
While the incidence rate is lower in yearling bucks then it is in adult bucks, particularly older ones, yearlings tend to be of concern because they are the cohort of the herd that has the potential to substantially increase the geographic scope of the outbreak, due to dispersing from their natal range. While typically yearling bucks disperse about 5 miles, there have been recorded instances where yearlings have dispersed long distances, one almost 100 miles. If infected, longer distance dispersals have the potential to make containing the disease much more difficult, which is why buck harvest should be concentrated on yearling bucks in areas where disease has been identified.
What happened to the 3-5 day turnaround ??
Unacceptable IMO..
CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE, CERVID - USA (13): VACCINE FAILURE IN ELK
The [Wyoming, USA] state wildlife veterinarian told Wyoming Game and Fish commissioners that a vaccine to fight Chronic Wasting Disease appears to have failed in a test among live elk.
Dr. Mary Wood cautioned that her findings are preliminary, that they haven't been peer-reviewed or published, and that there is a hiccup in the study. Nevertheless, she said the live tests revealed a statistically significant difference showing the vaccine to be ineffective.
"We have not observed a protective effect associated with this vaccine," she stated in a PowerPoint presentation to the commission. "There may be a negative effect associated with this vaccine," she said, with inoculated elk about 7 times more likely to develop CWD.
13 surviving elk will continue to be studied in the test, she said. The trial also may help researchers better understand how genetic differences make some elk less susceptible, possibly immune, to the disease.
The news from Wood came as Game and Fish said it has found the incurable, always-fatal disease in several new deer hunt areas and a new elk hunting area. The new areas document the neurological disorder spreading farther west across the state. In 2014, Game and Fish discovered 83 mule deer, 12 white-tailed deer, and 15 elk that tested positive for CWD.
However, no elk have yet been found with CWD west of the Continental Divide where the state operates 22 winter elk feedgrounds. Some people are fearful the withering affliction would spread rapidly once it arrives where elk are concentrated artificially.
Wildlife managers hoped the vaccine might help contain CWD that's infected deer and elk across wide parts of eastern and central Wyoming. Made by the Canadian company Prevent, the recombinant protein fusion vaccine had shown potential. "They actually did some studies with domestic sheep and [deer-family] cervids," Wood told the commission. "It looked very promising. They had thought this vaccine might either protect against actual infection of CWD or potentially it might prolong survival."
But now, almost 3 years after the trial on 38 elk started at the agency's Tom Thorne and Beth Williams Wildlife Research Center, the results show otherwise. "I don't have the greatest news to give you today," Wood told the commission 6 Nov 2015. "I have not found the magic bullet to treat CWD."
Last week, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources responded to calls of a male mule deer lying on the side of the road in a rural area of Eaton County. The antlers had been removed and the animal was field-dressed, though DNR staff determined, after close X-ray examination, the animal was killed by a vehicle. There were no bullet holes or lead fragments, but there were numerous broken ribs and other trauma indicative of a deer/vehicle collision. Since there are no registered mule deer in Michigan’s privately owned cervid facilities, it is believed that this carcass was brought into Michigan from somewhere out west.
Mule deer are located in western North America. The most noticeable differences between white-tailed and mule deer are the size of their ears, the color of their tails and the configuration of their antlers. The mule deer's tail is black-tipped and their antlers "fork" as they grow, rather than branch from a single main beam, as is the case with white-tails.
“The fact that this was called into the DNR indicates that our chronic wasting disease (CWD) communications are being received by some, but there are clearly more individuals to reach,” said Chad Stewart, DNR deer specialist. “We received more than one call that this deer didn’t seem to be a white-tail and that we needed to have it picked up and tested. We would like to thank everyone who called in.”
Stewart said the good news is that the deer was tested for CWD and the disease was not detected. However, the discovery of the mule deer highlights important restrictions that are in place to keep Michigan’s native deer population safe from disease.
“Michiganders must understand that a situation like this is one of the ways CWD may have entered Michigan,” Stewart said. “We must all take responsibility for keeping our deer herd safe and following the laws on importation of harvested animals from states with CWD.”
Just this weekend, DNR Law Enforcement stopped a number of vehicles coming into Michigan from Wisconsin and Illinois bringing in illegal parts from deer. Conservation officers are actively working these cases and taking enforcement actions when violations are present.
The DNR announced in late May 2015 that CWD had been found for the first time in a free-ranging white-tail deer in Ingham County. Since that time, two additional deer also have tested positive. CWD is a neurological (brain and nervous system) disease found in deer, elk and moose.
There is currently no treatment for CWD; it is fatal in all cases.
Current scientific understanding suggests CWD may be transmitted both directly through animal-to-animal contact, as well as indirectly through a contaminated environment. Previous studies have shown that CWD prions exist in the saliva, urine, blood and feces of infected cervids. Additionally, a study from the University of Wisconsin suggests that the CWD prion can remain indefinitely in certain types of soil, and binding to soil dramatically increases the infectiousness of CWD prions.
To date, there is no evidence that chronic wasting disease presents any risk to non-cervids, including humans, either through contact with an infected animal or from handling venison. However, as a precaution, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization recommend that infected animals not be consumed as food by either humans or domestic animals.
Many western states do have chronic wasting disease, which is why the Michigan DNR has strict importation laws.
Harvested free-ranging deer, elk or moose from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Alberta or Saskatchewan have importation restrictions.
These states and provinces have detected CWD in free-ranging animals; therefore, only the following parts of deer, elk or moose carcasses may be brought into Michigan: deboned meat, antlers, antlers attached to a skull cap cleaned of all brain and muscle tissue, hides, upper canine teeth or a finished taxidermy mount.
If you are notified by another state or province that a deer, elk or moose you brought into Michigan has tested positive for CWD, you must contact the DNR Wildlife Disease Lab within two business days (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) at 517-336-5030 and provide details. In addition, the U.S. Department of Agriculture may have regulations on importation from Canada. Call 301-851-3300 for details.
Michigan citizens should call the DNR Report All Poaching hotline (800-292-7800) with any information related to this mule deer incident or to report any other importation violations.
For more information on CWD, please visit www.michigan.gov/cwd.
http://www.wzzm13.com/story/news/local/2015/12/01/fourth-deer-in-michigan-tests-positive-for-cwd/76601834/
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on 13 Nov 2015, said a 1.5-year-old buck suspected of carrying chronic wasting disease [CWD] was killed in DeWitt Township [Clinton County]. Now, tests confirm the suspicion.
A sample from the deer was sent to the US Department of Agriculture's National Veterinary Services Laboratory (USDA, NVSL) in Iowa, where it tested positive for CWD. The results were returned Mon 30 Nov 2015.
This is the 4th wild deer in the state to test positive for the disease.
[Byline: Kayla Fortney]
-- Communicated by: Terry S Singeltary Sr
[Sadly, it seems when an area is found to have CWD, there will not be just one case. Seek and you will find other cases.
CWD is a member of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathy or TSE group of diseases. This particular TSE has, thus far, not shown to be transmissible to humans. However, caution is urged regarding consumption of known TSE-infected meat.
The state has established hunter-killed testing for animals in the state taken during this hunting season. - Mod.TG
The state of Michigan can be located on the HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map at
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is reminding the public that broadcasts of WNMU-TV13’s “Media Meet” discussion on keeping the Upper Peninsula free from chronic wasting disease will air next weekend.
The program with DNR staff and host Bill Hart focuses on various efforts to educate the public on CWD and keeping it from reaching the U.P. The program will initially air at 6:30 p.m. EST Saturday, Dec. 12, and be rebroadcast at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13, and in January 2016.
Guests featured on the half-hour program include Ashley Autenrieth, DNR deer program biologist in Gaylord, Terry Minzey, DNR U.P. regional wildlife supervisor in Ishpeming, Dave Dragon, a DNR wildlife technician from the Crystal Falls office, and John Pepin, DNR deputy public information officer in Marquette.
The broadcast will reach viewers across the U.P. and parts of northern Wisconsin. A week after the initial broadcast, the television program will be available online at: http://wnmuvideo.nmu.edu/program/media-meet/.
Public Radio 90 will also air the program at 7:30 a.m. Dec. 13, repeating at 3:30 p.m. Dec. 14. The program will also be available on Public Radio 90’s podcast at: http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wnmu/.jukebox?action=programs.
The DNR recently launched a public information and education campaign to try to keep chronic wasting disease from reaching the Upper Peninsula.
Discovered earlier this year in a free-ranging deer in the Lower Peninsula, CWD affects the central nervous system and is fatal to white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk and moose. There is no known treatment.
DNR officials are concerned CWD could be brought into the U.P. by those hunting in other states. From billboards and bumper stickers to an informational fact sheet and television and radio broadcasts, the DNR is working to inform the public about preventing CWD from occurring in the U.P.
Two prophylactic measures:
1. Eliminate all cervid farming in the UP. 2. Ban urine based scent products.
DATCP press release CWD-positive white-tailed deer found on Oneida County hunting preserve
Date: December 3, 2015 MADISON – A white-tailed deer on an Oneida County hunting preserve has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD), State Veterinarian Dr. Paul McGraw announced today.
The National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa, reported the final test results back to the state. The animal was a 3-year-old male and was one of about 425 deer in the 570-acre preserve.
The deer was born on the premises and shot in the preserve. Samples were taken in accordance with Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection’s (DATCP’s) rules, which require testing of farm-raised deer and elk when they die, go to slaughter or are killed.
The sample originally tested positive at a regional laboratory and required a confirmatory test at the NVSL. The DATCP Animal Health Division’s investigation will look at the animal’s history and trace movements of deer onto the property.
The business will be allowed to conduct hunts on the quarantined preserve, because properly handled dead animals leaving the premises do not pose a disease risk.
Link from Pro-Med: Positive CWD test leads to deer feeding bans in Oneida, Vilas and Forest Counties
On the 4th CWD MI positive deer:
Suspect deer confirmed positive for chronic wasting disease Deer was harvested in Dewitt Township; Eaton County hunters urged to voluntarily check deer and stop baiting and feeding of deer
As of Thursday, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources reports a total of 3,695 deer in Michigan this year have been tested for chronic wasting disease (CWD). Four deer have been confirmed positive for the disease, with the fourth positive just recently found.
During the firearm deer season, a hunter from Dewitt Township (Clinton County) in the Core CWD Area brought a 1 1/2-year-old buck into the DNR’s Rose Lake deer check station. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, confirmed the deer as CWD positive.
Because the deer was harvested within 10 miles of the Eaton County border, the DNR strongly encourages all hunters within Eaton County to voluntarily stop baiting and feeding, continue hunting and, most importantly, bring harvested deer into a DNR check station.
“Deer hunters in DMU 333 have been a great help by bringing in their deer to be tested. We couldn’t be more thankful or impressed with their dedication to the resource,” said Chad Stewart, DNR deer specialist. “We continue to need their help and are also asking Eaton County hunters to join our efforts. In addition, we have begun conversations with DeWitt Township, and they, too, are becoming great partners in this fight against CWD.”
There will be no mandatory regulation changes from now through the end of the deer season, as the DNR conducts CWD surveillance and decides what additional steps might be needed for the 2016 season.
Department of Natural Resources (DNR) officials will hold a meeting in DeWitt Township Tuesday night [12 Jan 2016] to discuss the latest findings of chronic wasting disease in whitetail deer.
DNR staff expected to attend the meeting include deer management specialist Chad Stewart and wildlife biologist Steve Schmidt. They will provide information on CWD, its impacts on deer and deer populations, and how the DNR has responded to the discovery of the disease to this point.
Residents and hunters from DeWitt and Watertown townships are particularly encouraged to attend, officials said. A deer harvested in Watertown Township in December 2015 tested positive for CWD. Also, a deer harvested in DeWitt Township during the recent firearm deer season was confirmed to have CWD.
"An archery hunter brought his deer from Watertown Township into a DNR check station to have it aged and receive a successful hunter patch. He wasn't going to have it tested," Stewart said. "We suggested that he test just in case. If he hadn't agreed, we may not have found another suspect."
5 deer have been found with CWD in the area. The deer taken in Watertown Twp. was the 1st to be found outside of a 9-township CWD Core Area, which includes Lansing, Delhi, Alaiedon, Meridian, Williamstown and Wheatfield townships in Ingham County, Bath and DeWitt townships in Clinton County, and Woodhull Township in Shiawassee County. 3 deer were found earlier in 2015 in Meridian Township.
Ingham, Clinton and Shiawassee counties compose the CWD Management Area.
Schmidt said the discovery of CWD in Watertown Twp. does not mean that the disease has spread.
"It does mean that the disease has been found in that area. And it means we will need to do more surveillance in that area to determine the extent that the disease is there," Schmidt said.
The 5 CWD-positive deer were among 4187 deer that have been tested by the DNR, including 2553 from the CWD Core Area.
Schmidt said that wildlife officials in Minnesota and New York were able to keep CWD from becoming established in those states due to early detection and response.
"We cannot be certain that the disease has become established in our deer herd. We need to do more surveillance and testing to answer that question," Schmidt said.
DNR officials said the public's cooperation will be important to curtailing the disease.
"We would like to build the same type of support in DeWitt and Watertown townships that we have seen in Meridian," Stewart said. "Township officials, hunters and landowners are critical to our plan."
With archery deer hunting season under way, DNR urges all hunters to take harvested deer to area check stations
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, confirmed Wednesday that a 3 1/2-year-old female deer taken during Michigan’s youth deer hunting season in September has tested positive for chronic wasting disease.
The animal, harvested in Montcalm Township in Montcalm County, is the 10th free-ranging deer in Michigan found to have chronic wasting disease. The youth hunter who harvested the deer opted to take the animal to a Department of Natural Resources deer check station and then submitted the animal for testing – steps the DNR strongly encourages hunters across the state to take during the 2017 deer hunting seasons.
“Because this family decided to bring their deer to a DNR deer check station, state wildlife managers were able to gain important information about chronic wasting disease in mid-Michigan,” said Dr. Kelly Straka, DNR state wildlife veterinarian. “As we move through the archery and firearm seasons, voluntary deer testing will be critical not only within the currently affected areas, but also throughout the south-central Lower Peninsula and the entire state.”
(continued at link)
Wildlife scientists and other experts from across the country gathered last week in East Lansing, Michigan, for the state’s Chronic Wasting Disease Symposium – an opportunity to share ideas and focus on finding solutions for containing CWD, a fatal neurological disease that first emerged in Michigan’s free-ranging, white-tailed deer population in 2015.
Hosted Oct. 3-4 by the Michigan departments of Natural Resources and Agriculture and Rural Development, along with the Michigan Natural Resources Commission and the Michigan Commission of Agriculture and Rural Development at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center, the two-day workshop brought together approximately 200 individuals from a variety of backgrounds.
“There was an impressive list of experts who are internationally known for their research on chronic wasting disease,” stated Dr. Kelly Straka, DNR wildlife veterinarian. “There were representatives from several universities, including Georgia, Colorado State, Wisconsin, Illinois, Midwestern and Michigan State.”
In addition, the symposium welcomed speakers from state agencies representing Illinois, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Wyoming, and, as well as several nongovernmental and government agencies including the Quality Deer Management Association, the North American Deer Farmers Association, the United States Geological Survey and the United States Department of Agriculture.
Presentations covered topics including:
The first five decades of CWD evolution. Disease transmission and pathogenesis (how it developed). Maternal transmission and species susceptibility. Transmission by saliva, feces, urine and blood. Plant uptake and antemortem testing. Social impacts of the disease. The role of genetic influences. The importance of applied research. Perspective on captive cervid communities. CWD management in various states.
Several members of Michigan’s recently formed CWD workgroup (with representation from both the Natural Resources Commission and the Michigan Commission of Agriculture and Rural Development) were on hand to hear and consider the latest CWD information being shared.
The CWD workgroup was created to advise the NRC, the DNR and other applicable agencies on further steps and actions that could be implemented to substantially mitigate or eliminate chronic wasting disease in Michigan. The group held its first meeting Oct. 5 and is set to deliver recommendations to the NRC and the DNR by Dec. 31, 2017. Upon receipt of those recommendations, the NRC and the DNR will develop an appropriate process for public review and feedback.
“We want to sincerely thank everyone who took the time to share their wisdom, experience and strategies for better understanding and battling chronic wasting disease,” said Dr. Straka. “Michigan is committed to doing everything possible to stop this serious wildlife disease from causing long-term harm to our state’s vital deer population. This symposium was one of the first events to gather both research and management experts under one roof, and that’s a tremendous step forward.”
CWD is a contagious neurological disease affecting members of the cervid family, including deer, elk and moose. It attacks the central nervous system of infected animals resulting in emaciation, abnormal behavior and loss of bodily functions. There is no recovery; the disease always results in death of the animal.
In 2015, Michigan’s first free-ranging CWD positive deer was found. Since the discovery of that first animal, the DNR has sampled more than 14,000 free-ranging deer from around the state. A total of 10 of those animals have tested positive for CWD.
Sessions that were live-streamed from the CWD Symposium will be available in November on the Michigan DNR’s YouTube channel once the two-day event has been edited and closed-captioned. Links to individual sessions will be posted on www.michigan.gov/cwd.
It was obvious to me, at the git go, and they stated that it was an oversight on their part, but that is being addressed....
flounder's Link
Michigan 3 ½-year-old female deer likely to be the 10th free-ranging deer Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion
http://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2017/10/michigan-3-year-old-female-deer-likely.html
I am afraid, one bad winter, and poor habitat, and poor yards, you will not have to worry about it........
Its like baits in the woods, nothing but feed signs for predators,,,,, people forgot how to hunt........
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources announced today that the 1.5-year-old buck, harvested last month in Sidney Township (Montcalm County), was confirmed positive for chronic wasting disease by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa. This is the 11th case of CWD to be confirmed in a free-ranging deer in Michigan.
Since the harvest of that deer, three additional suspect positive deer – all from Montcalm County, in Pine, Reynolds and Sidney townships – are awaiting confirmation.
“Thank you to these hunters for checking their deer, which is required for these areas. Hunter assistance is critical in the ongoing fight against the spread of CWD,” said Chad Stewart, DNR deer specialist. “The response from hunters so far shows a strong willingness to help, and it’s clear that more hunters are committed to getting their deer tested.”
There are three Core CWD Areas that have mandatory check. To determine if a hunting location is within a mandatory check area, or to find the nearest DNR deer check station, visit michigan.gov/cwd.
“In a short amount of time, without many deer tested from these areas, we are finding more CWD-positive deer,” Stewart said. “This is concerning. We cannot emphasize enough how important it is for hunters from the surrounding areas that are outside of mandatory check locations to have their deer tested, too.”
To date, there have been no reported cases of CWD infection in humans. However, as a precaution, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization recommend that infected animals not be consumed as food by either humans or domestic animals.
CWD is a fatal neurological disease that affects white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk and moose. It is caused by the transmission of infectious, self-multiplying proteins (prions) contained in saliva and other body fluids of infected animals. Susceptible animals can acquire CWD by direct exposure to these fluids, from environments contaminated with these fluids or the carcass of a diseased animal.
