Outdoor News and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report that a new Canadian study suggests chronic wasting disease (CWD) might be transferred to humans.
In Macaque study heightens concerns about human susceptibility to CWD, Journal Sentinel columnist Paul Smith reports:
Macaque monkeys contracted chronic wasting disease after eating meat from CWD-positive deer, according to Canadian researchers.
The findings are the first known oral transmissions of the prion disease to a primate and have heightened concerns of human susceptibility to CWD.
“The assumption was for the longest time that chronic wasting disease was not a threat to human health,” said Stefanie Czub, prion researcher with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, in remarks published Saturday in The Tyee, a Vancouver, British Columbia, magazine. "But with the new data, it seems we need to revisit this view to some degree."
Czub is leading the project, which began in 2009 and is funded by Alberta Prion Research Institute at the University of Calgary.
Eighteen macaques have been exposed to CWD in various ways to study the transmission potential of the disease.
Three of five macaques that were fed infected white-tailed deer meat over a three-year period tested positive for CWD.
The meat fed to the macaques represented the human equivalent of eating a 7-ounce steak per month.
Macaques that had the CWD prion injected into their brains also contracted the disease.
Those that had infected material rubbed on their skin — designed to simulate contact a hunter might have while field dressing a deer — have not contracted the disease.
Czub presented the results May 25 in a talk titled "CWD Transmission into non-human Primates" at the Prion 2017 conference in Edinburgh, Scotland.
The finding of oral transmission of CWD to a primate through eating of infected meat is most troubling to scientists and conservationists.
"This study does not mean people will get CWD," said Dave Clausen of Amery, a veterinarian, deer hunter and former chairman of the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board. "But it means people need to be considering that possibility."
Wisconsin hunters and their family members likely have more contact with CWD each year than those in any other state or province.
The contagious disease, caused by a misfolded prion, or protein, is found at prevalence rates exceeding 30% in parts of deer-rich southern Wisconsin.
Last year, 442 of 3,758 deer submitted for testing in the southern farmland zone were CWD-positive. But more than 10 times as many deer were killed in the zone and not tested, many of which likely carried the disease.
According to the Alliance for Public Wildlife, a Canadian-based wildlife conservation organization, hunting families in North America consume between 7,000 and 15,000 CWD-infected animals every year.
Read the rest at the Journal-Sentinel. At Real Tree, Josh Honeycutt is more alarmed in his article, 2017 North American Deer Summit: CWD Is Worse Than We Thought:
It’s always been assumed that CWD cannot be transferred to humans. They also thought the same thing about Mad Cow Disease, until it happened, as well as hundreds of other diseases that can infect the human body. Interestingly enough, 70 percent of all human diseases originated from animals. At some point in history, each of those diseases — including some of the largest epidemics and pandemics — jumped the barrier and began to infect the human species. Can and/or will CWD do the same? We don’t yet know. But the latest research suggests it is much more likely than originally thought.
According to Director Darrel Rowledge of the Alliance for Public Wildlife, the captive cervid industry is only making things worse.
“We’re making the problem worse in every way that matters by moving domesticated deer around,” said Rowledge. “This is a new disease that wasn’t indigenous to wildlife. Most infections diseases (70 percent) come from animals. Even though it’s hard to jump that barrier, we’re [helping] it by domesticating animals.”
Data continues to suggest humans could be capable of carrying CWD.
[Two weeks ago], confirmation of the transfer of CWD into macaques (a species of monkey) was presented at the Prion 2017 conference in Scotland by Stefanie Czub, Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), and the University of Calgary,” said Rowledge. “The ‘supposed’ resistance of macaques was about the only prop remaining in the complacency wall [macaques’ genetics are closer to ours than squirrel monkeys, which also can contract CWD], but this is just the tip of the iceberg. The implications to markets are enormous, and governments here may have finally begun to take notice.”
Interestingly enough, according to Rowledge, hamsters aren’t susceptible to CWD, even when the prion is injected directly into the brain. However, it can be given to a ferret, which can then give the mutated CWD disease to a hamster after a period of time.
Soil and plants also are grave concerns. Studies have proven that CWD prions can survive once they are deposited into the soil. Other studies have established the fact that plants can then uptake those prions through their roots and into the plants. Animals can then (and are) consume those plants and contract CWD.
And according to Rowledge, a recent study included the application of CWD prions to the exterior of plants (simulating the secretion and deposition of bodily fluids by infected animals) and then tried to scrub the plants to remove the prions. In many cases, those prions were not removed despite intense scrubbing. So, it’s possible that prions are being directly consumed — both inside and outside of plants — by other animals. The scariest part in terms of human consumption? Some of those plants are entering our own vegetation-based food chain.
See just how serious this issue is? Bigger than you previously thought? Starting to discredit all of the sources telling you CWD is of no concern or threat to deer and deer hunters? ...
The Minnesota legislature is twiddling its thumbs on protecting the North Star state's wild whitetail herd. Deer hunter, Southeastern Minnesota farm owner, and state representative Rick Hansen, DFL-S. St. Paul, introduced HF1948, a moratorium on permits for new captive deer farms until January 1, 2020.
UPDATE:
While HF1948 stalled, Hansen did offer the language as an amendment to HF1717, and roll call vote was taken. Check to see how your state representative voted:
Why does this vote matter? Josh Honeycutt reported in 2017 North American Deer Summit: CWD Is Worse Than We Thought:
According to Lou Cornicelli of the Minnesota DNR and Clayton Wolf of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, many of those who have stock in the captive cervid industry will tell you high-fenced animals pose no threat to wild deer. They’ll say that CWD isn’t a serious disease and that it isn’t a significant threat to whitetails. Instead, they’ll claim it’s a political disease dreamed up to end high-fenced hunting. Some are even brave enough to say that EHD (a disease that is not always-fatal and entire populations of deer have grown resistant to) is more of a threat. So let’s put ethics and perceptions (of both hunters and non-hunters) of the high-fenced industry aside for a moment and only look at the health risks they pose to wild deer.
“Misinformation campaigns [spread] belief that CWD won’t impact hunting,” said Cornicelli. “First, the attempt by the farmed cervid industry to cast significant doubt about CWD, including bringing in paid consultants to cast that doubt. Second, some hunters are repeating much of the same information, I think to the detriment of long-term deer health. In some respects, there is a lack of desire to look past the immediate. Given deer are a public resource and agencies are charged with managing populations for the benefit of future generations, I think this is a real problem. A good discussion of how wildlife fits into the concept of Public Trust is important.”
It’s becoming a problem in states that allows captive breeding and hunting operations. This issue is especially growing in the likes of Texas and other key deer hunting states.
“While the disease appears to be off the radars of most hunters in Texas, except in areas where we have mandatory check stations, the majority of those who have been impacted have been cooperative and receptive to information that helps them make educated decisions regarding CWD,” said Wolf. “One of our greatest challenges, and an area we continue to struggle, is trying to debunk and correct the misinformation that’s out there about CWD. The majority of resistance and misinformation has originated from within the captive deer breeding community and its supporters. These folks are convinced the disease is political in nature, blown out of proportion by the government and those who are opposed to captive deer, and that CWD poses no real risk to the resource. Also, because 95 percent of Texas land falls under private ownership, we face an additional challenge from ranchers who fear the detection of CWD on their ranch could result in negative impacts to property values and revenue streams associated with hunting access.”
[end update]
Photo: The Outdoor News story.
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