LDWF Continues to Monitor for Chronic Wasting Disease in State’s White-tailed Deer Population

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries continues to monitor for chronic wasting disease in white-tailed deer native to the state and has stepped up preventative efforts as CWD has entered Texas and Arkansas.
Department veterinarian Jim LaCour and agency Deer Management Assistance Program coordinator Jimmy Ernst said the disease, for which there is no cure, has not been found in Louisiana. However, it is important to be prepared in the event it does.
LaCour gave an update to the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission during its April meeting in Baton Rouge.
“We’ve been monitoring for CWD statewide for more than 10 years,” LaCour said, “and have checked 7,000-plus deer and have not discovered it. We are being proactive because it’s in our neighboring states (Texas and Arkansas) and it’s close enough that we need to be on guard.’’
CWD is a neurodegenerative disease found in most deer species, including moose, elk and mule deer as well as white-tailed deer. It is infectious and always fatal. It’s part of a group of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies and is similar to mad cow disease of cattle and scrapie in sheep. These diseases cause irreversible damage to brain tissue which leads to salivation, neurological symptoms, emaciation and death of the animal.
The disease is caused by prions, which are proteins normally found in the body that have mutated. These prions kill nerve cells and cause holes to develop in the brain tissue. They are spread through direct deer-to-deer contact or through contact with urine, feces, saliva and body parts of infected deer or infectious materials in the soil. It’s most commonly found in deer pens and captive facilities.
It is different from hemorrhagic disease (epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus and/ or bluetongue virus), which is a virus spread by bites from infected insects.
Deer infected with the disease can spread the disease even before symptoms develop. It can take one to two years for infected animals to become symptomatic. When symptoms appear they can include emaciation, lethargy, abnormal behavior and loss of bodily functions. Other signs include excessive salivation, loss of appetite, progressive weight loss, excessive thirst and urination, teeth grinding and drooping ears.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention there is no evidence that the disease can infect humans. However, the center recommends caution in handling venison in the infected region and that deer be tested for the disease before consuming.
The prions remain for years in the environment, and there has not been a method discovered to eradicate them.  “Once the infected deer die, after they decompose, those particles go into the soil and they stay there indefinitely,’’ LaCour said.
The disease has been documented in 23 states and two Canadian provinces.
Though Louisiana has yet to see a single case of the disease, Ernst and LaCour said the department has developed a plan should the disease be found here.
Once it is discovered, there will be feeding and baiting restrictions in the geographic area where the disease is found around the initial case. It may also be necessary to reduce and maintain a lower deer density in that area.
There also will be movement restrictions placed on deer body parts, and the creation of a disease management zone, the size of which will depend on the location and distribution of infected deer.
“Hunters won’t be able to bring a whole deer out  from property within that radius,’’ Ernst said. “They’ll be able to bring out the deboned meat, a clean skull plate with the antlers, and the cape, which is the skin of the head and shoulders.
“The goal is to take an area around the initial case and maintain intensive surveillance. We will liberalize the season locally and we will test those harvested animals as they come out. By stopping baiting and feeding, which congregates animals, and by reducing the population, there isn’t as much deer-to-deer interaction. That will slow the spread of the disease. We will continue surveillance and control in that area for an indefinite period of time. Hopefully, working with hunters and landowners, we can minimize the spread of the disease with these measures.’’
Ernst said the department will remain vigilant in testing and enacting preventative measures against disease introduction into Louisiana. Working with Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry to prevent importation of potential disease infected animals into the state through the LDAF licensed deer pen program is a continuing effort of LDWF.