The Pennsylvania Game Commission has announced two deer have tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in Luzerne County, 40 miles from the nearest detection site. This finding will lead to changes in their Disease Management Area later this spring.
CWD is a fatal neurological disease caused by a misfolded protein called a prion, affecting both deer and elk. The disease is classified as a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) and shares similarities with scrapie in sheep, mad cow disease in cattle, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans.
One infected deer came from a breeding facility and was confirmed positive on December 16. The farm has been required to test other animals that die and is not allowed to transfer deer onto or off the property.
Further positive tests will extend quarantine restrictions for five years. CWD spreads through direct contact, contaminated environments, saliva, urine, feces, and infected carcasses. However, there’s no evidence of transmission to humans or other species under natural conditions.
Source: https://www.wtaj.com/news/pa-outdoors/chronic-wasting-disease-detected-in-new-area-of-pennsylvania