PRO/AH> Chronic wasting disease, elk: informing hunters

CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE, ELK: INFORMING HUNTERS *********************************************** A ProMED-mail post http://www.promedmail.org ProMED-mail is a program of the International Society for Infectious Diseases http://www.isid.org [see also: Chronic wasting disease, wild deer - USA (Nebraska) 20010117.0140 2000 ----- Chronic wasting dis., elk - Canada (Saskatchewan) 20000425.0619 Chronic wasting dis., elk - Canada (Saskatchewan) (04) 20001218.2220 Chronic wasting disease, elk - USA (Montana) 20000112.0043 Chronic wasting disease, elk - USA (Montana) (04) 20000728.1252 1999 ----- Chronic wasting disease, deer & elk - USA (western) 19991015.1830 Chronic wasting disease, deer & elk - USA (western... 19991016.1838 Chronic wasting disease, deer - USA (Maine) 19991027.1943 Chronic wasting disease, elk - USA (OK, MT) (02) 19991108.2000 Chronic wasting disease, elk - USA (Oklahoma, Mont... 19990629.1098 1998 ----- Chronic wasting dis., deer & elk - Canada (05) 19980723.1392 Chronic wasting dis., deer & elk - Canada: surveil... 19980210.0264 Chronic wasting dis., deer & elk - USA (Colorado) (04) 19980201.0205 Chronic wasting dis., deer & elk - USA (Colorado) (06) 19980314.0479 1997 ----- Chronic wasting dis., deer & elk - USA (Colorado) (03) 19971122.2346 Chronic wasting disease, deer & elk - USA (Colorad... 19971113.2296 Chronic wasting disease, deer & elk - USA (Colorado) 19970601.1122 TSE, native cervids - USA 19970506.0938 1996 ----- Chronic wasting disease - Canada 19960501.0841 Chronic wasting disease - Canada & USA 19960613.1094 Chronic wasting disease - Canada & USA (2) 19960620.1132 Chronic wasting disease - Canada (2) 19960503.0853 Chronic wasting disease - Canada (2) [Repeat] 19960507.0872 Chronic wasting disease - USA 19960503.0850 Chronic wasting disease - USA (3) 19960508.0890 Chronic wasting disease - USA [Repeat] 19960507.0870] [ProMED-mail would like to apologize for the delay in posting of the questions posed below. It appears as though travel and holiday schedules conspired to leave an opening for a final Y2K bug. Drs. Williams, Miller and Thorne were kind enough to respond to the questions raised by Dr. Sauders. - Mod.MPP] [1] Date: Tue 19 Dec 2000 13:25:42 -0500 From: Brian D. Sauders Clearly we are in an era when surveillance for infectious diseases in wildlife is an emerging field in itself. While it is not always clear what the implications of epidemic infectious diseases in wildlife are for human populations, it is clear that humans are often "unlucky" victims of parasites in search of new niches. For public health officials this creates the difficult task of deciding which diseases are important and what to do about them. Often diseases that have achieved a significant morbidity and mortality among human or valuable livestock populations are prioritized for public health intervention. In the case of chronic wasting disease in elk, it would seem that despite efforts to understand the epidemiology of this disease, there is quite a lot that we do not know. We do know that it is relatively rare, but it would appear that (at the very least) we are detecting more cases among domesticated elk herds in recent years. While there are apparent public health interventions to educate hunters about consumption of emaciated animals, is anyone aware of how clearly and how often those messages are given to hunters? Obviously there is no direct evidence of transmissibility to humans. However, hunters are the most likely consumers (other than coyotes, wolves, or buzzards) of wild elk. Are hunters to suspect only animals with overt signs of disease? What would those signs be? Emaciation would seem a relatively vague term to a hunter who just harvested an animal that they had spent thousands of dollars to pursue. Could subclinical or unrecognized CWD lead to transmission to humans? Is information available to hunters at the time of hunter education or licensure? Those would seem the most appropriate times to train individual hunters about what to look for. Pictures of diseased animals with clear clinical signs could be offered for reference. Also, since the hunter guiding industry is big business, consider requiring guides to obtain some basic training in recognizing CWD. Although this may be a difficult task, educating guides to recognize clear signs of disease would provide additional aid to the under-funded wildlife health programs. These seem like interventions that could have a significant impact on enhancing surveillance for this disease in wild game. As an avid hunter and professional in public health, it would be interesting to know what the experts on CWD have to say. -- Brian D. Sauders Cornell University Department of Food Science (These comments do not necessarily reflect those of Cornell University or of the Department of Food Science) ****** [2] Date: Tue 16 Jan 2001 16:47:24 -0700 From: Beth Williams In response to Dr. Sauders request for information about how hunters are informed about chronic wasting disease (CWD) we have the following comments: Both the Colorado Division of Wildlife and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department provide information to hunters about CWD in a variety of ways, including press releases and interviews resulting in dissemination of information about CWD in local newspapers (some of which have been picked up and posted on-line by ProMED-mail); publication of information about CWD in agency magazines and newspapers; local radio spots and programs discussing CWD; production of a video about CWD which has been shown to hunters at expositions; posting information about CWD on the web sites of both agencies; providing information about CWD in hunting license application packets; individual letters to hunters providing information about CWD and how to get harvested animals tested; contacts with hunters that harvest CWD test positive animals; and publications in the scientific literature. The recommendations to deer and elk hunters in the CWD endemic area (limited to southeastern Wyoming and northeastern Colorado) are not dependent upon their recognizing sick animals (though hunters are clearly encouraged not to harvest animals sick animals -- whether they be in the CWD endemic area or not). Recommendations are based on prudence in the face of some uncertainty and avoiding contact with tissues containing the potentially infectious agent. The recommendations include wearing latex or rubber gloves when dressing harvested deer or elk and washing up afterwards; avoiding contact with brain and spinal cord; discarding the head, spine, spleen, and lymph nodes; and boning the meat when cutting and packaging the venison. A few additional comments. Chronic wasting disease is actually quite rare in free-ranging elk (<1 percent of hunter harvested animals surveyed); it is more common in deer. And although coyotes may well consume deer and elk in the CWD endemic area, wolves are still quite a long way away from southeastern Wyoming and northeastern Colorado. -- Beth Williams Department of Veterinary Sciences University of Wyoming Laramie, Wyoming Mike Miller Colorado Division of Wildlife Fort Collins, Colorado Tom Thorne Wyoming Game and Fish Department Cheyenne, Wyoming ......................mpp/pg/es *##########################################################* ProMED-mail makes every effort to verify the reports that are posted, but the accuracy and completeness of the information, and of any statements or opinions based thereon, are not guaranteed. The reader assumes all risks in using information posted or archived by ProMED-mail. 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