TEXAS CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE CWD TSE PRION TOTALS JUMP TO 444 CONFIRMED TO DATE
CWD Positives in Texas
CWD Positive
Confirmation Date Free Range/Captive County Source Species Sex Age
N/A Free Range Hartley N/A Mule Deer M 5.5
2022-12-16 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer F 4.5
2022-12-16 Breeder Release Site Uvalde Facility #3 White-tailed Deer Unknown 6.0
2022-12-16 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer M 2.5
2022-12-16 Free Range Medina N/A White-tailed Deer M 4.5
2022-12-16 Free Range Hartley N/A Mule Deer M 4.5
2022-12-16 Free Range Hartley N/A Mule Deer M 4.5
2022-12-16 Free Range Hartley N/A Mule Deer M 4.5
2022-12-16 Free Range Dallam N/A Mule Deer M 1.5
2022-12-15 Breeder Release Site Medina N/A White-tailed Deer F 6.5
2022-12-15 Breeder Release Site Uvalde Facility #3 White-tailed Deer Unknown 5.0
2022-12-15 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer M 2.5
2022-12-15 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer M 2.5
2022-12-15 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer M 2.4
2022-12-15 Breeder Deer Gillespie Facility #14 White-tailed Deer F 6.4
2022-12-15 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer M 2.4
2022-12-15 Breeder Release Site Uvalde Facility #3 White-tailed Deer Unknown 5.5
2022-12-15 Breeder Release Site Uvalde Facility #3 White-tailed Deer Unknown 5.5
2022-12-09 Free Range Medina N/A White-tailed Deer M 4.5
2022-11-29 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer M 1.2
2022-11-29 Free Range El Paso N/A Mule Deer F 3.5
2022-11-11 Breeder Release Site Kaufman Facility #9 White-tailed Deer M 4.5
2022-11-07 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer M 2.2
2022-11-07 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer F 4.5
2022-10-31 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer M 2.1
2022-10-31 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer F 2.3
2022-10-31 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer M 2.4
2022-10-31 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer F 2.4
2022-10-31 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer M 2.3
2022-10-28 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer M 2.3
2022-10-28 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer F 3.3
2022-10-28 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer M 1.2
2022-10-21 Free Range El Paso N/A Mule Deer M 7.5
2022-10-13 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer M 1.2
2022-10-13 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer F 2.3
2022-10-13 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer F 4.2
2022-10-13 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer M 2.3
2022-10-12 Breeder Deer Limestone Facility #15 White-tailed Deer F 3.3
2022-09-28 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer F 2.2
2022-09-20 Breeder Deer Gillespie Facility #14 White-tailed Deer M 1.2
2022-09-20 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer F 2.2
2022-09-20 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer M 2.2
2022-09-20 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer M 2.2
2022-09-20 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer F 2.2
2022-09-20 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer M 2.2
2022-09-20 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer M 2.3
2022-09-20 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer F 4.2
2022-09-20 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer F 6.2
2022-09-20 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer M 2.2
2022-09-13 Breeder Deer Limestone Facility #15 White-tailed Deer F 3.2
2022-09-13 Breeder Deer Limestone Facility #15 White-tailed Deer F 3.2
2022-09-12 Breeder Deer Limestone Facility #15 White-tailed Deer F 3.2
2022-09-12 Breeder Deer Limestone Facility #15 White-tailed Deer F 3.2
2022-08-30 Free Range El Paso N/A Mule Deer M 2.5
2022-08-30 Free Range Dallam N/A Mule Deer M 5.5
2022-08-30 Breeder Deer Gillespie Facility #14 White-tailed Deer M 1.0
2022-08-15 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer F 2.2
2022-08-10 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer M 2.1
2022-07-19 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer F 3.9
2022-07-19 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer M 1.8
2022-07-19 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer M 2.1
2022-06-09 Breeder Deer Duval Facility #13 White-tailed Deer F 1.8
2022-05-27 Free Range El Paso N/A Mule Deer M 3.5
2022-05-25 Free Range El Paso N/A Mule Deer M 4.5
2022-04-21 Breeder Release Site Medina Facility #4 White-tailed Deer M 4.5
2022-04-21 Breeder Release Site Medina Facility #4 White-tailed Deer M 4.5
2022-04-07 Free Range El Paso N/A Mule Deer F 4.5
2022-04-07 Free Range Hudspeth N/A Mule Deer M 8.5
2022-02-28 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer M 1.9
2022-02-18 Breeder Deer Kimble Facility #6 White-tailed Deer Unknown 3.5
2022-01-25 Free Range Medina N/A White-tailed Deer F 5.5
2022-01-12 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer M 1.5
2022-01-12 Breeder Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer F 3.5
2022-01-12 Breeder Release Site Medina Facility #3 Red Deer F 4.5
2022-01-12 Free Range Hartley N/A White-tailed Deer M 3.5
2022-01-12 Free Range Hartley N/A Mule Deer M 5.5
2022-01-12 Free Range Hartley N/A Mule Deer M 4.5
2022-01-12 Free Range Hartley N/A Mule Deer M 5.5
2022-01-12 Free Range Hartley N/A Mule Deer F 3.5
2022-01-12 Breeder Deer Kimble Facility #6 White-tailed Deer Unknown 5.5
2022-01-12 Free Range Hartley N/A Mule Deer M 3.5
2022-01-12 Free Range Hartley N/A Mule Deer M 7.5
2022-01-10 Free Range Medina N/A White-tailed Deer M 4.5
2022-01-10 Breeder Deer Uvalde Facilities #7 & 8 White-tailed Deer M 1.3
2022-01-10 Breeder Deer Uvalde Facilities #7 & 8 White-tailed Deer M 1.4
2022-01-07 Breeder Deer Uvalde Facilities #7 & 8 White-tailed Deer M 2.4
2022-01-07 Breeder Deer Uvalde Facilities #7 & 8 White-tailed Deer F 1.4
2022-01-07 Breeder Deer Uvalde Facilities #7 & 8 White-tailed Deer M 1.4
2022-01-07 Breeder Deer Uvalde Facilities #7 & 8 White-tailed Deer M 1.4
2022-01-07 Breeder Deer Uvalde Facilities #7 & 8 White-tailed Deer M 1.4
2022-01-07 Breeder Deer Uvalde Facilities #7 & 8 White-tailed Deer M 1.4
2022-01-07 Breeder Deer Uvalde Facilities #7 & 8 White-tailed Deer M 1.4
2022-01-07 Breeder Deer Uvalde Facilities #7 & 8 White-tailed Deer M 1.4
2022-01-07 Breeder Deer Uvalde Facilities #7 & 8 White-tailed Deer M 1.4
2022-01-07 Breeder Deer Uvalde Facilities #7 & 8 White-tailed Deer M 1.4
2022-01-07 Breeder Deer Uvalde Facilities #7 & 8 White-tailed Deer M 1.4
2022-01-07 Breeder Deer Uvalde Facilities #7 & 8 White-tailed Deer M 1.4
2022-01-07 Breeder Deer Uvalde Facilities #7 & 8 White-tailed Deer M 1.4
2022-01-07 Breeder Deer Uvalde Facilities #7 & 8 White-tailed Deer M 2.4
2022-01-07 Breeder Deer Uvalde Facilities #7 & 8 White-tailed Deer F 1.4
Showing 1 to 100 of 444 entries
tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/diseases/cwd/tracking/#texasCWDTAHC CWD Summary Minutes of the 414th Commission Meeting November 15, 2022
Summary Minutes of the 414th Commission Meeting 11/15/2022
snip...
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD):
2021 Incident
310 total affected herds
o Seven positive facilities: three facilities in Uvalde, one in Duval, one in Hunt, one in Matagorda, & one in Mason
o 303 Trace herds:
177 Breeder facilities, 117 release sites, four nursing facilities, five DMP sites
o Status:
Released after meeting requirements:
- 164 breeder facilities, 58 release sites/DMPs/nursing facilities
Summary Minutes of the 414th Commission Meeting 11/15/2022
3
Under a herd plan: three breeder facilities, 23 release sites/DMP
Pending a signed herd plan: three breeder facilities, 44 release sites/DMP
Out of state: eight facilities
2022 Incident
84 total affected herds
o 2 Positive facilities:
Gillespie County Confirmed August 30th
Limestone County Confirmed
o 82 Trace facilities: 22 breeder sites, 59 release sites, and one DMP site
o Status
Released after meeting requirements: seven breeder facilities, 2 release sites
Signed herd plan: nine release sites
Pending a signed herd plan: 15 Breeder facilities, 49 Release sites/DMP
USDA VS review of the Texas CWD HCP UPDATE
o TAHC is working with TPWD to modify the TWIMS database to better support the HCP
o Review of all enrolled herds has begun, and is to be completed by the end of February 2023
snip...
Cooperative Award Award End Budget Rcd $$ Spent Encumbered Need to Spend
21 CWD Depop/Genome Study 9/14/2022 $429,598 $375,032 $375,032 $0 $56,566
21 CWD D4 TX (Depop) 9/14/2022 $274,968 $274,968 $274,968 $0 $0
22 CWD Lng Rnge/Low Energy 8/31/2023 $250,000 $0 $0 $0 $250,000
FY 2022-2023 Collected Fee Revenue:
$9,500 from CWD Inspection was projected, $16,550 was received year to date
snip...
Item 13 Consideration of and Possible Action on Proposed Rules Mr. Jabbar Fahim discussed the following Regulation Proposals:
snip...
b) Chapter 40, Chronic Wasting Disease
The Texas Animal Health Commission (commission) proposes amendments to Title 4, Texas Administrative Code, Chapter 40, Chronic Wasting Disease. The proposed amendments both increase surveillance and reduce the risk of chronic wasting disease (CWD) being spread from areas where it may exist. 40.6 proposed adoption establishes one new containment zone (CZ) 5, expands existing CZ 2 and CZ 3, creates a new surveillance zone (SZ) 8, and modifies existing SZ 5 to either implement or improve surveillance efforts as part of the agency's effort to manage chronic wasting disease (CWD).
snip...
www.tahc.texas.gov/agency/meetings/SummaryCommissionMeetingMinutes-414.pdfTEXAS CWD STRAIN
"Wow," he said. "Unlike anything we've seen before."
The prions from the Texas deer were a lot harder to destroy than the ones from the Colorado elk. In fact, the guanidine barely damaged them at all. "We've never seen that before in any prion strain, which means that it has a completely different structure than we've ever seen before," says Zabel. And that suggests that it might be a very different kind of chronic wasting disease. The researchers ran the same test on another Texas deer, with the same results.
TEXAS CWD STRAIN
77. Assessing chronic wasting disease strain differences in free-ranging cervids across the United States
Kaitlyn M. Wagnera, Caitlin Ott-Connb, Kelly Strakab, Bob Dittmarc, Jasmine Battend, Robyn Piercea, Mercedes Hennessya, Elizabeth Gordona, Brett Israela, Jenn Ballarde and Mark D Zabela
aPrion Research Center at Colorado State University; bMichigan Department of Natural Resources; cTexas Parks and Wildlife Department; dMissouri Department of Conservation, 5. Arkansas Game and Fish Commission CONTACT Kaitlyn M. Wagner miedkait@rams.colostate.edu
ABSTRACT
Background/Introduction: Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is an invariably fatal prion disease affecting captive and free-ranging cervids, including white-tailed deer, mule deer, moose, elk, and reindeer. Since the initial description of the disease in the 1960's, CWD has spread to 23 states, 3 Canadian Provinces, South Korea, Norway and, most recently, Finland. While some outbreaks of CWD were caused by transport of infected animals from endemic regions, the origin of CWD in other epizootics is unclear and has not been characterized. Previous studies have shown that there are two distinct strains of CWD. However, the continuous spread and the unclear origin of several outbreaks warrant continued surveillance and further characterization of strain diversity.
Materials and Methods: To address these knowledge gaps, we used biochemical tests to assess strain differences between CWD outbreaks in Michigan, Texas, Missouri, and Colorado, USA. Brain or lymph node samples were homogenized and digested in 50 g/mL proteinase K (PK). These samples were then run on a Western blot to assess glycoform ratio and electrophoretic mobility. Texas samples were digested in 100 g/mL PK. To assess conformational stability, brain or lymph node homogenates were incubated in increasing concentrations of guanidine hydrochloride from 0 M to 4 M in 0.5 M increments. Samples were then precipitated in methanol overnight, washed and PK digested in 50 g/mL PK before slot blotting.
Results: Our results have found significant differences in glycoform ratio between CWD from Michigan and Colorado, but no differences were observed in conformational stability assays. Interestingly, when testing our CWD isolates from Texas to analyse electrophoretic mobility and glycoform ratio, we found that these samples did not exhibit the characteristic band shift when treated with PK, but PK resistant material remained. Additionally, results from our conformational stability assay demonstrate a unique profile of these Texas isolates. Testing of samples from Missouri is currently underway.
Conclusions: Thus far, our data indicate that there are strain differences between CWD circulating in Michigan and CWD in Colorado and provide important insight into CWD strain differences between two non-contiguous outbreaks. We have also identified a unique strain of CWD in Texas with biochemical strain properties not seen in any of our other CWD isolates. These results highlight the importance of continued surveillance to better understand this devastating disease. These results have important implications for CWD emergence, evolution and our understanding of prion strain heterogeneity on the landscape.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19336896.2019.1615197The disease devastating deer herds may also threaten human health
Scientists are exploring the origins of chronic wasting disease before it becomes truly catastrophic.
Rae Ellen Bichell
Image credit: David Parsons/Istock
April 8, 2019
This story was published in collaboration with the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUER in Salt Lake City and KRCC and KUNC in Colorado.
SNIP...
One day in late February, in their laboratory in Fort Collins, Colorado, Wagner and Zabel compared the prions from the brains of CWD-infected deer in Texas with those of elk in Colorado. They want to know if the proteins were all mangled in the same way, or not. "If they are different, this would suggest that we have different strain properties, which is evidence as we're building our case that we might have multiple strains of CWD circulating in the U.S.," says Wagner.
Step one is to see if they're equally easy to destroy using a chemical called guanidine. The shape of a prion dictates everything, including the way it interacts with an animal's cells and the ease with which chemicals can unfold it.
"Moment of truth," said Wagner, as she and Zabel huddled around a computer, waiting for results to come through. When they did, Zabel was surprised.
"Wow," he said. "Unlike anything we've seen before."
The prions from the Texas deer were a lot harder to destroy than the ones from the Colorado elk. In fact, the guanidine barely damaged them at all. "We've never seen that before in any prion strain, which means that it has a completely different structure than we've ever seen before," says Zabel. And that suggests that it might be a very different kind of chronic wasting disease. The researchers ran the same test on another Texas deer, with the same results.
Now, these are only the preliminary results from a few animals. Wagner and Zabel have a lot more experiments to do. But if future tests come to the same conclusion, it would support their hypothesis that there are multiple strains of chronic wasting disease out there, all with different origins. That, in turn, could mean that this disease will become even trickier to manage than it already is.
And, Zabel adds, there's something else. "If it's still evolving, it may still evolve into a form that could potentially, eventually affect humans," he says.
Zabel is not the only one worried about that possibility.
OSTERHOLM, THE EPIDEMIOLOGIST from Minnesota, is also concerned. He directs the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, and is serving a one-year stint as a "Science Envoy for Health Security" with the U.S. State Department. In February, he told Minnesota lawmakers that when it comes to chronic wasting disease, we are playing with fire. "You are going to hear from people that this is not going to be a problem other than a game farm issue. You're going to hear from people that it's not going to transmit to people, and I hope they're right, but I wouldn't bet on it," he said. "And if we lose this one and haven't done all we can do, we will pay a price."
If that wasn't warning enough, he added: "Just remember what happened in England."
He was talking about mad cow disease. Decades ago, Osterholm got involved in studying the potential for the newly emerging condition bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE for short to be transmitted to humans.
At that point, researchers had yet to document a prion disease in animals that could infect people. They did, however, have a few pieces of the puzzle. For one, work in Papua New Guinea had shown that people could transmit prion diseases to each other if they practiced cannibalism, especially of the brain-eating variety. They also knew that BSE was spreading quickly between cattle. Osterholm says he and others worried that the more widespread it became, the more chances it might have to change into something that could sicken people.
"A lot of people thought that it was an overreaction," says Osterholm. "Then, of course, in 1996, 10 years later, we recognized that in fact transmission had occurred." Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, as the illness is called when it appears in human beings, has infected about 230 people worldwide. Osterholm says he feels like he's having dj vu, except that instead of mad cow, now it's chronic wasting disease that's spreading in animals, with the potential to cross the species barrier to infect humans.
SNIP...SEE FULL TEXT;
www.hcn.org/articles/wildlife-the-disease-devastating-deer-herds-may-also-threaten-human-health-science***> TEXAS BREEDER DEER ESCAPEE WITH CWD IN THE WILD, or so the genetics would show?
OH NO, please tell me i heard this wrong, a potential Texas captive escapee with cwd in the wild, in an area with positive captive cwd herd?
apparently, no ID though. tell me it ain't so please...
23:00 minute mark
''Free Ranging Deer, Dr. Deyoung looked at Genetics of this free ranging deer and what he found was, that the genetics on this deer were more similar to captive deer, than the free ranging population, but he did not see a significant connection to any one captive facility that he analyzed, so we believe, Ahhhhhh, this animal had some captive ahhh, whatnot.''
youtu.be/aoPDeGL6mpQ?t=1384Biologists Stress Testing Harvests for Chronic Wasting Disease During Deer Season
Dec. 2, 2022
Media Contact: TPWD News, Business Hours, 512-389-8030
tpwd.texas.gov/newsmedia/releases/?req=20221202bApril 22, 2016
Scrapie Confirmed in a Hartley County Sheep
AUSTIN - Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) officials have confirmed scrapie in a Hartley County ewe. The ewe was tested by TAHC after the owner reported signs of weight loss and lack of coordination to their local veterinarian. The premises was quarantined and a flock plan for monitoring is being developed by the TAHC and USDA.
"The TAHC is working closely with the flock owner, sharing all of the options for disease eradication," said Dr. David Finch, TAHC Region 1 Director. "We are thankful the producer was proactive in identifying a problem and seeking veterinary help immediately."
Texas leads the nation in sheep and goat production. Since 2008, there have been no confirmed cases of scrapie in Texas. The last big spike in Texas scrapie cases was in 2006 when nine infected herds were identified and the last herd was released from restrictions in 2013.
According to USDA regulations, Texas must conduct adequate scrapie surveillance by collecting a minimum of 598 sheep samples annually. Since USDA slaughter surveillance started in FY 2003, the percent of cull sheep found positive for scrapieat slaughter (once adjusted for face color) has decreased 90 percent.
Scrapie is the oldest known transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, and under natural conditions only sheep and goats are known to be affected by scrapie. It is a fatal disease that affects the central nervous system of sheep and goats. It is not completely understood how scrapie is passed from one animal to the next and apparently healthy sheep infected with scrapie can spread the disease. Sheep and goats are typically infected as young lambs or kids, though adult sheep and goats can become infected.
The most effective method of scrapie prevention is to maintain a closed flock. Raising replacement ewes, purchasing genetically resistant rams and ewes,or buying from a certified-free scrapie flock are other options to reduce the risk of scrapie. At this time the resistant genetic markers in goats have not been identified, therefore it is important to maintain your sheep and goat herds separately.
The incubation period for Scrapie is typically two to five years. Producers should record individual identification numbers and the seller's premise identification number on purchase and sales records. These records must be maintained for a minimum of five years.
Producers should notify the Texas Animal Health Commission (800-550-8242) or the USDA-Austin Office (512-383-2400) if they have an adult sheep or goat with neurologic signs such as incoordination, behavioral changes, or intense itching with wool loss. Producers may order scrapie identification tags by calling 866-873-2824. For more information, please visit our website at:
http://www.tahc.texas.gov/animal_health/scrapie/scrapie.htmweb.archive.org/web/20160607024701/http://www.tahc.texas.gov/news/pr/2016/2016-04-22_TAHCScrapie.pdfScrapie: The flock identified in April 2016 remains under quarantine in Hartley County.
www.tahc.texas.gov/agency/meetings/minutes/Minutes_CommMtg_2020-09-22.pdfScrapie Field Trial Experiments Mission, Texas, The Moore Air Force Base Scrapie TSE Prion Experiment 1964 How Did CWD Get Way Down In Medina County, Texas?
DISCUSSION
Observations of natural outbreaks of scrapie indicated that the disease spread from flock to flock by the movement of infected, but apparently normal, sheep which were incubating the disease.
There was no evidence that the disease spread to adjacent flocks in the absent of such movements or that vectors or other host species were involved in the spread of scrapie to sheep or goats; however, these possibilities should be kept open...
snip...PLEASE READ THE FULL REPORT ON THE SCRAPIE FIELD TRIAL EXPERIMENTS IN MISSION, TEXAS!!!
http://web.archive.org/web/20030513212324/http://www.bseinquiry.gov.uk/files/mb/m08b/tab64.pdf