AUSTIN–Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) received confirmation of two cases of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in a Kaufman County deer breeding facility, the department announced March 10. This is the first CWD detection in a deer breeding facility in the county, according to TPWD.
Two white-tailed deer - a 20-month-old male and an 8-month-old female - tested positive through ante-mortem testing conducted to meet CWD surveillance requirements prior to transferring deer from the registered deer breeding facility, TPWD says. Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory initially analyzed the samples, and the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Iowa confirmed the CWD detection, TPWD states.
CWD has an incubation period that can span years, so the first indication of the disease in a herd is often found through surveillance testing rather than observed clinical signs, TPWD says. Permitted deer breeding facilities must test all mortalities within the facility and conduct ante-mortem testing on any deer prior to movement from the facility, in compliance with surveillance and testing requirements, informs the state department. According to TPWD, this positive facility and its premises were placed under a quarantine by Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) to help prevent spread of disease from the facility. TPWD and TAHC will be working with the facility owner to develop a herd plan to address disease mitigation in the facility, the state parks and wildlife department says.
The TPWD news release says CWD is a fatal neurological disease found in certain cervids including deer, elk, moose and other members of the deer family. This slow, progressive disease may not produce visible signs in susceptible species for several years after infection, according to TPWD. As the disease process continues, animals with CWD may show changes in behavior and appearance, says TPWD. Clinical signs may include progressive weight loss, stumbling or tremors with a lack of coordination, loss of appetite, teeth grinding, abnormal head posture and/or drooping ears, and excessive thirst, salivation or urination, states TPWD.
In Texas, the disease was first discovered in 2012 in free-ranging mule deer along a remote area of the Hueco Mountains near the Texas-New Mexico border, says TPWD. CWD has since been detected in Texas captive and free ranging cervids, including white-tailed deer, mule deer, red deer and elk, according to TPWD.
For more information on previous detections in Texas, regulations, and CWD best management practices for hunters and landowners, visit TPWD’s CWD page.