... continued

In his column, Rep. Bies implies that mule deer were involved in UW-Madison prion experiments and he raises suspicions that a mule deer shot near Mount Horeb in 1988 may have escaped from a UW-Madison laboratory environment.

That statement does not accurately reflect the research that was conducted, and Rep. Bies' suspicions are unfounded.

In the research, brain tissue samples from a Colorado mule deer infected with CWD were used to inoculate other species to determine if CWD could jump from one species to another. Results of this research showed the difficulty of transmitting CWD to other species. All materials from those experiments were securely contained and disposed of properly. No live mule deer were used in the UW research or imported to Wisconsin by the University.

Rep. Bies implies that the university has not been forthcoming about its work to understand CWD and other prion-related diseases. By its very nature, scientific research is an open and accessible process. The research described above to understand CWD transmission, for example, has been published and is available in the open literature.

DNR officials that the university has worked with on this issue have been equally open about the disease and its effects on the deer herd in Wisconsin.

If we are to come to grips with the scourge of CWD in our state, scientific research and appropriate management are the best tools at the state's disposal. Any unsubstantiated claims that scientists working to unravel the mysteries of CWD are somehow responsible for its introduction to the state only undermine our efforts to rid Wisconsin of this disease.

R. Timothy Mulcahy
associate vice chancellor for research policy/
associate dean, biological sciences