Tag CWD

Common soil mineral degrades the nearly indestructible prion

January 14, 2009

In the rogues' gallery of microscopic infectious agents, the prion is the toughest hombre in town. Read More

Soil particles found to boost prion’s capacity to infect

July 6, 2007

The rogue proteins that cause chronic wasting disease (CWD) exhibit a dramatic increase in their infectious nature when bound to common soil particles, according to a new study. Read More

Study: Prions likely more mobile in alkaline soils

March 19, 2007

Prions, the rogue proteins that cause chronic wasting disease and similar maladies, may be more mobile in soil that is more alkaline, suggests a new study by University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers. Read More

Soil-bound prions remain infectious

April 14, 2006

Scientists have confirmed that prions, the mysterious proteins thought to cause chronic wasting disease in deer, latch on tightly to certain minerals in soil and remain infectious. Read More

Researchers ask hunters to refrain from shooting deer with radio collars

October 21, 2005

UW-Madison researchers are asking south central Wisconsin deer hunters participating in the fall hunt to refrain from shooting animals with radio collars. The collared animals have been part of an intensive survey of deer behavior and movement and research results from the study promise scientists and wildlife managers better insight into how chronic wasting disease (CWD) is spreading across Wisconsin's landscape. Read More

UW study shows deer in CWD zone stick to home

October 21, 2005

White-tailed deer, it seems, are homebodies. That's the upshot of an intensive UW–Madison study of the traveling behaviors of 173 radio-collared white-tailed deer in south central Wisconsin — a study that has implications for managing chronic wasting disease (CWD) in deer herds. Read More

Scientists probe CWD’s spread through soils

July 11, 2005

Scientists at UW–Madison and around the country will report new findings during the Second International Chronic Wasting Disease Symposium here on July 12-14. The symposium comes at a time when the known range of CWD seems to be swelling from its relatively small, endemic home in parts of Wyoming and Colorado toward the east, where deer populations are denser. Read More

Researchers to study fate of prions in wastewater

May 19, 2004

With funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a group of UW–Madison researchers will investigate what happens if infectious prion proteins - considered the cause of chronic wasting disease and mad cow disease - enter wastewater treatment plants. Read More

Critter cams capture clean up crews at work and may track CWD

February 10, 2004

Not much goes to waste in the woods, and fallen deer — including those that die of chronic wasting disease — mean fine dining for a variety of animals. Who comes to the dinner table, and can some of these species get CWD by scavenging infected deer carcasses? Read More

Tissue digester to help dispose of CWD-infected materials

December 15, 2003

A new $900,000 state-of-the-art mobile tissue digester promises a safe and efficient way to dispose of as many as 15,000 samples of deer tissue to be tested in the coming months by the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for the presence of chronic wasting disease. Read More

What’s that deer wearing?

October 10, 2003

The electronic neckwear sported by some deer around Mt. Horeb allows CWD researchers to monitor their movements around the clock. Read More

Is it ok to shoot radio-collared deer in the CWD zone?

October 10, 2003

One effect of the university's successful deer trapping and collaring program Ã· aimed at tracking the movements of whitetails in the CWD intensive harvest zone around Mt. Horeb, Wis. Ã· is that hunters are now spotting radio-collared deer, and wondering if it's alright to shoot them. Read More

Study shows prions stick around in certain soils

September 24, 2003

Dirt may help scientists answer a question that has baffled them for decades: How does chronic wasting disease in deer and elk spread from animal to animal? Read More

Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Lab selects new CWD test

September 19, 2003

The Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, the state lab responsible for testing deer killed during Wisconsin's annual hunt for the presence of chronic wasting disease (CWD), has selected a new rapid test for use beginning this November. Read More