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From: TSS ()
News Release Texas Animal Health Commission Box l2966 * Austin, Texas 78711 * (800) 550-8242 * FAX (512) 719-0719 Bob Hillman, DVM * Executive Director For info, contact Carla Everett, information officer, at 1-800-550-8242, ext. 710, or ceverett@tahc.state.tx.us For immediate release--- Elk May Blaze the Animal ID Trail in Texas Elk being moved in Texas will sport a radio frequency identification (RFID) ear tag beginning after the first of the year, if commissioners for the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) adopt regulations proposed for tracking the animals for disease control, including chronic wasting disease (CWD), a fatal brain disorder. About 300 producers in the state own elk, which are classified as exotic livestock in Texas and are under the jurisdiction of the TAHC, the state’s livestock and poultry health regulatory agency. Premises and animal identification and recordkeeping requirements will extend to all of the animals’ movements in commerce. “We’ve worked closely with elk breeders associations, including the Exotic Wildlife Association, South Central Elk Breeders Association and the North American Elk Breeders, to develop the proposed regulations that will be presented to the commissioners for final approval at their meeting December 6 in Austin,” said Dr. Bob Hillman, executive director for the TAHC and Texas’ state veterinarian. “The regulations were developed to enhance disease monitoring with minimal impact on marketing.” “Identification and recordkeeping requirements will be extremely useful for quickly tracing elk movements, if chronic wasting disease (CWD) — or other diseases, such as brucellosis or tuberculosis — are detected in the animals, “he said. “Nationally, the implementation of animal identification for exotic livestock is ‘way down the line,’ but the Texas industry saw a need to be able to track elk movement now, so these animals will blaze the trail in the state for other species.” The proposed regulations will require owners to obtain a unique premises identification number for their ranches prior to importing elk, moving them to market, slaughter, another ranch or onto other premises within the state. Furthermore, receiving sites within the state also are to be identified. Dr. Hillman said producers of all livestock species can easily obtain the unique seven-character premises identification number. “Producers can go online, call us or request a paper application to obtain their premises identification number. The information collected will be accessed and used only by state and federal animal health officials for disease surveillance, control and eradication purposes,” explained Dr. Hillman. Premises registration can be completed online at http://www.tahc.state.tx.us or by calling the TAHC at 1-800-550-8242. “HB 1361, passed during the last legislative session, enables the TAHC to develop an identification program consistent with the National Animal Identification System, and provides authority to charge a fee for the premises registration. Until 2005, the TAHC was one of the few state regulatory agencies that did not charge fees for services. An industry committee, after looking at many options, determined a $10 per year fee for premises registration is the most equitable way to support TAHC programs,” Dr. Hillman noted. Under the proposed elk regulations, the premises identification fee, to be paid biennially, is slated to become effective January 1, 2006, for elk producers who move their animals in Texas commerce. The fee will not be charged retroactively for premises registered prior to that date. However, as premises registration are renewed every two years, the $10 per year fee will be applicable. Fees for premises registration for other livestock species are expected to be in effect in spring 2006. As of late November, more than 4,000 of the state’s 200,000 premises have been registered. ---more-- Add one/Elk to Blaze Animal ID Trail in Texas If the elk regulations are adopted, Texas producers must individually identify elk with a permanent, official electronic ear tag prior to moving them from their premises. A movement report then must be submitted to the TAHC within 24 hours, providing the owner’s name, and the age, gender and individual identification device number for each animal moved, source of the animal and the premises identifications for the herd of origin and destination site. The producer is to maintain a copy of the records for at least five years. “Pasture-to-pasture movement of elk can be allowed without the electronic ear tag, provided the producer owns both sites and has them under a single premises registration,” explained Dr. Hillman. “However, the owner must first obtain a written permit from the TAHC and fulfill the reporting requirements.” The proposed regulations urge producers to have elk tested for CWD when they die or are harvested. Deer and elk that exhibit clinical signs of CWD, such as emaciation, behavioral changes and excessive salivation always should be reported to the TAHC, so brain tissue can be collected and tested. Although the disease has been detected in several states in mule deer, white-tailed deer and elk, and in one instance, a moose, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) do not associate CWD with any known human health effects. More than 9,413 samples from free-ranging or captive deer and elk in Texas have been tested, with no CWD detected. While mule deer and white-tailed deer also are susceptible to CWD, these animals come under separate identification and health regulations, explained Dr. Hillman. Mule deer in far west Texas and white-tailed deer statewide are classified as native wildlife, and to own them, producers must obtain a scientific breeder permit from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), which has regulatory authority over these species. Scientific breeders must meet identification and testing requirements established by the TPWD. “We cannot say we don’t have CWD, if we don’t monitor susceptible species and test for it,” Dr. Hillman stressed. “If we do find CWD in Texas, appropriate action must be taken to control and eradicate the disease. Hunting, wildlife and exotic hoofstock are industries extremely important to the livelihood of Texas. It’s only reasonable to take precautions to ensure these animals are healthy.” ---30-- http://www.tahc.state.tx.us/news/pr/2005/2005Nov_ElkAnimalID.pdf Chronic Wasting Disease ("CWD") New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Contact: Dan Williams, (505) 476-8004 dan.williams@state.nm.us FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, JUNE 24, 2005: TWO MULE DEER TEST POSITIVE FOR CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE ANGLER LANDS STATE RECORD BLUE CATFISH AT ELEPHANT BUTTE LAKE TWO MULE DEER TEST POSITIVE FOR CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE SANTA FE – Two mule deer captured in the Organ Mountains as part of an ongoing research project near White Sands Missile Range have tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD), a fatal neurological disease that attacks the brains of infected deer and elk, the Department of Game and Fish announced. The number of confirmed CWD cases in New Mexico now stands at 11 since 2002, when the disease was first confirmed in a deer found near the eastern foothills of the Organ Mountains. All 11 CWD-infected deer were found in the same general area of southern New Mexico. The origin of the disease in New Mexico remains unknown. The carcasses of the infected deer will be incinerated, said Kerry Mower, the Department’s lead wildlife disease biologist. Chronic wasting disease causes animals to become emaciated, display abnormal behavior, lose bodily functions and die. The disease has been found in wild deer and elk, and in captive deer and elk, in eight states and two Canadian provinces. There currently is no evidence of CWD being transmitted to humans or livestock. Mower said the most recent CWD-positive deer showed no obvious physical signs of having the disease. They were captured in April 2005 and tested as part of a 3-year-old research project studying deer population dynamics in southern New Mexico. More than 140 deer have been captured alive and tested for the study, in which researchers hope to find the cause of a 10-year decline in the area deer population. Study participants include the Department of Game and Fish, the U.S. Army at White Sands Missile Range and Fort Bliss, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Geological Survey at New Mexico State University, and San Andres National Wildlife Refuge. Hunters can assist the Department in its CWD research and prevention efforts by bringing their fresh, legally harvested deer or elk head to an area office, where officers will remove the brain stem for testing. Participants will be eligible for drawings for an oryx hunt on White Sands Missile Range and a trophy elk hunt on the Valle Vidal. For more information about the drawing and chronic wasting disease, visit the Department web site at www.wildlife.state.nm.us. http://www.wildlife.state.nm.us/publications/press_releases/documents/0624CWDandcatfish.pdf SEE MAP ; http://www.wildlife.state.nm.us/conservation/disease/cwd/documents/cwdmap.pdf Greetings list members, I mentioned my concerns several other times before; Sampling from Fall 2002 to Present .............. snip... full text ; http://www.vegsource.com/talk/madcow/messages/94685.html About Human Prion Diseases / Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) is a prion disease of cattle. Since 1986, when BSE was recognized, over 180,000 cattle in the UK have developed the disease, and approximately one to three million are likely to have been infected with the BSE agent, most of which were slaughtered for human consumption before developing signs of the disease. The origin of the first case of BSE is unknown, but the epidemic was caused by the recycling of processed waste parts of cattle, some of which were infected with the BSE agent and given to other cattle in feed. Control measures have resulted in the consistent decline of the epidemic in the UK since 1992. Infected cattle and feed exported from the UK have resulted in smaller epidemics in other European countries, where control measures were applied later. Compelling evidence indicates that BSE can be transmitted to humans through the consumption of prion contaminated meat. BSE-infected individuals eventually develop vCJD with an incubation time believed to be on average 10 years. As of November 2004, three cases of BSE have been reported in North America. One had been imported to Canada from the UK, one was grown in Canada, and one discovered in the USA but of Canadian origin. There has been only one case of vCJD reported in the USA, but the patient most likely acquired the disease in the United Kingdom. If current control measures intended to protect public and animal health are well enforced, the cattle epidemic should be largely under control and any remaining risk to humans through beef consumption should be very small. (For more details see Smith et al. British Medical Bulletin, 66: 185. 2003.) Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a prion disease of elk and deer, both free range and in captivity. CWD is endemic in areas of Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska, but new foci of this disease have been detected in Nebraska, South Dakota, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Mississippi Kansas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Montana, and Canada. Since there are an estimated 22 million elk and deer in the USA and a large number of hunters who consume elk and deer meat, there is the possibility that CWD can be transmitted from elk and deer to humans. As of November 2004, the NPDPSC has examined 26 hunters with a suspected prion disease. However, all of them appeared to have either typical sporadic or familial forms of the disease. The NPDPSC coordinates with the Centers for Disease Control and state health departments to monitor cases from CWD-endemic areas. Furthermore, it is doing experimental research on CWD transmissibility using animal models. (For details see Sigurdson et al. British Medical Bulletin. 66: 199. 2003 and Belay et al. Emerging Infectious Diseases. 10(6): 977. 2004.) http://www.cjdsurveillance.com/abouthpd-animal.html SEE STEADY INCREASE IN SPORADIC CJD IN THE USA FROM 1997 TO 2004. SPORADIC CJD CASES TRIPLED, and that is with a human TSE surveillance system that is terrible flawed. in 1997 cases of the _reported_ cases of cjd were at 54, to 163 _reported_ cases in 2004. see stats here; p.s. please note the 47 PENDING CASES to Sept. 2005 p.s. please note the 2005 Prion D. total 120(8) 8=includes 51 type pending, 1 TYPE UNKNOWN ??? p.s. please note sporadic CJD 2002(1) 1=3 TYPE UNKNOWN??? p.s. please note 2004 prion disease (6) 6=7 TYPE UNKNOWN??? http://www.cjdsurveillance.com/resources-casereport.html CWD TO HUMANS = sCJD ??? AS implied in the Inset 25 we must not _ASSUME_ that snip... http://www.bseinquiry.gov.uk/files/yb/1991/01/04004001.pdf ATYPICAL TSEs in USA CATTLE AND SHEEP ? http://www.bseinquiry.gov.uk/files/sc/seac17/tab03.pdf 3. Prof. A. Robertson gave a brief account of BSE. The US approach snip... PAGE 25 Transmission Studies Mule deer transmissions of CWD were by intracerebral inoculation and http://www.bseinquiry.gov.uk/files/mb/m11b/tab01.pdf Aguzzi warns of CWD danger The TSE family of diseases also includes chronic wasting disease (CWD) "For more than a decade, the US has by-and-large considered mad cows "Its horizontal spread among the wild population is exceedingly This quote from Dr. Gambetti is especially significant since he is the Pierluigi Gambetti, director of the National Prion Disease Pathology "There is no way around it," he said. "Nobody should touch that meat Ermias D. Belay,*Comments Suggested citation for this article: Belay ED, Maddox RA, Williams snip... The lack of evidence of a link between CWD transmission and unusual http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol10no6/03-1082.htm Q. Is the disease transmissible to humans? http://www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/pubs/fsheet_faq_notice/faq_ahcwd.html From: TSS () First ever study to investigate impact of chronic wasting disease on humans By Gail Glover Ralph M. Garruto, professor of biomedical anthropology at Binghamton University, State University of New York is heading up a study to monitor the health implications of a group of people who are known to have consumed venison infected with CWD. Recently discovered in both wild and captive deer herds in New York, CWD is similar to mad cow disease in that it concentrates in the spinal cord and brain, and is caused by a virtually indestructible mutated protein called a prion. “We don’t know if CWD can be transmitted to humans,” said Garruto. “So this group, some of whom we know for sure ate infected meat, offers us a unique opportunity. I’m hoping the study will allow us to determine conclusively if this disease can affect humans in the same way mad cow disease has been shown to cause neurological disease in those who consume infected beef.” The study focuses on a group of people who attended a sportmen’s feast in Verona, NY, earlier this year. It is known that at least some of the attendees, all of whom were offered a variety of entree choices, consumed venison from a deer infected with CWD. Upon hearing of the dinner, Garruto approached the Oneida County Health Department (OCHD) to determine if they would assist in a scientific examination of the people who ate the meat. “Although not everyone involved is particularly concerned or fearful, it is important for us to protect the health of all county residents,’ said Ken Fanelli, OCHD representative. “Professor Garruto’s study is a proactive response to determining what, if any, will be the long-term health effects, which is one of our most important responsibilities.” Over 50 participants have already signed up to be part of the study that will involve an initial interview and completion of a questionnaire to help assess risk, including the role played by individuals at the dinner, what they ate, their place of residence, occupation, medical history and other activities. The study will monitor the health of the participants over a period of six years. No invasive testing will be performed and identities will be kept strictly confidential. “The people who take part in this project can be assured that every measure will be taken to ensure their privacy,’ said Garruto. “Their contribution is vital to the success of this ‘first of its kind’ research that may hold world-wide significance in the study of CWD and similar prion diseases.” CWD was first discovered in Colorado in 1967 and has since been documented in several Rocky Mountain and Midwest states. This year, New York State became the first state west of the Mississippi to report CWD in both privately owned and wild deer herds found in parts of Oneida County. Most recently in September, West Virginia reported its first cases of the disease. How the disease is spread from deer-to-deer and how it may impact the environment in which infected animals graze is unclear. “We’re looking at an issue that could have multiple impacts,’ said Garruto. “Human health and keeping the food supply safe is of primary concern. But we also have to monitor how to keep this epidemic from spreading among deer and across species, from deer to cattle, both of which could have huge economic as well as health implications.” Garruto notes that although a prion disease appears to be transmitted through direct animal-to-animal contact and/or indirect exposure, including contaminated water, soil and brouze by saliva, urine, and feces, it is still unclear as to how it’s transmitted. “CWD demands a lot more attention than it’s been getting,” says Garruto. “Too little research has been done so far to be sure humans can’t contract the disease and we do not know if transmission from deer to cattle who share the same grazing land is possible. This is an important missing link as cow to human cross-species transmission does take place, evidenced by the mad cow and variant Creutzfeldt Jacob Disease epidemics in Europe. This study will give us some solid conclusions and allow us determine how to manage the risks.” Ralph M. Garruto, a professor of biomedical anthropology, is heading up a study to monitor the health implications of a group of people who are known to have consumed venison infected with CWD. Recently discovered in both wild and captive deer herds in New York, CWD is similar to mad cow disease in that it concentrates in the spinal cord and brain, and is caused by a virtually indestructible mutated protein called a prion. "We don't know if CWD can be transmitted to humans," Garruto said. "So having a group that we know for sure ate infected meat offers us a unique opportunity. I'm hoping the study will allow us to determine conclusively if this disease can affect humans in the same way mad cow disease has been shown to cause neurological disease in those who consume infected beef." The study focuses on a group of people who attended a feast in Verona earlier this year and who might have consumed venison from a deer infected with CWD. Upon hearing of the dinner, Garruto approached the Oneida County Health Department (OCHD) to determine if officials there would assist in a scientific examination of the people who ate the meat. "Although not everyone involved is particularly concerned or fearful, it is important for us to protect the health of all county residents," said Ken Fanelli, an OCHD representative. "Professor Garruto's study is a proactive response to determining what, if any, will be the long-term health effects, which is one of our most important responsibilities." More than 50 people have signed up to be part of the study, which will involve an interview and questionnaire to help assess risk, including the role played by individuals at the dinner, what they ate, their place of residence, occupation, medical history and other activities. The study will monitor the health of the participants over six years. No invasive testing will be performed and identities will be kept confidential. "The people who take part in this project can be assured that every measure will be taken to ensure their privacy," Garruto said. "Their contribution is vital to the success of this 'first of its kind' research that may hold world-wide significance in the study of CWD and similar prion diseases." CWD was first discovered in Colorado in 1967 and has since been documented in several Rocky Mountain and Midwest states. This year, New York became the first state west of the Mississippi to report CWD in both privately owned and wild deer herds found in parts of Oneida County. How the disease is spread from deer to deer and how it may impact the environment in which infected animals graze is unclear. "We're looking at an issue that could have multiple impacts," Garruto said. "Human health and keeping the food supply safe is of primary concern. But we also have to monitor how to keep this epidemic from spreading among deer and across species, from deer to cattle, both of which could have huge economic as well as health implications." > participants over a period of six years it would be interesting to know more about this study, i.e. consumption, dose etc. just what the feast consisted of, just meat, or did any have organs/srms, the gutting and cleaning of this deer, where this took place, by whom, and what else was cut up there and where did that go. any cuts and abrasions etc. if any of these participants in this feast went on later to have medical procedures, gave blood, dental, etc. how they plan to follow this? i would like to know more about the pathology of the deer they feasted on too, that might be interesting as well? Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease Magdalini Polymenidou, Katharina Stoeck, Markus Glatzel, Martin Vey, Anne Bellon, and Adriano Aguzzi Summary Background The molecular typing of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is based on the size and glycoform ratio of protease-resistant prion protein (PrPSc), and on PRNP haplotype. On digestion with proteinase K, type 1 and type 2 PrPSc display unglycosylated core fragments of 21 kDa and 19 kDa, resulting from cleavage around amino acids 82 and 97, respectively. Methods We generated anti-PrP monoclonal antibodies to epitopes immediately preceding the differential proteinase K cleavage sites. These antibodies, which were designated POM2 and POM12, recognise type 1, but not type 2, PrPSc. Findings We studied 114 brain samples from 70 patients with sporadic CJD and three patients with variant CJD. Every patient classified as CJD type 2, and all variant CJD patients, showed POM2/POM12 reactivity in the cerebellum and other PrPSc-rich brain areas, with a typical PrPSc type 1 migration pattern. Interpretation The regular coexistence of multiple PrPSc types in patients with CJD casts doubts on the validity of electrophoretic PrPSc mobilities as surrogates for prion strains, and questions the rational basis of current CJD classifications. into debate and introduce interesting questions about human CJD types. For example, do human prion types exist in a dynamic equilibrium in the brains of affected individuals? Do they coexist in most or even all CJD cases? Is the biochemically identified PrPSc type simply the dominant type, and not the only PrPSc species? TSS
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