The National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) has confirmed a case of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in a Louisiana white-tailed deer to the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF).
This is the first confirmed case of CWD found in Louisiana. The diagnosis was made on samples submitted by LDWF staff from a hunter-harvested, wild adult buck taken on private land in Tensas Parish.
The LDAF regulates alternative livestock in regard to agricultural businesses in Louisiana, which includes farm-raised white-tailed deer. While the confirmed case was not from a deer pen, the LDAF’s objective is to ensure that alternative livestock in the state are healthy and well-cared for and stay that way.
“The program requires inspection, population control, and record-keeping by the LDAF to ensure the overall health of the deer herd,” said LDAF Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M. Additionally, LDAF performs annual inspections of all pens. The inspections are to ensure the pens are in good condition and deemed secure.
“It will take diligence from all parties to help control the spread of CWD in Louisiana; this includes our permitted deer pen licensees,” Strain said.
CWD is a neurodegenerative disease of white-tailed deer and other members of the family Cervidae. It is caused by a prion, an infectious, misfolded protein particle, and is 100-percent fatal in affected deer after an indeterminate incubation period. There is no treatment or preventative vaccine for CWD.
CWD-infected deer may exhibit signs of weight loss and emaciation, salivation, frequent drinking and urination, incoordination, circling, and lack of fear of people. It always results in the death of the animal.
Although CWD has not been shown to be contagious to humans, the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization recommend against the human consumption of deer known to be infected with CWD. The LDWF will provide testing for hunter-harvested deer free of charge. ■