New CWD cases in Perry County; officials urge cooperation

Eight new positive cases of chronic wasting disease, or CWD, were reported in Perry and Ste. Genevieve counties this fall, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation.

One positive test resulted from a deer found wandering a Ste. Genevieve County property, visibly sick and unresponsive, according to a news release.

“The landowner called the conservation agent to report a sick deer wandering on his property; the deer was not alert, had that ‘wasting away’ physical appearance,” Matt Bowyer, MDC’s wildlife regional supervisor, said in the release. “We advised the landowner to go ahead and put the deer down and when the test results came back, it was positive for CWD.”

Until that deer, local positive cases were from deer taken during deer season, or in management efforts, Bowyer said. “Although the sickly appearance is what will eventually happen to a deer that has CWD, it takes a while for the disease to progress to that point and the clinical sickness generally is short-lived before the deer dies.”

Once the animal is infected, it could take from 18 to 24 months for symptoms to appear, and by the time the animal is visibly sick, it will likely die soon, Bowyer said.

Jimmy Fawcett, center, helps Tim Whitehead remove lymph nodes from a deer carcass Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018, in Marble Hill, Missouri, for CWD testing purposes.BEN MATTHEWS

“CWD is always fatal for deer,” Bowyer said.

CWD is caused not by bacteria or viruses, but by a misshapen protein called a prion. Prions don’t respond to sterilization efforts such as burning or sanitizing.

To compound the issue, CWD has no vaccine and no treatment.

The disease does not appear to be transmittable to humans, according to preliminary studies.

In 2019, MDC officials enacted mandatory CWD testing in CWD management zones.

“The idea behind the management zone is to give us an area to continue to monitor for the disease more intensely than we typically monitor across the rest of the state,” Bowyer said.

The sites are working as intended, Bowyer said: “All positive cases are within the management zones, especially within Southeast Missouri. We want to prevent the spread of the disease as much as possible.”

An adult male deer could range as far as a 15-mile radius during mating season, Bowyer said, but the majority of deer stay within a small area.

Archery season ends Jan. 15, and the alternative methods firearm season ends Tuesday.

At this point in the season, Bowyer said, MDC staff is moving from annual surveillance to management of the disease in known areas.

Willing landowners partner with MDC to allow agents to harvest deer in a targeted culling operation, Bowyer said.

MDC also sent letters to landowners within 2 miles of any known CWD positive deer, with invitations to informational meetings in January, Bowyer said.

“Especially now that we see CWD has spread within our management zone, we can’t stress enough the importance of landowners working with us to reduce the spread of the disease,” Bowyer said. “Our goal is a healthy, sustainable white-tailed deer population in these areas, but without help from private landowners, that goal could be lost.”

The counties for mandatory sampling were Adair, Barry, Cedar, Chariton, Christian, Crawford, Franklin, Gasconade, Hickory, Howell, Jefferson, Knox, Linn, Macon, Mercer, Oregon, Ozark, Perry, Polk, Putnam, St. Charles, St. Clair, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, Stone, Sullivan, Taney, Warren and Washington.

Officials point to three actions to help limit the spread of CWD.

• MDC urges landowners within the affected zone to work with MDC to manage deer.
• Mineral blocks and feeders should not be used to supplement deer diets. If deer congregate unnaturally to feed, deer could have a higher chance of picking up CWD from another deer.
• Hunters should quarter deer where it’s harvested, to avoid moving the carcass and spreading the disease.

More information about CWD may be found at mdc.mo.gov/cwd. Landowners who want to work with MDC to limit CWD’s spread can contact MDC’s regional office at (573) 290-5730 or SERegion@mdc.mo.gov.