CWD (Prion Disease) Spreading W. Through Alberta Deer Populations - 5 Yrs. To Calgary, Edmonton

EDMONTON — Chronic wasting disease in deer has spread farther west into the province and within five years will likely be found at Edmonton’s outskirts and in Calgary, says a University of Alberta biologist.

Dave Coltman came to that conclusion after looking at the latest testing results and map posted by Alberta Sustainable Resource Development last week. Altogether, 17 new cases were found in the nearly 4,200 deer tested since September 2010. That brings the total number of wild deer cases found in Alberta since 2005 to 91.

CWD is caused by a prion, similar to bovine spongiform encephalopathy, that causes deer to slowly waste away. In the past two years, the government has relied on a hunter surveillance program to track the spread of the disease.

Government staff collect the heads of deer killed by hunters in specific wildlife management areas where past cases have been found. They also test deer hunted in areas close to past cases. Prior to that, they had also used an aggressive winter cull program to reduce the densities of deer in infected areas.

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http://www.edmontonjournal.com/health/Chronic%20wasting%20disease%20spreads%20farther%20west%20Alberta/4328926/story.html