Can CWD spread to humans?

This video discusses the prion disease chronic wasting disease (CWD), also known as "Zombie Deer Disease," and examines the likelihood of the disease spreading to people to potentially cause a disease similar to Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. It looks into the evolving nature of prions and proposes the possibility of new prion strains crossing the species transmission barrier and eventually leading to prion disease in people. Viewers will be informed on (CWD) chronic wasting disease and theories of its spread and possible transmission to humans. A general explanation of prions and how they cause disease included in the discussion. Viewers will also learn the symptoms of chronic wasting disease as it presents in animals of the deer family(cervids).

[thguanandladyj]

Did you realize that the deer that originally found with chronic wasting disease was near Colorado State University which they presumed was infected from the sheep the researchers at the University were studying? Yes, this was in 1967. Sad to say, this sounds all too familiar, especially lately.

[jordanreves]

Thank you Doctor for reaching out to the Metis Nation HARVESTERS ASSOCIATES. Much respect Dr .lowe

[lynnjensen]

Thanks for your response to my email. I have a few other questions. Deer who die from CWD are eaten by various scavengers -- foxes, wolves, vultures, bears, etc.etc. Has anyone looked for the CWD prion in these scavenger species? It would seem that if the prion were easily transmitted from species to species, we would see disease in these animals.

I guess what we need as hunters is a readily available and reliable home test (few false negatives), that we as hunters can use before we consume the deer. We would also need to eliminate the practice of "pooled" meat, which butchers routinely use to make large volumes of "products" such as bologna, hot dogs, etc. In PA, if we are not in a DWD surveillance area, we need to deliver the head to the state lab in Harrisburg, and pay a substantial fee. Not practical.

As a retired physician, I am also aware that path labs really try to avoid autopsies on someone with suspected prion disease, since the usual sterilization techniques such as autoclave, are not effective against prions.

Lynn Jensen

[lynnjensen]

How difficult is it to identify prion disease in human brains? With all of the research into dementia, I would think that CWD in humans would have been identified by now. We still have zero cases of CWD in humans despite millions of people eating venison and thousands of brains being scrutinized.

[philipfreeman]

Stop putting deer in small fenced in areas, & test your deer heads.

[kenerickson]

Thank you for this. I have decided to not hunt whitetail or mule deer this year for the first time. Tomorrow morning I will be hunting elk with a friend who has drawn a tag, however. I will hope for the best and also that he chooses to get the elk tested (a free service provided by the Saskatchewan government).
The world changes…

[thomasjcorson]

Yrs ago animal protein was put in livestock feed I wonder?

[kellyemontana]

I just found out I ate contaminated meat 2-3 times in the last couple months. We have 29 deer in my field and yard and they shit everywhere.

[antonstegen]

Is it mainly in vicinities of domestic livestock? Could it be the result of a environmental contaminant such as over exposure to sulfur such as feed from ethanol plants
It is wildly known that over feeding distilled grains can cause symptoms similar to mad cow disease. I wonder if deer can suffer from the same symptoms as cattle can if fed too high a concentration of distilled grains because of a high concentration of sulfur. Just wondering?

[mercedesvega]

2 of my relatives in northern Wisconsin who regularly consumed deer meat died of prion diseases. They were sisters. the doctors said less than 1 million chance to get what they BOTH had...odd.

[toporkata]

Do we have CWD in Susquehanna County PA ?

[ncbluegrassevents]

Our neighbor died of human form mad cow disease

[googleuser]

Have there been any cases of predatory animals contracting a disease like this?

[calvinhenderson]

Have taken two Bucks, one this year and last year. Both had CWD and appeared healthy. Only way to know is to test.

[manyfeatherknives]

Would it not be helpful as well as informative to simply take “known” CWD deer meat, cook it and test it to see if the CWD still exist?

[steammaker]

I'm fairly certain our president has CWD. 😅

[TheYeti]

I understand that a heavy antibiotics regiment is effective .

[henryburness]

I'll err on the side of caution no deer meat for me. Maybe this is the cause of our megafauna loss

[Bloodatmidnight]

Here in 2024 and apparently now the disease is spreading rapidly, i knew it.

[markthegamedriver]

Every from of craziness will be possible(including Nukes)in this world after the rapture of the saints There will be no restraining order.