Why is chronic wasting disease a concern in cervids?

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a significant concern in deer and other cervids because it is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy that currently has no known cure. This disease is caused by prions, which are misfolded proteins that induce other proteins in the brain to misfold, leading to severe neurological damage and ultimately death. The absence of effective treatments or vaccines means that once an animal is infected, there is no way to reverse the progression of the disease.

The lack of a cure poses risks not only to individual animals but also to populations of cervids in the wild. As infected animals become symptomatic, they can suffer from severe behavioral changes and die after a period of degeneration, which can lead to more widespread outbreaks through environmental contamination and animal-to-animal transmission. This concern extends beyond health implications for the cervids themselves, as there are also potential effects on ecosystems and wildlife management strategies.

While the quality of meat from infected animals can indeed be compromised due to the disease, the crucial factor at hand is that the disease itself cannot be treated. Moreover, CWD does not solely impact populations in the wild, nor is it limited to domestic animals, which makes concerns about transmission even more pressing. Understanding the nature of