Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a fatal neurological disease that affects elk, white-tailed deer, and mule deer. It is not known to affect livestock or humans.

CWD is related to a group of diseases known as Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs).

The first clinical case of CWD to be described in the United States occurred in Colorado in 1967, but it was not until 1978 that it was determined to be a TSE. In 1981 the first case was diagnosed in Colorado.

CWD is believed to be caused by an abnormal form of a prion. (Prions are a form of protein normally found in cells of the nervous system.) This abnormal prion is resistant to enzymes that break down normal proteins.

As of early November 2002, CWD had been identified in wild deer in seven states (Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and most recently Illinois) and one Canadian province (Saskatchewan). It has been found in captive herds in eight states and two provinces (Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota, Montana, Oklahoma, Kansas, Wisconsin, Saskatchewan, and Alberta).

The following Web sites are offered as reliable sources of information on CWD.

• Frequently Asked Questions on CWD and links to press releases about CWD in Illinois, from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources
• CWD information from the Illinois Department of Agriculture
• Common Sense Precautions for Handling and Processing Deer (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader), a useful site for hunters, from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture CWD page
• A CWD book produced by Wisconsin's Department of Natural Resources with assistance from Interagency CWD Taskforce for hunters and landowners in Wisconsin’s CWD Management Zone (a large file that requires Adobe Acrobat Reader).
• Links to news releases and fact sheets from the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
• A fact sheet from the National Wildlife Health Center

College of Veterinary Medicine University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign