Wildlife Information Network developed this Wildpro volume to assist wildlife managers, veterinarians and others responding to this emerging disease of wild and farmed deer.
The volume runs from a central flowchart divided into sections. The description of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in deer and elk includes incubation, time course, persistence, morbidity, mortality, life stages affected and susceptibility. Clinical signs and pathology are covered, along with diagnosis, treatment and environmental and population level control measures.
There is a section on prions, the unusually configured proteins associated with this disease. This addresses ways to detect and identify prions, describes their structure and diversity and lists their host species. Data is provided on the degree of hazard to humans and other species, cellular reactions, mechanisms of contamination and transmission, means of inactivation, environments and geographical distribution.
The core disease management pages deal with the requirements for informing and educating health professionals and the public. A case study in Wisconsin documents the approach to the disease in one location. Reasons for control of this disease are discussed, along with actions available and factors to be considered in decision making, in both wild and farmed animals and whether the disease is established in an area or newly introduced.
A section on disease costs and consequences sets out the impact the disease and control measures may have on the individual animal, the animal and human population, and the environment.
Other pages detail import and travel restrictions, national contingency plans, diagnosis and surveillance, culling and carcass disposal, vaccines, genetic manipulation, quarantine and disinfection.
A directory lists sources of CWD information. An electronic library of full-text documents is included, as are video clips to demonstrate necropsy and collection of samples for diagnosis.
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