Final results are in from the more than 19,200 tissue samples tested for chronic wasting disease (CWD) following the mandatory sampling of deer harvested on Nov. 12 and 13 in 29 counties in northeast, central and east-central Missouri where the disease has been found.
Of those final results, the Department of Conservation has confirmed five deer have tested positive for the deadly deer disease, including an adult buck harvested in southeast Adair County, an adult buck harvested in northwest Macon County, and an adult buck harvested southwest Franklin County.
The five total cases also include a yearling male harvested in southeast Jefferson County and a mature buck harvested in northern Franklin County, as previously reported in December 2016.
The department has also received test results for approximately 650 tissue samples collected for CWD testing in seven counties in southwest Missouri. No deer from southern Missouri have tested positive for the disease. The target counties are close to where more than 100 cases of CWD have been found in Northwest Arkansas.
“This has been a huge undertaking and we greatly appreciate the help from participating hunters and businesses during our sampling efforts,” said Wildlife Disease Coordinator Jasmine Batten. “While it is disappointing to detect any CWD cases, overall the results to date are encouraging. Given the large number of deer tested and the small number of cases detected, CWD appears to remain relatively rare in the state.”
The five new positive cases bring the total number of CWD cases detected in free ranging deer in Missouri to 38 with 10 found in Adair, 1 in Cole, 3 in Franklin, 1 in Jefferson, 1 in Linn, and 22 in Macon counties.
Batten said the Department’s next steps include working with landowners in the immediate areas around where cases of CWD have been found to harvest and test additional deer this winter. Affected counties are Adair, Cole, Crawford, Franklin, Jefferson, Linn, Macon, Moniteau, Ste. Genevieve and St. Francis.
“This additional sampling will help staff better determine the extent of the disease and help limit its spread,” she explained. “Research shows CWD tends to be clumped in local areas. When we find a deer with CWD, removing other deer in the immediate area can remove other deer that may be infected. This can help slow the spread of the disease.”
Tissue samples will be collected from deer harvested in northeast, central, east-central, and southwest Missouri throughout the remaining deer-hunting season, which ends Jan. 15. Tissue samples are being taken by participating taxidermists and at MDC offices and other sampling locations in the affected regions. MDC encourages hunters who harvest deer in these areas to have them tested for the disease.
“Once the season is over and our sampling efforts are done for the year, we will then examine the results from our overall sampling and testing efforts to better determine future sampling needs,” Batten added.
For more information on the Department’s CWD sampling efforts and testing results, look under “CWD Surveillance Summary online.
Hunters who participated in sampling efforts can find test results for their harvested deer online.