Article Show
NPS Photo/ M. Reed Disease Background
Geographic Range
Transmission
Wildlife Health ImplicationsSpecies Affected
Clinic Signs
Course of Disease
Prevention
Public Health Implications
Guidance to Park VisitorsThe guidelines below can be followed to ensure you and your family safely enjoy the wonderful natural and cultural resources protected by the NPS. Notify a Park Service employee as soon as possible and avoid contact with the animal if you see any sick or dead wildlife.
It is recommended that people avoid consumption of any part of an animal that is suspected or confirmed to have CWD. Related LinksLearn about other wildlife health topics, here. Learn more about what the NPS is doing to prevent the spread of wildlife disease in national parks, explore the Wildlife Health Branch website, here. To learn more about the One Health concept and in practice, visit the organization website, here. For more information on Chronic Wasiting Disease, contact Nathan Galloway, e-mail us. Last updated: December 19, 2021 What is wasting disease in elk?What is chronic wasting disease? CWD is a disease found in some deer, elk and moose populations. CWD damages portions of the brain and typically causes progressive loss of body condition, behavioral changes, excessive salivation and death.
What is the cause of wasting disease?Chronic wasting disease is caused by a misfolded protein called a prion. All mammals produce normal prions that are used by cells, then degraded and eliminated, or recycled, within the body. When disease-associated prions contact normal prions, they cause them to refold into their own abnormal shape.
Is elk Chronic wasting disease caused by prions?Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease that affects deer, elk, reindeer, sika deer and moose. It has been found in some areas of North America, including Canada and the United States, Norway and South Korea.
What bacteria causes chronic wasting disease?The most prominent is Dr. Frank Bastian, a pathologist at Louisiana State University. He argues that a unique super-bacteria known as spiroplasma causes transmissible spongiform encephalopathies such as CWD.
|