Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a naturally occurring, progressive neurological disorder that affects members of the deer family, known as cervids, across North America. This disease is always fatal to infected animals, including white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, and moose. The arrival of CWD presents significant challenges for wildlife management and hunting traditions. For Arkansas, the detection of this communicable disease marked a new era of extensive wildlife health surveillance.
The Year of the Initial Discovery
Chronic Wasting Disease was first officially detected in Arkansas in 2016, following the analysis of a sample collected from a free-ranging elk. The animal was a hunter-harvested elk taken near the Buffalo National River in Pruitt, located in Newton County in the northern part of the state. Although the elk was harvested during the autumn hunting season in October 2015, the definitive positive diagnosis was confirmed by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) in February 2016. This single positive case was a pivotal moment, confirming the disease had spread into the state’s wild cervid population.
The first confirmed white-tailed deer case followed swiftly, verified just days later in March 2016, also in Newton County near the town of Ponca. The initial positive findings prompted immediate, intensive surveillance efforts in the surrounding area. Subsequent testing of samples collected in the immediate vicinity of the first cases revealed a high disease prevalence in that northern Arkansas region. These early confirmations quickly established that the disease was already circulating among the local deer and elk herds.
Characteristics of Chronic Wasting Disease
CWD is classified as a Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy (TSE), a group of diseases that includes scrapie in sheep and bovine spongiform encephalopathy in cattle. The disorder is caused by prions, which are misfolded, abnormal forms of a normal protein found in the host animal. These rogue prions accumulate in the brain and nervous tissue, causing neurodegeneration and the death of neural cells.
The accumulation of these abnormal proteins results in a progressive neurodegeneration that creates microscopic holes in the brain tissue, giving it a sponge-like appearance. Because the incubation period can last at least 16 months, infected animals often appear healthy for an extended time before showing symptoms. Once clinical signs emerge, they include severe weight loss, leading to the “wasting” name.
Clinical Symptoms
Clinical signs of CWD include:
- Severe weight loss.
- Behavioral changes, such as a vacant stare or loss of fear of humans.
- Excessive drooling.
- Difficulty walking (ataxia).
- Insatiable thirst and frequent urination.
Transmission occurs through direct animal-to-animal contact, but the prions are shed into the environment via saliva, urine, and feces. These infectious particles are remarkably resistant and can remain active in the soil and on plants for years, serving as a persistent source of infection for other cervids.
Arkansas’s Ongoing Management and Response
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) responded to the 2016 detection by implementing a CWD Management and Response Plan. This plan established CWD Management Zones, primarily in the northern and northwestern counties where the disease was initially concentrated. Within these zones, regulations restrict the movement of certain carcass parts to prevent the spread of prions to uninfected areas.
The AGFC established mandatory testing requirements for hunter-harvested deer and elk during specific periods in high-prevalence areas. To aid in surveillance, the agency provides an extensive network of voluntary and mandatory testing locations, including CWD drop-off containers and partnerships with taxidermists. Beyond surveillance, a multi-year research project was launched in partnership with the University of Georgia to study the population impacts on the state’s deer herd. These efforts combine active surveillance, regulatory action, and public education to manage the disease across the state’s wildlife populations.