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Suggested
Safety Precautions for Taxidermists and Meat Processors
Processing Deer and Elk
| NOTE: This information is precautionary only - there are no known cases of CWD in Nevada at this time. |
BACKGROUND & INTRODUCTION
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), an infectious disease of deer and elk, is one of the Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSE). Other TSEs include Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease (CJD) of man, BSE of cattle, cats, and man (“mad cow” disease) and scrapie (sheep and goats). TSEs are all infectious diseases caused by a new class of infectious agents known as PRIONS. Prions are known to be proteins that are very stable, resist natural degradations and may exist for long periods of time in the environment. Up until the early 1990s disease experts thought that all TSEs were species specific and did not cross specie boundaries. However in the early nineties experts noted that BSE caused infection in wild ruminants, cats and man. This finding led to valid concerns regarding CWD possibly spreading to other species.
To date CWD appears to only infect mule deer, whitetail deer, and North American elk. Extensive experiments have been conducted with cattle and sheep with all results demonstrating no cross-species transmission of CWD. At the same time the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have reviewed all cases of CJD and related neurological diseases in man and to date have found no link to CWD exposure. However the CDC and the World Health Organization have recommended a very cautious approach. These guidelines advocate no consumption of animals known to be infected with CWD and avoidance of high risk material (tissues known to contain infective prions) in non-infected animals. High risk material for CWD includes brain, spinal cord, bone marrow, tonsils, lymph nodes, and spleen. Muscle has not been found to contain prions or infectious material.
GUIDELINES AND RECOMENDATIONS FOR DEER & ELK HARVESTED IN NEVADA
Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) and Nevada Division of Agriculture (NDOA) have been actively testing wild deer and elk in Nevada since 1998. To date, with over 400 samples (335 deer and 102 elk), no CWD has been found. Consequently, there is little likelihood of infected animals being presented to taxidermists and meat processors. However, cautions should be exercised.
TAXIDERMISTS: Brains, spinal cords, and bones should be disposed of at approved landfills, or rendered, if applicable.
MEAT PROCESSORS: Meat should be boned out with nerves and lymph nodes removed. All waste materials should be disposed of at a landfill or through a licensed rendering operation.
GUIDELINES AND RECOMENDATIONS FOR DEER & ELK HARVESTED IN STATES INFECTED WITH CWD
For deer and elk harvested in Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and any other state found to have deer and elk infected with CWD:
Please be especially careful if you are handling an animal from a known infection area. Care must be taken to avoid the possible introduction of CWD into Nevada. Once a state has infections in its wild deer it could take 10-20 years to eradicate the disease. If you handle an infected or obviously diseased carcass please contact the State Veterinarian, Dr. David Thain, (775) 688-1180 ext. 261, before disposing at a sanitary landfill. The "CWD Frequently Asked Questions" brochure distributed by Nevada Department of Wildlife suggests that animals be individually processed to reduce the opportunity for contamination.
TAXIDERMISTS: All brains, spinal cords, bones, and any other materials must be disposed of at an approved landfill.
MEAT PROCESSORS: The use of bone saws to split carcasses should be avoided. Splitting the spine will contaminate meat with potentially infected nervous tissues. Meat should be de-boned and all nerves and lymph nodes should be removed and disposed of. All equipment should be cleaned and sanitized between each animal, so that cross contamination will be minimized. All offal and waste materials should be disposed at a sanitary landfill. Because the infective prions are so stable, the rendering process may not destroy them.
For any questions or concerns
please contact the Division of Wildlife Headquarters at (775) 688-1500,
or contact Dr. David Thain, State Veterinarian at (775) 688-1180, ext.
261.
