The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas Animal Health Commission last week confirmed a case of chronic wasting disease in a Kerr County deer breeding facility, marking the first detection in the county.
A 3-year-old female whitetailed deer tested positive through postmortem testing conducted to meet surveillance requirements for the facility. The Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory initially analyzed the samples, and the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Iowa confirmed the detection.
With an incubation period that can last years, CWD is often detected through routine surveillance testing rather than observed clinical signs.
Early detection and proactive monitoring improve response time and can reduce the risk of further spread.
TAHC and TPWD remind deer breeders of the requirement to report mortalities within seven days of detection and to submit CWD test samples within seven days of collection. CWD is a fatal neurological disease affecting cervids, including deer, elk, and moose. This slow, progressive disease may not show visible signs in susceptible animals for several years.
Clinical signs can include weight loss, stumbling, tremors, lack of coordination, loss of appetite, teeth grinding, abnormal head posture, drooping ears, and excessive thirst, salivation, or urination.
The disease was first identified in Texas in 2012 in free-ranging mule deer in the Hueco Mountains near the Texas- New Mexico border.
Since then, it has been detected in both captive and free-ranging white-tailed deer, mule deer, red deer, and elk.
For more information on previous detections in Texas, surveillance and containment zones, movement restrictions, and best practices for hunters and landowners, visit the TPWD or TAHC CWD web pages.
