The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) confirms that a Rock County deer farm has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD). The result was confirmed by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa.
The positive result came from a 5 1/2-year-old doe. The premises is quarantined, where it will remain while DATCP and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) veterinarians and staff conduct the epidemiological investigation.
CWD is a fatal, neurological disease of deer, elk, and moose caused by an infectious protein called a prion that affects the animal’s brain. DATCP regulates deer farms for registration, recordkeeping, disease testing, movement, and permit requirements.