I was employed with the CWD research sector of the Colorado DOW health lab in 04...

To be honest, while the researchers are currently investigating the disease's pathophysiology, there is not enough evidence to issue a cut-and-dry answer to your question.

My personal philosophy involves consuming my harvested meat and enjoying it! I have eaten CWD-infected venison, as well as an elk taken from a CWD-endemic area that was not sampled and tested.

The mutated prion protein--the causative etiological agent of CWD--congregates predominantly in central nervous system and lymphoid tissues...so just don't go eating brains, spleens, or lymph nodes!

As for why those of us who have consumed CWD-infected meat have not exhibited symptoms, many reasons can be offered. The incubation time until symptoms manifest may be of a long duration, possible 20 yrs or more.

Dead_eye refers to the Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy (TSE) (CWD is in the TSE family as well) new variant CJD (nvCJD) that a very small percentage of hunters have died from. Some were immunocompromised individuals.

A note of clarification - CWD is so far found to infect the cervidae family, and even so only whitetails, mulies, and elk...no, not moose! (yet, anyway, moose are still CWD-tested on a regular basis)

And I believe there is validity in Dr Stalker's presumption...CWD has been labeled so for a couple decades, and before that there is little to no doubt that it existed.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

Use common sense, but enjoy your harvests!

Kimberly
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Field Staff Writer, WomenHunters