CSTE/NASPHV Hosted Webinar: 1st Evidence of Intracranial and Peroral Transmission of CWD into Cynomolgus Macaques: A Work in Progress – 7/10/2017
Speakers:
Ryan A. Maddox, PhD- Epidemiologist, Prion and Public Health Office, CDC
Stefanie Czub, DVM, PhD– Manager of the BSE Reference Laboratory and Scientist
Objectives:
Recently, a team of researchers from Canada and Germany presented new scientific findings on Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) at the Prion 2017 conference (see attached abstract). CWD is a prion disease of deer, elk, and moose that causes fatal brain disease in infected animals. While no human cases of CWD have been reported to date, the new study findings showed cynomolgus macaques could be infected through oral inoculation of muscle meat from CWD-infected deer and elk, including some meat from asymptomatic animals. The new study findings raise concerns that humans who hunt or consume meat from infected animals could be at risk for CWD infection.
Dr. Stefanie Czub, will be discussing the new research findings in the webinar. In addition, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will discuss current surveillance strategies for possible human cases of CWD in the United States.