Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy affecting cervids, including deer, elk, moose, and reindeer, caused by misfolded prion proteins (PrP^Sc) that induce conformational conversion of normal host prion protein (PrP^C). It is characterized by progressive neurodegeneration, astro- and microgliosis, spongiform change, and accumulation of protease-resistant prion aggregates in central nervous system and lymphoid tissues. CWD is efficiently transmitted horizontally via environmental contamination (saliva, urine, feces, carcasses) and persists in soil, enabling indirect transmission. It exhibits strain variation, host-genotype–dependent susceptibility, long incubation periods, and poses significant challenges for wildlife management, surveillance, and prion ecology research.
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