A report from Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks yesterday revealed the epidemic spread of a devastating incurable disease in deer across the state. A report of the eastern part of the state showed the disastrous spread among mule and white-tailed deer.

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is universally fatal. It is found in wildlife on both sides of the Rocky Mountains. In the lower Ruby Valley in Hunting District 322, the report noted 71% of white-tailed does, 73 % of white-tailed bucks and five of 10 mule deer harvested in that hunt area were infected. Moose and elk are also affected.

Decades ago, when mad cow disease surfaced in the United Kingdom, killing hundreds of humans who ate infected meat I began studying the disease and the progress in research. The unusual disease is caused, not by an infectious organism such as a virus or bacterium, instead an abnormally shaped protein propagates itself when in contact with normal prion proteins and targets nerve tissue including the brain. This prion disease (the bovine form in Mad cow disease) had not been identified in humans until the outbreak in Great Britain.

That outbreak triggered massive changes in blood supplies and across medical fields to avoid the spread. Contaminated surgical instruments infected patients and killed surgeons and pathologists who infected themselves during procedures and dissections before researchers found prions were difficult to kill and remained viable on instruments sterilized by usual means.

A variant prion form able to cross species barriers spread into wildlife decades ago and was localized to a small area in Colorado. That changed dramatically as the highly infectious protein spread into roaming animal populations.

When I decided to write a novel about chronic wasting disease, I feared it would spread to humans. At this time, no human has been identified with this form. However, in a Canadian research project, monkeys were fed CWD-infected venison and they all died of the disease. Because of our genetic similarities, it appears in time, it will spread to humans who consume infected game meat unknowingly.

In advanced stages of the disease, infected animals are emaciated, drooling, unable to eat, lack coordination, and become unafraid of humans. It’s obvious to tell the animals is sick, but the disease is slowly progressive and it takes a couple of years to show symptoms, so hunters and the people who eat the wild game could be infected by meat from animals that look healthy.

Testing for CWD is essential to prevent spread, but the prion is so durable it can live for decades in the soil and is taken up into vegetation. Unless all knives and surfaces contaminated with diseased blood are treated properly and soaked with concentrated solutions of Clorox, they remain contaminated and could spread disease. MFWP and other national wildlife sites have directions for decontamination.

My book Fatal Feast is a medical/biological thriller set in Montana and written before the dramatic spread of the disease across our state. The E-book is on sale today through the end of the month at Smashwords for $1.99.

REVIEW: Fatal Feast is both a thriller and science-driven story with a female-super-hero at the forefront.  A must read. Susan Purvis, Author of best-selling award-winning Go Find

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