EDMONTON — Elk from a Saskatchewan herd that recently tested positive for chronic wasting disease are helping U.S. researchers develop a future test for the brain wasting disease.
Kansas State University professor Dr. Nick Haley took nasal, rectal and blood samples of the Saskatchewan herd before the animals were killed, and the results will be compared with laboratory results, said Eric Mohlman, chair of the recently revived Elk Research Council.
The final post mortem report from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has not been released.
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Of the 120 animals that were slaughtered, 28 percent tested positive using the rectal biopsies and 12 percents tested positive from nasal swabs.
“There is a pretty significant difference of what they are picking up,” said Mohlman. “The rectal biopsies are still showing a lot more opportunity.”
Blood from the animals was shared with other researchers working to develop a live CWD test.
Mohlman said negotiations have begun with the owner of a Colorado herd that is heavily infected with CWD to use the herd for a test and cull research project.
The test will cull only animals that test positive based on positive rectal, blood or nasal swabs and compare the results with post mortem tests.
The researchers want to continue testing and culling over the next few years to see if there is a reduced incident rate of infection in the herd by culling only animals that test positive for the disease.
In Canada, the entire herd must be destroyed if one animal tests positive for CWD.
