Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal disease of deer, elk, and moose that is caused by abnormal prions. Prions are proteins that are normally found in the body but when they are arranged into abnormal shapes (“misfolded”), they can cause illness. Once an animal gets sick, the disease moves to the brain and spine and eventually leads to drastic weight loss (“wasting”), abnormal behavior, and eventual death. Scientists believe CWD prions spread between animals through body fluids like feces, saliva, blood, or urine. This can occur either through direct contact between animals or indirectly through contamination of soil, food or water.

CWD was first identified in wild deer in 1985 and has since spread to more than half of the states in the continental United States. A national map of where CWD is circulating can be found here.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Fish and Wildlife Division conducts surveillance testing for CWD in wild deer. In April 2024, CWD was detected in an Indiana deer for the first time.

For more information about where CWD has been detected in Indiana wildlife, visit DNR's website.

Are prion diseases transmissible to humans?

No cases of CWD in people have ever been reported and it is uncertain whether people can even get infected. However, CWD is related to another animal disease that does infect people, and some monkeys have gotten CWD after eating meat from infected animals. CWD is therefore considered a possible risk to people.

More information can be found on CDC’s website

Are there health risks for hunters or others that consume deer meat?

There is no evidence to date that hunters are at risk of getting CWD. Hunters should observe normal precautions around any animals, such as avoiding sick or strange-acting animals.

DNR  recommends that hunters wait to eat harvested deer meat until they have had the deer tested for CWD and receive negative results. For more information on where hunters can have their deer tested and other frequently asked questions, visit DNR's website.

Resources

Center for Food Security and Public Health CWD Factsheet

Indiana Department of Natural Resources Sick/Dead Wildlife reporting tool

Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance Information for Hunters