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Minnesota Now with Nina Moini
Cathy Wurzer

What to know about testing for chronic wasting disease ahead of deer hunting opener

Whitetail deer browse on tree buds in the Wood Lake Nature Center in Richfield, Minn., on April 23, 2013. Wildlife managers say they're close to rounding up enough trash bins to dispose of deer carcasses in zones of Minnesota where they're trying to stop the spread of chronic wasting disease. One vendor recently decided not to accept carcasses that potentially might be contaminated. That has sent the Department of Natural Resources scrambling to find replacements ahead of Saturday's firearms deer season opener, but DNR officials say other companies are stepping in.
Whitetail deer browse on tree buds in the Wood Lake Nature Center in Richfield, Minn., in April 2013.
David Joles | Star Tribune via AP file

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The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has reported the first suspected case of chronic wasting disease in a wild deer along the state's western border. The news comes as the state’s firearm deer hunting opener starts Saturday.

Chronic wasting disease is a fatal neurodegenerative disease spread by malformed proteins, called prions, which are spread by infected animals and can threaten multiple deer species, as well as other animals.

MPR News reporter Dan Gunderson joined Cathy Wurzer to talk about a CWD outbreak in a herd of captive deer in Beltrami County that investigators have connected to potentially infected animals moved from a Winona County farm.

Dr. Peter Larsen, professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine at University of Minnesota where he leads the Minnesota Center for Prion Research and Outreach, also joined Cathy to talk more about testing and monitoring for the disease.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

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