Chronic Wasting Disease

The Norwegian Veterinary Institute (NVI) surveillance chronic wasting disease (CWD) in the cervid populations.  

The programme include moose (Alcec alces), red deer (Cervus elaphus), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) and fallow deer (Dama dama).

The aim of the surveillance programme is to document the status of CWD in the cervid populations in Norway. 

2022

A total of 17,584 samples of wild, semi-domesticated and captive Norwegian cervids were analysed in 2022. From these, two moose (Alces alces), one red deer (Cervus elaphus) and one reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) tested positive for CWD. The cases in moose were old female moose from fallen stock, a 19 years old found dead in Nord-Odal municipality and a 20 years old euthanized in the municipality of Tynset due to poor body condition. The red deer from Bremanger municipality was also a euthanized adult female. The age could not be determined, as the jaw was not available. The reindeer case was a hunted, eight years old female from the wild reindeer management area Hardangervidda. All locations are in Southern Norway.

The cases detected had disease characteristics as described for the respective species in previous reports, i.e. PrPSc were only detected in brain tissue, and no prions were detected in lymphoid tissues with diagnostic test in the sporadic appearance of moose and red deer, and with lymphoid involvement in the reindeer case of classical CWD.

In addition, 17 reindeer from Svalbard and 43 wild muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) from the Dovrefjell Mountains were tested and found negative for TSE.

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