chronic wasting disease

noun

veterinary medicine

: a progressive, fatal prion disease of deer, elk, and moose that is characterized by weight loss, tremors, lack of coordination, drooling, excessive thirst, and listlessness

Since it was first identified two decades ago in deer in Colorado, chronic wasting disease has spread to a dozen states (including New York) and two Canadian provinces.

—Sandra Blakeslee

Scientists have identified a handful of diseases caused by misfolded proteins called prions, including mad cow disease, scrapie in sheep, and chronic wasting disease in deer and elk.

—Nathan Seppa

—abbreviation CWD

Examples of chronic wasting disease in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

State officials reported the presence of deadly chronic wasting disease in two wild California deer earlier this week. —Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024

According to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, chronic wasting disease was detected in two deer after samples were examined Monday, marking the first time the fatal disease has been found in deer or elk in the state. —Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 8 May 2024

Officials with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Wednesday that chronic wasting disease has been detected in the state’s wild deer population for the first time. —Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 8 May 2024

Some big questions remain about the disease's transmission across species though, and there have been a few experimental studies that suggest, at least, that chronic wasting disease is transmissible to primates. —Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2024

Meanwhile, chronic wasting disease continues to spread to more states, with the most recent being Indiana. —Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024

The hunting community is experiencing whiplash after several articles appeared on mainstream news sites this week announcing that two hunters have died after eating venison from deer with chronic wasting disease. —Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 18 Apr. 2024

Symptoms of chronic wasting disease in deer Deer with chronic wasting disease are symptomatic for first year or two before exhibiting lethargy, weight loss, drooling, poor coordination, and desensitization to nearby threats like people, predators, and cars. —Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 29 Feb. 2024

But for inspiration, Napper needs to look only at the very real contagion in his own lab: chronic wasting disease (CWD), a highly lethal, highly contagious neurodegenerative disease that is devastating North America’s deer, elk, and other cervids. —Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 1 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1980, in the meaning defined above