Latest CWD testing shows one deer positive for disease

JEFFERSON CITY Mo – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reports that one deer harvested last fall by a hunter in north-central Missouri has tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), which is fatal to deer. The adult buck was harvested in northwest Macon County, where five previous cases of CWD have been found since early 2012.

This latest positive was first reported by MDC in December after the Department received early test results from its hunter-harvest sampling effort. The single positive remained the only one from the total test results of 1,665 tissue samples collected for CWD testing from hunter-harvested deer in a six-county “CWD Containment Zone.” The sampling effort took place in Adair, Chariton, Linn, Macon, Randolph and Sullivan counties during the past fall archery and firearms deer seasons. The sampling effort was part of MDC’s targeted CWD testing and containment efforts in the area.