SAN ANTONIO – Chronic wasting disease has been detected in a captive, white-tailed deer at a Medina County breeding facility, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
A routine sample tested in early June came back positive for the disease.
The announcement of the findings has put many area wildlife experts on alert.
"It concerns me greatly," said veterinarian Dr. Wayne Deason, owner of Deason Animal Hospital, in Floresville.
Deason, who is familiar with the disease, explained that CWD affects the brain and nervous tissues of deer species in a manner similar to how mad cow disease affects cows. CWD was first recognized in 1967 and has long been dealt with in areas like Colorado and Wyoming. The first positive test in Texas dates back to 2012 when a mule deer was found to have the disease in far West Texas.
"We're fighting very hard to keep this out of Texas so we know our wildlife is safe for us to hunt, to eat, without worrying about infecting ourselves," said Deason.
The positive test in Medina County marked the first case of CWD in a white-tailed deer in Texas. While not easy to transmit, it's unclear if any of the other deer in the facility have been infected with CWD or if it has spread to the wild population.
"If any of those animals released were infected, yes, it could get in the wild population," said Deason.
Should that happen, Deason believed that could lead to concern for humans.
"The concern is that if you eat an animal that is infected and actually eat some of the nervous tissue, ingest it, then you could possibly be infected with it, it could infect you," Deason said.
According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, there have been no occurrences of this happening. Still, Deason said it is a good reminder not to eat any animal that appears diseased.
"We should be able to control it, but it is something to be concerned about and taken very seriously," said Deason.
Meanwhile, officials have taken immediate action, securing all deer in the Medina County breeding facility, with an additional investigation underway. Movement restrictions have also been placed on any facility that has had dealings with the Medina County breeding facility.