Report Information
Participants
Allen Herbst, Bill Severud, Cory Anderson, Daniel Storm, David Schneider, Debbie McKenzie, Gavin Cotterill, Hermann Schaetzl, Jenn Malmberg, Kristin Bondo, Krysten Schuler, Marc Schwabenlander, Marie Gilbertson, Mark Ruder, Mark Zabel, Michelle Gibison, Miranda Huang, Noelle Thompson, Paul Cross, Paulina Soto, Rachel Ruden, Richard Berl, Rodrigo Morales, Scott Wells, Sonja Christensen, Tiffany Wolf, Tricia Fry, Tricia Hebdon, W. David Walter, Wendy Turner
Brief Summary of Minutes
Brief summary of minutes of annual meeting: The Consortium held its annual meeting on 12-13 May, 2026 at the Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, Wisconsin. This was a closed meeting for NIMSS members of the Consortium, in which 31 members attended. We welcomed David Schneider as our new Secretary after nominations during the meeting and votes post-meeting approved him into his new role - Welcome David!
Discussions highlighted significant progress across all Consortium objectives, including development of a national tissue repository framework, expansion of research infrastructure, advancements in diagnostic testing, adaptive management strategies, social science initiatives, strain characterization, and environmental contamination studies. Participants emphasized the importance of data standardization, resource sharing, and cross-disciplinary collaboration to accelerate scientific discovery and improve management outcomes.
At the meeting we also showcased emerging research addressing critical knowledge gaps in CWD biology, transmission, detection, and risk assessment. Presentations explored promising developments in vaccine research, environmental drivers of disease persistence, novel diagnostic approaches, zoonotic risk evaluation, and factors influencing disease spread. A major focus was the development of a Consortium-led diagnostics white paper intended to provide guidance on the interpretation and application of both established and emerging diagnostic technologies, while promoting greater consistency and transparency across laboratories and management programs.
The annual meeting reinforced the Consortium’s role as a central forum for scientific collaboration and strategic coordination. Through continued engagement among researchers, wildlife agencies, diagnostic laboratories, and federal partners, the Consortium remains well positioned to advance innovative research, improve diagnostic capabilities, and support evidence-based management decisions aimed at mitigating the impacts of CWD on wild and farmed cervid populations.
Accomplishments
<p><strong>Accomplishments</strong>: In the past year, the Consortium continued to build upon past accomplishments and move forward on new ones. Twenty-four additional papers/reports were published by multiple members collaborating within the consortium. Two new collaborative grants were funded, and we admitted 8 new members.</p><br />
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<p>Based on input at the 2023 annual meeting, the five original objectives of the Consortium have been expanded to include objectives pertaining to i) zoonotic potential of CWD and ii) environmental CWD prion contamination. The original objectives were: i) to develop a national CWD tissue and reagents repository, ii) to identify and/or create large-scale research facilities for controlled CWD research, iii) to improve CWD diagnostics, iv) to evaluate management strategies across state boundaries and v) to use social science to inform CWD management. The Consortium has made significant progress towards addressing these objectives. </p><br />
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<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Objective 1: Development of a national CWD tissue and reagents repository</span></strong>.</p><br />
<p>There was a virtual meeting with USGS Fort Collins Science Center (FORT) in December 2024 to further discuss the intent and framework of Strain and Genetics Online Tissue Repository (SAGOTR) within infrastructure at FORT that also included collaborators at the USDA-APHIS-Wildlife Services in Fort Collins, CO at the National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC). Additional funding in FY25/26 was planned for FORT through USGS Ecosystem Mission Area to further develop the SAGOTR if permitted upon final federal budget approval. Members interested in participating in these meetings and development of SAGOTR should contact W. David Walter – wdw12@psu.edu</p><br />
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<p>The USDA-NWRC in Fort Collins, CO has established a physical facility for storing CWD tissues and materials as well as tissues from animals infected with various other diseases. Metadata will be associated with each sample to include strain type (if available) and animal <em>PRNP </em>profile. The repository will use FreezerWorks to maintain the data. Dedicated personnel, Kelly Nelson, has been hired to maintain the metadata and the tissue archive.</p><br />
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<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Objective 2: Identification and/or creation of large-scale research facilities for CWD research</span></strong></p><br />
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<p>The Consortium continued strengthening national research capacity by expanding collaboration among institutions maintaining captive CWD research facilities. Existing experimental herds at the National Wildlife Health Center and USDA National Wildlife Research Center remain central resources for studies examining CWD transmission, strain diversity, and disease progression. Facility inventories were updated throughout the year, providing Consortium members with improved visibility of available research capabilities and opportunities for collaboration.</p><br />
<p>The objective also emphasized maximizing use of existing facilities by encouraging collaborative studies across institutions and highlighting the importance of long-term animal experiments necessary to answer foundational questions about CWD biology. These efforts continue to increase research efficiency while reducing duplication of infrastructure across organizations.</p><br />
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<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Objective 3: Improvement of CWD Diagnostics</span></strong></p><br />
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<p>Objective 3 continued to foster collaboration among diagnostic laboratories to improve the sensitivity, reproducibility, and implementation of emerging CWD diagnostic assays. Consortium members published multiple collaborative studies evaluating RT-QuIC performance across laboratories and alternative tissue types, including third eyelid and ear punch samples, while additional inter-laboratory comparisons further strengthened confidence in assay performance.</p><br />
<p>The working group also continued efforts to support broader implementation of RT-QuIC through shared protocols, training, reagent evaluation, and discussions surrounding standardized terminology and case definitions. Future activities will include completion of additional ring trials, development of best practices for diagnostic interpretation, and continued evaluation of novel assays capable of supporting rapid strain characterization.</p><br />
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Objective 4: Evaluation of management strategies across state boundaries</span></strong></p><br />
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<p>The Objective 4 subgroup continues to meet every other week. This group has made significant progress toward implementing its multi-state adaptive management framework designed to improve CWD management across jurisdictions. During the past year, the objective transitioned from planning into early implementation by working closely with state wildlife agencies, technical committees, and human dimensions experts to design coordinated management strategies and identify pilot implementation sites.</p><br />
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<p>Current efforts focus on evaluating behavioral interventions that increase hunter participation and antlerless harvest while improving coordination among neighboring states. These activities position the Consortium to conduct one of the first large-scale adaptive management experiments evaluating CWD management strategies across multiple jurisdictions.</p><br />
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<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Objective 5: Using social sciences to inform CWD management</span></strong></p><br />
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<p>Objective 5 continued integrating social science into CWD management by advancing collaborative research on hunter behavior and public communication. Building upon the USDA-funded Cornell-led communication project, Consortium members completed focus groups and message testing designed to identify communication strategies that encourage behaviors known to reduce CWD spread. Future work will focus on translating research findings into practical communication recommendations that wildlife agencies can incorporate into CWD outreach and management programs.</p><br />
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<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Objective 6: Strain Characterization</span></strong></p><br />
<p>The newly established Strain Characterization objective expanded collaborative research investigating the biological diversity of CWD strains and their potential implications for disease transmission and zoonotic risk. Consortium members reported advances in understanding how transmission route, host genetics, and geographic origin influence strain emergence, while also discussing the opportunities and challenges associated with defining strains across different animal models.</p><br />
<p>The objective also identified emerging technologies—including cryo-electron microscopy and mass spectrometry—as promising tools for improving strain characterization and linking structural differences with biological behavior. Future efforts will focus on refining strain classification methods and promoting collaborative studies that improve understanding of strain evolution and disease pathogenesis.</p><br />
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<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Objective 7: To enhance methods and approaches for measuring CWD in the environment</span></strong></p><br />
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<p>The Environmental Working Group continued developing a coordinated framework for studying environmental contamination and its role in CWD persistence. Discussions throughout the year emphasized the need for standardized environmental sampling protocols, metadata collection, and reporting practices that will allow meaningful comparisons across studies and geographic regions.</p><br />
<p>The objective also identified opportunities for stronger collaboration with the national tissue repository by incorporating environmental sample collections and associated metadata. Planned activities include developing Consortium recommendations for best practices in environmental sampling while advancing collaborative studies investigating the relationship between environmental prion detection, persistence, and transmission risk.</p>
Publications
<p>Navarro, D., A.K. Tallon, E.K. Latch, C.N. Ott-Conn, R.W. DeYoung, <strong>D.P. Walsh</strong>, P.T. Euclide, C.R.G. Babu, W.A. Larson, A.S. Seetharam, A.J. Severin, J.M. Reecy, Z.Hu, J.R. Cantrell, M. Carstensen, J.N. Caudell, C.H. Killmaster, M.L. Lockwood, W.T. McKinley, A.S. Norton, <strong>K.L. Schuler</strong>, <strong>D.J. Storm</strong>, J.A. Sumners, <strong>W.D. Walter</strong>, and <strong>J.A. Blanchong</strong>. 2025. Development of high-throughput genomic resources to inform white-tailed deer population and disease management. Molecular Ecology Resources. 26:e70085https://doi.org/10.1111/1755-0998.70085</p><br />
<p>Penk, S. R., C. Anhalt-Depies, <strong>R.E.W. Berl</strong>, T.S. Fiddaman, K. Pierson, J.L. Price Tack, <strong>B.J. Richards</strong>,E. Rieder, <strong>D.J. Storm</strong>, C.L. White, and <strong>D.P. Walsh.</strong> 2025. A system dynamics model to understand the integrated ecological and human dimension aspects of wildlife health and disease management. <em>bioRxiv</em> 2025.09.22.677405. <a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdoi.org%2F10.1101%2F2025.09.22.677405&data=05%7C02%7Cwdw12%40psu.edu%7C6fba225022784ace17fe08de699c830a%7C7cf48d453ddb4389a9c1c115526eb52e%7C0%7C0%7C639064318149566012%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=mUdQ3hlqnS4l9AF3H%2Fu1scDa31Flqo2oD%2FkqHxSF2dA%3D&reserved=0"><em>https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.09.22.677405</em></a></p><br />
<p>Wehr, N.H, <strong>K.J. Bondo</strong>, C.S. Rosenberry, D. Stainbrook, B.D. Wallingford, and <strong>W.D. Walter</strong>. 2026. Intraspecific contact among white-tailed deer: a literature review and chronic wasting disease case study. Ecology and Evolution 16, no. 2: e73040. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.73040">https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.73040</a>.</p><br />
<p> Bravo-Risi, F.; Brydon, F.; Chong, A.; Spicker, K.; Greenlee, J.J.; <strong>Telling, G</strong>.;<strong> Soto, C</strong>.; Pritzkow, S.; Barria, M.A. and <strong>Morales, R</strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">.</span> “Infectious prions in brains and muscles of domestic pigs experimentally challenged with the BSE, scrapie and CWD agents”. <strong>mBio</strong>. 2025; mBio 16:e01800-25.</p><br />
<p> Ho, N.; McGinn, R.; <strong>Soto, P</strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">.</span>; Spraker, T.R.; Fischer, J.; VerCauteren, K.; <strong>Nichols, T</strong>. and <strong>Morales, R.</strong> “Distribution of chronic wasting disease (CWD) prions in tissues from experimentally exposed coyotes (<em>Canis latrans</em>)”.<strong> PLoS One</strong>. 2025; 20(7): e0327485.</p><br />
<p><strong>Soto, P</strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">.</span>; Ho, N.; Lockwood, M.; Stolte, A.; Reed, J.H. and <strong>Morales, R</strong>. “Chronic wasting disease (CWD) prion detection in environmental and biological samples from a taxidermy site and nursing facility, and instruments used in surveillance activities”. <strong>Science of the Total </strong></p><br />
<p>Benavente, R.; Brydon, F.; Bravo-Risi, F.; <strong>Soto, P</strong>.; Reed, J.H.; Lockwood, M.; <strong>Telling, G.</strong>; Barria, M.A. and <strong>Morales, R</strong>. 2025. Detection of chronic wasting disease (CWD) prions in raw, processed and cooked elk meat, Texas, USA. Emerging Infectious Diseases. 31(2):363–367.<strong>Environment</strong>. 2025; <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.sciencedirect.com/journal/science-of-the-total-environment/vol/976/suppl/C__;!!IBzWLUs!Sq9VKrvzAa2q58FuX8lsy610ydNZ2IF8F1NERHwHVXIq1j_Isutkdz0REShV5QX7sO5L0atqoUlchqMUhTIOQvC8Qsfj6UQG5y0$">976</a>: 179318.</p><br />
<p>Booth, J.G., Hanley, B.J., <strong>Thompson, N.E.,</strong> Crespo, C.G., <strong>Christensen, S.A., Jennelle, C.S</strong>., Caudell, J.N., Delisle, Z.J., Guinness, J., Hollingshead, N.A. and Them, C.E., 2025. Management Agencies Can Leverage Animal Social Structure for Wildlife Disease Surveillance. Journal of Wildlife Diseases.</p><br />
<p>Courtney, S. E., J. C. Magee, M. Nichols, <strong>D. R. Etter</strong>, S. M. Gray, <strong>S. Christensen</strong>, D. Williams, and G. J. Roloff. 2025. White-tailed deer behaviors at three forage settings: implications for transmission of chronic wasting disease. Journal of Wildlife Management 89:e70036. https://doi.org/10.1002/jw<a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.70036">mg.70036</a></p><br />
<p><a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com%2Fdoi%2F10.1002%2Fjwmg.70000&data=05%7C02%7Cwdw12%40psu.edu%7Cf6117e29b34c42a5dc0908ddde5a78d4%7C7cf48d453ddb4389a9c1c115526eb52e%7C0%7C0%7C638911202511571295%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=%2BF7h6coa0aaDYhK5kg26r4o%2BTbHjRtMb6OBrpXf4RfY%3D&reserved=0"><strong>Huang, M. H. J.</strong></a><a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com%2Fdoi%2F10.1002%2Fjwmg.70000&data=05%7C02%7Cwdw12%40psu.edu%7Cf6117e29b34c42a5dc0908ddde5a78d4%7C7cf48d453ddb4389a9c1c115526eb52e%7C0%7C0%7C638911202511571295%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=%2BF7h6coa0aaDYhK5kg26r4o%2BTbHjRtMb6OBrpXf4RfY%3D&reserved=0">, </a><a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com%2Fdoi%2F10.1002%2Fjwmg.70000&data=05%7C02%7Cwdw12%40psu.edu%7Cf6117e29b34c42a5dc0908ddde5a78d4%7C7cf48d453ddb4389a9c1c115526eb52e%7C0%7C0%7C638911202511571295%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=%2BF7h6coa0aaDYhK5kg26r4o%2BTbHjRtMb6OBrpXf4RfY%3D&reserved=0"><strong>S. Demarais, M.D. Schwabenlander</strong></a><a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com%2Fdoi%2F10.1002%2Fjwmg.70000&data=05%7C02%7Cwdw12%40psu.edu%7Cf6117e29b34c42a5dc0908ddde5a78d4%7C7cf48d453ddb4389a9c1c115526eb52e%7C0%7C0%7C638911202511571295%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=%2BF7h6coa0aaDYhK5kg26r4o%2BTbHjRtMb6OBrpXf4RfY%3D&reserved=0">, B.K. Strickland, </a><a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com%2Fdoi%2F10.1002%2Fjwmg.70000&data=05%7C02%7Cwdw12%40psu.edu%7Cf6117e29b34c42a5dc0908ddde5a78d4%7C7cf48d453ddb4389a9c1c115526eb52e%7C0%7C0%7C638911202511571295%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=%2BF7h6coa0aaDYhK5kg26r4o%2BTbHjRtMb6OBrpXf4RfY%3D&reserved=0"><strong>K.C. VerCauteren</strong></a><a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com%2Fdoi%2F10.1002%2Fjwmg.70000&data=05%7C02%7Cwdw12%40psu.edu%7Cf6117e29b34c42a5dc0908ddde5a78d4%7C7cf48d453ddb4389a9c1c115526eb52e%7C0%7C0%7C638911202511571295%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=%2BF7h6coa0aaDYhK5kg26r4o%2BTbHjRtMb6OBrpXf4RfY%3D&reserved=0">, W.T. McKinley, G.e Rowden, C.C. Valencia Tibbitts, S.C. Gresch, </a><a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com%2Fdoi%2F10.1002%2Fjwmg.70000&data=05%7C02%7Cwdw12%40psu.edu%7Cf6117e29b34c42a5dc0908ddde5a78d4%7C7cf48d453ddb4389a9c1c115526eb52e%7C0%7C0%7C638911202511571295%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=%2BF7h6coa0aaDYhK5kg26r4o%2BTbHjRtMb6OBrpXf4RfY%3D&reserved=0"><strong>S.S. Lichtenberg, T.M. Wolf, P.A. Larsen</strong></a><a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com%2Fdoi%2F10.1002%2Fjwmg.70000&data=05%7C02%7Cwdw12%40psu.edu%7Cf6117e29b34c42a5dc0908ddde5a78d4%7C7cf48d453ddb4389a9c1c115526eb52e%7C0%7C0%7C638911202511571295%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=%2BF7h6coa0aaDYhK5kg26r4o%2BTbHjRtMb6OBrpXf4RfY%3D&reserved=0">. 2025. Chronic wasting disease prions on deer feeders and wildlife visitation to deer feeding areas. Journal of Wildlife Management</a></p>
Impact Statements
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