Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

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: 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.

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. 

Objective 1: Development of a national CWD tissue and reagents repository.

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

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 PRNP 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.

Objective 2: Identification and/or creation of large-scale research facilities for CWD research

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.

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.

Objective 3: Improvement of CWD Diagnostics

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.

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.

Objective 4: Evaluation of management strategies across state boundaries

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.

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.

Objective 5: Using social sciences to inform CWD management

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.

Objective 6: Strain Characterization

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.

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.

Objective 7: To enhance methods and approaches for measuring CWD in the environment

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.

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.

No updates to funding from the previous report.

Other noteworthy accomplishments, documents, funding, etc. to achieve objectives

cwdbiosecurity.umn.edu.  This CWD Biosecurity website is focused on biosecurity for cervid farms, and includes our downloadable CWD Biosecurity Assessment.

https://www.pa.gov/agencies/pda/animals/diseases/chronic-wasting-disease. This is the Pennsylvania Dept of Agriculture website, which has started to share short animated CWD Biosecurity videos that we created in collaboration with the PA Dept of Agriculture.  These videos were modeled after the Mississippi State University CWD short animated videos focused on CWD in wild deer.  These new videos are focused on CWD prevention for cervid farmers.  Two videos are posted to date, with several more coming soon.

The Wildlife Society Trilateral Webinar Series: Is Chronic Wasting Disease Inevitable? With Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) detected in the majority of states and provinces across North America, many wildlife biologists wonder if it will be everywhere eventually. Dr. Krysten Schuler explores what that will mean for the future of wildlife management and what we can do to stop or slow the progression. Diving into the biological, social, and political facets of CWD, perhaps there are areas where progress can be made if we are willing to forge into new territory.

Digital Poster: Learn More About Cofactor Developed by the Minnesota Center for Prion Research and Outreach, Cofactor is a chronic wasting disease-themed role‑playing video game designed to educate players about the science, health concerns, ecology, regulations, cultural impact, and ethical considerations surrounding this disease. The game presents a story that changes according to decisions made, location, local regulations, and advances in science. The player adopts a role and faces challenges and dilemmas, unlocking other roles as they progress.

Chronic Wasting Disease Interstate Meeting and Summit - Meeting to present and discuss new information on CWD research and management. The Summit was hosted by the University of Pennsylvania’s Wildlife Futures Program in Wilmington Delaware, 9-10 June 2026. The Summit was attended by Consortium members Michelle Gibision, Dave Hewitt, Krysten Schuler, and W. David Walter (virtually).   

Navarro, D., A.K. Tallon, E.K. Latch, C.N. Ott-Conn, R.W. DeYoung, D.P. Walsh, 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, K.L. Schuler, D.J. Storm, J.A. Sumners, W.D. Walter, and J.A. Blanchong. 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

Penk, S. R., C. Anhalt-Depies, R.E.W. Berl, T.S. Fiddaman, K. Pierson, J.L. Price Tack, B.J. Richards,E. Rieder, D.J. Storm, C.L. White, and D.P. Walsh. 2025. A system dynamics model to understand the integrated ecological and human dimension aspects of wildlife health and disease management. bioRxiv 2025.09.22.677405. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.09.22.677405

Wehr, N.H, K.J. Bondo, C.S. Rosenberry, D. Stainbrook, B.D. Wallingford, and W.D. Walter. 2026. Intraspecific contact among white-tailed deer: a literature review and chronic wasting disease case study. Ecology and Evolution 16, no. 2: e73040. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.73040.

 Bravo-Risi, F.; Brydon, F.; Chong, A.; Spicker, K.; Greenlee, J.J.; Telling, G.; Soto, C.; Pritzkow, S.; Barria, M.A. and Morales, R. “Infectious prions in brains and muscles of domestic pigs experimentally challenged with the BSE, scrapie and CWD agents”. mBio. 2025; mBio 16:e01800-25.

 Ho, N.; McGinn, R.; Soto, P.; Spraker, T.R.; Fischer, J.; VerCauteren, K.; Nichols, T. and Morales, R. “Distribution of chronic wasting disease (CWD) prions in tissues from experimentally exposed coyotes (Canis latrans)”. PLoS One. 2025; 20(7): e0327485.

Soto, P.; Ho, N.; Lockwood, M.; Stolte, A.; Reed, J.H. and Morales, R. “Chronic wasting disease (CWD) prion detection in environmental and biological samples from a taxidermy site and nursing facility, and instruments used in surveillance activities”. Science of the Total

Benavente, R.; Brydon, F.; Bravo-Risi, F.; Soto, P.; Reed, J.H.; Lockwood, M.; Telling, G.; Barria, M.A. and Morales, R. 2025. Detection of chronic wasting disease (CWD) prions in raw, processed and cooked elk meat, Texas, USA. Emerging Infectious Diseases. 31(2):363–367.Environment. 2025; 976: 179318.

Booth, J.G., Hanley, B.J., Thompson, N.E., Crespo, C.G., Christensen, S.A., Jennelle, C.S., 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.

Courtney, S. E., J. C. Magee, M. Nichols, D. R. Etter, S. M. Gray, S. Christensen, 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/jwmg.70036

Huang, M. H. J., S. Demarais,  M.D. Schwabenlander,  B.K. Strickland,  K.C. VerCauteren,  W.T. McKinley,  G.e Rowden,  C.C. Valencia Tibbitts,  S.C. Gresch,  S.S. Lichtenberg,  T.M. Wolf,  P.A. Larsen. 2025. Chronic wasting disease prions on deer feeders and wildlife visitation to deer feeding areas. Journal of Wildlife Management