Increase the capacity for chronicwasting disease (CWD) testing.chronic wasting disease (CWD) is an infectious, degenerative (prion)disease of cervids

Animals infected with CWD do not display symptomsuntil the end stages of the disease and can transmit disease to otherdeer, making surveillance and testing for the disease in the populationvery important. In the 2019-2020 deer season, 173,000 louisiana deerhunters harvested an estimated 171,000 white-tailed deer. In louisiana, white-tailed deer herd health and disease surveillance are managed bythe louisiana department of wildlife and fisheries (ldwf). The ldwf andthe louisiana animal disease diagnostic laboratory (laddl) have a jointinterest in diseases that affect white-tailed deer, including CWD. Eventhough CWD has not been detected in louisiana, CWD has been detected IN26 states, including three bordering states. Currently, the laddl has asurveillance program for CWD utilizing the nvsl-approved immunohistochemistry (IHC) protocol. Samples are collected from hunter-harvested deer and target deer, including symptomatic deer and pen escapes(~1200 during hunting season, but the number will be tripled in the nexthunting season). The enhancement of the capacity for testing CWD inlouisiana is needed, and IT can be accomplished by purchasing anadditional automated leica bond-max™ instrument for IHC staining, agrossing station for tissue trimming, and improving sample entry andtracking using the leica cerebro sample tracking and workflow managementsystem. These upgrades to the current system will more than triple ourcwd surveillance testing capacity and efficiency in the state oflouisiana.no subawards.