Project period 2 1 2023 1 31 2025PROJECT title ssessing chronic wasting disease diagnostics and identifying areas of high contagionaward purpose chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a lethal prion disease…

This $181,522 cooperative agreement from the U.S. Geological Survey will support research on chronic wasting disease diagnostics and transmission dynamics in mule deer in Wyoming. Funded activities under the award include field sampling of mule deer to optimize non-lethal chronic wasting disease testing methods. Global positioning system collar data will also be analyzed to examine mule deer movement patterns, habitat use, and landscape factors related to disease prevalence in the region. Deliverables will consist of an optimized sampling and testing protocol, as well as processed GPS tracking data. Outcomes aim to identify behaviors and life history strategies contributing to the area's over 60% chronic wasting disease prevalence in adult males. Results intend to inform management actions to mitigate transmission. The University of Wyoming will conduct the research under the U.S. Geological Survey's Research and Data Collection program (CFDA 15.808), which supports efforts complementary to the agency's examination of geological and biological resources.

Project period 2 1 2023 1 31 2025PROJECT title ssessing chronic wasting disease diagnostics and identifying areas of high contagionaward purpose chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a lethal prion disease in deer species, and is one of the top threats to deer in parts of north america. One of the biggest issues inhibiting the management of CWD is that biologists can only test if an animal was infected with CWD after IT has died. This project will fund a master s student (from eastern shoshone) in the department of zoology and physiology at the university of wyoming (UW) to develop a method that allows biologists to assess whether a live animal has or does not have chronic wasting disease (CWD). Knowledge of live animal disease status will then be used to help identify CWD hotspots among resident and migratory mule deer in the greater wind river region of wyoming. CWD prevalence in this region is over 60 among adult male mule deer and is a high priority region for the wyoming game and fish department, tribes of the wind river reservation (northern arapaho and eastern shoshone), and the U.S. Fish and wildlife service. The portion of the budget allocated to UW is specifically dedicated to student support, including stipend and benefits, tuition and fees, travel, computer and software, and materials and supplies. There is also funding for a field technician to support this work.activities to be performed activities to be performed under this project include capture, GPS collaring, and biological sampling of mule deer in the greater wind river region. Biological samples such as ear punch biopsies will be used to optimize the real timing quaking induced conversion (RT quic) assay for nonlethal chronic wasting disease detection. Fine scale collar data will be used to assess movement ecology in this region and to compare migratory strategies of infected and noninfected mule deer. Further assessment of collar data will examine habitat use and landscape composition as related to CWD status, which will inform risk of CWD environmental exposure.deliverables and expected outcomes deliverables will include an optimized protocol for ear punch sampling and nonlethal CWD testing via RT quic, as well as a processed GPS collar dataset that can be used for various downstream analyses. Expected outcomes include identification of mule deer behaviors, life history strategies, and movement patterns that promote exceptionally high CWD prevalence in this geographic region. Findings will inform management actions to mitigate CWD transmission in the greater wind river and may be applied to other regions to reduce spread. This work will be published in peer reviewed scientific journals and will be presented at relevant scientific conferences.intended beneficiaries intended beneficiaries of the information obtained from this research include wildlife biologists from wyoming game and fish department and the tribes of the wind river reservation (northern arapaho and eastern shoshone). Information about why this specific herd has such high CWD prevalence will be useful to wildlife biologists outside wyoming as well. As the master s student on this project, tucker russell will receive training in disease lab work, analyses of GPS collar data, and writing and presenting scientific research. DR. Jerod merkle, assistant professor in the department of zoology and physiology at university of wyoming, will advise tucker russell. No subrecipient activities are identified at this time.