Veterinary students enlisted to monitor CWD in Minnesota

摘要

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has recruited students from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine to aid in surveillance for chronic wasting disease, a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy of North American deer and elk. From Nov. 9-12, around 25 veterinary students worked with wildlife biologists to collect brain samples from hunter-killed deer in designated areas throughout the state. The first and only known case of CWD in Minnesota involved a farmed elk that died in August. The collaboration between the state and veterinary college marks the kick-off of the Veterinary Response Team, which prepares veterinary students to assist in the event of a state or national emergency "The veterinary profession must be able to rapidly respond in the face of new and emerging issues of regional urgency," said Dr. William Hueston, director of the university's Center for Animal Health and Food Safety.