COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Department of Agriculture and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) have confirmed the first positive case of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in the state in a captive deer operation, in Holmes County.

The good news is the state has taken quarantine action to control further spread of this disease and there is no evidence that CWD has affected the wild deer population in Ohio.

The preserve had been under quarantine since April 24, and was subject to intensive monitoring and sampling protocols because of a known connection to a captive deer operation in Pennsylvania that tested positive for CWD earlier this year. The quarantine will remain enforced until state officials are satisfied disease transference can no longer occur.

"Ohio’s captive whitetail deer licensing program was enacted two years ago for the purpose of continuously monitoring the heath of the captive deer populations in the state, to manage the spread of and exposure to diseases such as CWD," explained Ohio State Veterinarian Dr. Tony Forshey.

"We have worked closely with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture to identify and trace back positive cases. We will continue to take aggressive steps to ensure that CWD does not pose a threat to the state’s wild deer population."

CWD is a neurological disease affecting deer, elk and moose. It causes a deterioration of the brain into a spongy mess. This results in emaciation, erratic behavior, loss of bodily function and finally death. Deer, elk and moose spread this disease through saliva, urine and feces.

These infectious materials have been found to live a long time in soil, water and food sources, making it extremely difficult to eradicate. This is why baiting bans have been put into effect in areas where CWD has been found. The only way to tell what is infected is through extensive testing.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and The World Health Organization, there is no evidence CWD can be transmitted to humans. The CDC recommends as a precaution, however, that people or other animals do not eat any part of an animal diagnosed with or showing signs of CWD.

The state has quarantined 43 captive deer operations in Ohio since April 15, for receiving approximately 125 deer from operations in Pennsylvania that later tested positive for CWD. Twenty-two of those quarantines were lifted after negative CWD test results were confirmed in 53 of the suspect animals from Pennsylvania.

"We have no reason to believe that there has been transference to the state’s wild deer population," said Scott Zody, chief of the DNR Division of Wildlife. "With hunting season in progress, there are no CWD concerns that should prevent anyone from enjoying wild deer hunting in Ohio or from consuming meat from healthy animals."

The Division is recommending hunters continue to take standard precautions such as shooting only animals that appear healthy, wearing rubber gloves when field-dressing their deer and washing thoroughly when finished. If hunters should observe a deer that appears unhealthy, they are encouraged to contact their local wildlife office.

Since 2002, the state has conducted surveillance throughout Ohio for the disease. State and federal officials will continue this regular sampling and testing throughout the hunting season to monitor the health of the state’s wild deer population.

Tissue samples from 753 deer killed on Ohio’s roads were collected from September 2013-March 2014 and were tested for CWD. An additional 88 hunter-harvested mature whitetail and nine deer displaying symptoms consistent with CWD were tested as well, and were all negative.

CWD was first discovered in captive mule deer in Colorado in 1967 and was detected in the wild in 1981 in Ohio. Not surprisingly, it has cropped up in numerous other states. Ohio’s incidence of this disease this year has turned some heads. But what about those other states?

CWD has not been reported in Indiana. To guard against the possible occurrence and spread of CWD, its State Board of Animal Health (BOAH) and DNR are working to prevent the importation of diseased animals into Indiana and to monitor wild deer and captive deer and elk for any signs of the disease.

Thanks to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife (KDFWR), that state has a surveillance program, which includes two types of approaches: an active surveillance of hunter-harvested deer and elk, and a targeted surveillance of road-killed deer and elk or any deer or elk displaying symptoms of the disease.

Since 2002, KDFWR has tested more than 22,200 deer and elk for CWD. All results have been negative.

Since 2003 there have been 467 cases of CWD in Illinois. In 2014 there were 59 cases reported, most of them in the counties of Boone, DeKalb and Winnebago. Fortunately, none were reported in wild herds.

In Michigan, no cases have been found in the wild deer herd, and Michigan has had a detailed CWD response plan in place for more than a decade, in the event other cases are located.

Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland and Virginia have deer management zones to closely monitor areas where deer with CWD have been found. The disease has been found in commercial game farms in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New York, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wisconsin, as well as in the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta.