Mizzou researchers at the forefront of detecting deadly deer disease // College of Veterinary Medicine

Published 12/11/2024

*Pictured from left: Keara Allen, Dr. Shuping Zhang, Dr. Estela Kobashigawa*

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal, neurological disease that affects cervids, such as white-tailed deer. It is caused by an infectious, misfolded protein that spreads through the brain and leads to weight loss, abnormal behavior and ultimately death. CWD threatens wildlife populations, disrupts ecosystems and poses risks to hunting — an activity that’s vital for conservation funding and local economies.

While CWD cases in Missouri are currently limited, the potential for this disease to devastate deer populations remains a serious concern. To address this threat, the Missouri Department of Conservation collaborates with the University of Missouri to test nearly 40,000 cases annually, safeguarding ecosystems and protecting Missouri’s food supply.

And testing is just one part of Mizzou’s comprehensive effort to combat this deadly disease. College of Veterinary Medicine Dean Sri Sreevatsan, PhD, and scientist Shuping Zhang, PhD, DACVM, are leading groundbreaking research aimed at stopping CWD’s spread.

The pair recently led a study evaluating real-time quaking induced conversion (RT-QuIC), a new technology used to detect the disease. The study was published in the Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation.

Pinpointing problematic prions

RT-QuIC identifies abnormal prion proteins in retropharyngeal lymph nodes — amplifying tiny amounts of the disease-causing proteins and making them detectable even in early stages of infection.

The purpose of the study was threefold:

To determine the efficacy of using RT-QuIC to detect CWD.
To compare the accuracy of five different RT-QuIC protocols used by the six labs.
To determine the effect of CWD genotypes on testing results.

Zhang explained that RT-QuIC not only sped up testing results — it also accurately identified disease status across three genetic variations of codon 96 in six different labs. “This technology enables the detection and measurement of CWD prions in retropharyngeal lymph node samples, regardless of genetic differences in white-tailed deer,” she said. “It will play a crucial role in future studies on disease progression and efforts to control the spread of CWD in the U.S.”

The Zhang research team has been developing new technologies and protocols for CWD and has published four different studies since 2023.

“Inter-Laboratory Comparison of Real-Time Quaking-Induced Conversion (RT-QuIC) for the Detection of Chronic Wasting Disease Prions in White-Tailed Deer Retropharyngeal Lymph Nodes” was published in the Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation.