Deer Disease Information

Living with Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)

In April 2024, Indiana DNR detected its first positive case of Chronic Wasting Disease in a wild, hunter-harvested, adult male white-tailed deer from LaGrange County. CWD is a disease that affects the nervous system of deer, elk, reindeer, and moose. There is no vaccine or treatment. CWD is always fatal once an animal is infected. CWD has been detected in more than half of the United States, including all states in the Midwest, as well as areas in Canada, Europe, and Asia.

CWD is caused by a misfolded prion. These misfolded prions are shed from infected deer through their bodily secretions such as saliva, feces, and urine. CWD can be transmitted when uninfected deer contact these bodily secretions either directly from infected deer or carcasses, or indirectly from places CWD prions are present in the environment. CWD prions are highly resistant to disinfectants, freezing, and heat. Cooking or burning will not inactivate them. CWD prions can remain in the environment for many years and continue to infect deer.

CWD-infected deer may appear healthy but are still capable of spreading the disease to other susceptible deer. About 18 to 24 months after they have been infected, deer will begin to show signs of CWD, such as weight loss, drooping ears and head, tremors, staggering, excessive drooling, and changes in behavior, such as confusion or loss of fear of humans. If you see a deer displaying signs of CWD, report the case at on.IN.gov/sickwildlife.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there have been no reported cases of CWD in humans. However, as a precaution, the CDC recommends that hunters strongly consider having deer and elk tested before eating the meat harvested from an area where CWD is known to be present. The CDC also recommends not consuming meat from an animal that tests positive for CWD. For more information about these precautions, visit cdc.gov/chronic-wasting/animals/. For questions related to human health, you may also call the Indiana State Department of Health at 317-233-1325 or 1-800-382-9480.

The Indiana Board of Animal Health (BOAH) regulates the importation of cervid carcasses and body parts into Indiana. BOAH allows the following:

• De-boned meat or commercially processed meat, which may contain bones. The head, spinal cord and small intestine must be removed (with exceptions, additional details below)
• Carcasses or parts of carcasses if no portion of the head, spinal cord, or small intestine is attached or otherwise included
• Carcasses or parts of carcasses that include the head, spinal cord, or small intestine, if they are delivered within 72 hours after entry to a meat processor registered with the Indiana DNR or a taxidermist licensed by the Indiana DNR. Deer processors and taxidermists must dispose of parts and discarded tissue in accordance with DNR and BOAH regulations.
• Antlers, including those attached to skullcaps, if the skull cap is cleaned of all brain and muscle tissue
• Hides
• Upper canine teeth, also known as “buglers,” “whistlers,” or “ivories”
• Heads, if they are delivered to a taxidermist licensed by the DNR within 72 hours after entry. A taxidermist accepting such a head must dispose of discarded tissue in accordance with BOAH regulations.
• Finished taxidermist mounts

Indiana DNR has conducted surveillance for more than 20 years and will continue to monitor CWD as it spreads across our state.

If you would like to have your harvested deer tested for CWD, you can:

1. Submit your deer’s head to a DNR sampling station located at a Fish & Wildlife area or a State Fish Hatchery at no cost. More information and sampling locations can be found at on.IN.gov/cwd.
2. Submit samples directly to Purdue’s Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab (ADDL) for a fee. Information and submission forms for submitting directly to ADDL are available on the ADDL website: purdue.edu/vet/addl.

To learn more about the disease and how Indiana DNR responds to CWD detections, see on.IN.gov/cwd.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Indiana DNR and BOAH monitor Indiana’s deer herd for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) due to the detection of the disease in southeast Indiana. Bovine tuberculosis was detected at a captive cervid facility in Franklin County (2009), cattle farms in Dearborn (2011) and Franklin (2008, 2009, 2016) counties, and in a wild white-tailed deer and several wild raccoons from infected cattle farms in Franklin County (2016-2019). Thanks to support from hunters and landowners, more than 5,000 deer were tested for bTB from within the surveillance zone since 2009. The disease was not detected in any of these samples, suggesting the prevalence of bTB in wild deer is very low, if present in wild deer at all. While you are field-dressing a deer, check for white or tan lesions on the internal organs or inner wall of the chest cavity. Lesions may be found on the lungs, inside the rib cage, on the liver, on lymph nodes, or occasionally other internal organs. Report deer with these lesions at on.IN.gov/sickwildlife.

While field-dressing or handling any carcass or other raw meat, you should wear disposable gloves and always wash your hands with soap and water afterward. Wash and disinfect all tools used during processing. To learn more about bTB, including where to have a carcass tested or how to report a possible case, visit deerhealth.IN.gov.

Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease

Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) is caused by infection with viruses from the genus Orbivirus. It is spread by biting midges, also called no-see-ums, from spring to fall. EHD is not transmissible to humans. Infected deer develop a fever and seek comfort in or around water and may be found dead around water. Other signs of EHD include a blue-tinged tongue, ulcers on the tongue, or an eroded dental pad. The onset of freezing temperatures often brings an end to outbreaks. There is no treatment for EHD, but some deer can recover and develop immunity.

Deer mortality due to EHD can be high in a small area, but there are no documented cases of EHD outbreaks causing long-term population effects. EHD outbreaks are affected by many factors, including the number of insect vectors, virus serotype, host immunity, host genetics, and deer population density. The last major outbreak of EHD was in 2019 in southern Indiana and in 2022 in Fayette, Franklin, and surrounding counties. To see the number of reported, tested, and lab confirmed EHD cases by county since 2019, visit on.IN.gov/EHD.

If you suspect EHD in deer, please submit a report at on.IN.gov/sickwildlife.