State tries to keep out another disease.

Byline: From Register-Guard and news service reports

Deer Hair-Loss Syndrome isn't the only game animal disease that has state wildlife biologists concerned. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife this week issued a call for hunters' assistance with monitoring for chronic wasting disease, a fatal neurological disorder that hits deer and elk.

While CWD has not yet been found in Oregon wildlife, the disease is spreading. It has infected deer and elk in 12 states and two Canadian provinces, according to Colin Gillin, the ODFW's state wildlife veterinarian.

During the upcoming deer and elk hunting seasons, the ODFW is `asking hunters to bring their deer and elk carcasses to biological check stations or to their nearest ODFW office to be sampled for chronic wasting disease,' Gillin said.

Biological check stations will be set up in Burns, La Grande and Lakeview. ODFW offices are scattered throughout the state.

"Chronic wasting disease is part of a unique family of chronic neurologic diseases called prion diseases," Gillin said. "The disease was recognized more than 30 years ago as a syndrome in a state wildlife research facility in Colorado. Its natural hosts include mule deer, white-tailed deer and elk. Sheep and cattle have not been found to be naturally susceptible to CWD."

The disease is present in wild populations of deer and elk, and occurs in farmed deer and elk maintained for agricultural purposes. CWD has been found in Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Wyoming and Utah, as well as the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Observations of infected deer and elk in captivity indicate that the disease is highly contagious. However, the exact mechanism of transmission has not been identified.

In an effort to close one possible avenue for the introduction of CWD into Oregon, the ODFW has banned the importation of deer and elk carcass parts containing central nervous system tissue from animals killed in states or provinces where the presence of CWD has been documented.

However, game meat that has been cut and wrapped commercially or been boned out may be brought into Oregon, as can quarters or other portions of meat with no part of the spinal column or head attached.