Since it was first identified in Colorado in 1967, Chronic Wasting Disease has been spreading throughout cervids (the deer family). The fatal disease has been found in the Republic of Korea, Norway, Finland, and here in Canada it has been detected in Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Quebec.

A Genome Alberta led project kicked off in the fall of 2016 and has made some significant progress in identifying strains of CWD, important insights into the spread of CWD, and developed new ideas on how to detect CWD before an infected animal dies (currently the only conclusive diagnosis is done after examining a dead animal).

Debbie McKenzie is the project lead on Systems biology and molecular ecology of Chronic Wasting Disease which receives funding from a variety of sources including the Alberta Prion Research Institute. Freelance Broadcaster Don Hill talked with Debbie and with Kevin Keough from APRI to find out what we have learned about CWD over the last few years.