CWD/BSE

Samples may be submitted to our laboratory to be tested for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) or Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE). Acceptable samples include either whole carcasses, heads, or brain with brainstem if removed and properly preserved by a veterinarian or certified CWD technician.

BSE

Currently there is no charge for BSE testing, however extraction fees, necropsy fees, and/or disposal fees may apply.

BSE testing is not performed at the PSU Animal Diagnostic Laboratory, but are shipped to outside laboratories for testing. Approximate turn-around time for BSE testing is 3-5 business days.

CWD

       Farmed Deer

As of January 1, 2012, USDA has discontinued funding for CWD testing of farmed deer. Therefore, CWD testing will no longer be free of charge. Charges for CWD testing will now be $25, with additional fees for sample collection and disposal when applicable. See this document for a further explanation of new CWD fees.

Because it is a regulatory disease, all samples submitted for CWD testing MUST be accompanied by completed, signed CWD testing submission forms and chain of custody forms. 

If lymph nodes and obex are removed from the head, the CWD technician/veterinarian must fill out and sign the Certified CWD Technician/Veterinarian Info box at the top center of the form.  The owner/Agent must sign the bottom of the form. 

If samples are collected from the head then the CWD technician will be the first person to sign the chain of custody form, if another person transports the samples to the laboratory then that person needs to sign custodian #2. 

If heads or whole deer are delivered to the laboratory for testing, then the person transporting these heads/bodies needs to sign the Custodian 1 line on the chain of custody form.

       Hunter Harvested Deer

           Testing of Deer Harvested within a DMA

This year rules have changed for deer harvested in a positive DMA!!

See this website for more details: 

https://www.media.pa.gov/Pages/game-commission-details.aspx?newsid=627

There are new rules in place this year for those hunting within a Disease Management Area (DMA) or the Established Area (EA). They’re meant to make things easier on hunters while still addressing CWD concerns.

Previously, hunters who harvested a deer within a DMA or the EA had to either process it themselves within those boundaries – leaving behind high-risk parts like the head and backbone – or take it to an approved processor and/or taxidermist specific to that DMA or EA.

Those protections helped limit the human-assisted spread of CWD. But they also meant hunters who harvested a deer in a DMA or the EA, yet lived somewhere else, likely had to make a return trip to pick up their meat or mount.

Starting this season, hunters who harvest a deer within a DMA or EA – or even outside Pennsylvania – can take it directly to any Game Commission-approved processor or taxidermist anywhere in the state that will dispose of high-risk parts properly. The list of cooperators is available on the agency website, www.pgc.pa.gov.

The changes do three things: ensure the proper disposal of high-risk parts, one way of preventing CWD’s spread to new areas; enhance CWD surveillance, as cooperators must allow Game Commission staff to do biological sampling, such as CWD sample collection and deer aging; and make taking deer within a DMA or the EA more convenient for hunters.

The new rules don’t allow a hunter to take a deer from a DMA or the EA and process it themselves at home. Nor can hunters place any high-risk cervid parts from deer killed within a DMA or EA on the landscape away from the kill site.

Just remember one thing: there are, across Pennsylvania, fewer butchers handling deer than in years past. Some get all that they can handle quickly, too, especially around opening day.

So it’s a good idea for all hunters – and especially those removing a deer from a DMA or the EA – to call ahead and make sure your processor of choice is open and accepting whitetails before you get there.

And once again, hunters who harvest a deer in a DMA or the EA can get it tested for CWD for free by placing the animal’s head in one of many collection bins, the locations of which are identified on the Game Commission website.

Test results can then be checked at the Game Commission’s CWD dashboard, https://pgcdatacollection.pa.gov/CWDResultsLookup.

Click the following link to the PA Game Commission website for more information about CWD testing including drop off locations for the CWD testing within the DMA.  Chronic Wasting Disease (pa.gov)

          Testing of Deer Harvested Inside or Outside a DMA

Hunter Harvest Submission Form must accompany all samples.

Hunters may submit hunter harvested deer for CWD to the Animal Diagnostic Lab. The fee for this test if entire head is submitted is $80. Only certified CWD collectors or veterinarians may remove tissues from a head for CWD testing.  The hunter may deliver an entire head to the laboratory or may contact a veterinarian or certified CWD technician to remove, properly preserve, and submit the brain stem and lymph nodes from the head. No part of any samples submitted to the laboratory may be returned. See FAQs for testing of hunter killed deer. Certified CWD technicians can by located by contacting your PA Department of Agriculture regional office.

The turn around time for CWD testing is 6-8 weeks depending on the current volume of sample submission.

• PADLS User Guide Includes a list of tests available at each of the three PADLS labs.
• Current Fee Schedule