UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A white-tailed deer at Penn State’s Deer Research Center, a unit under the College of Agricultural Sciences, has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD), prompting a coordinated response with state and federal animal health authorities.
While there is no confirmed evidence that CWD is transmissible to humans, public health agencies advise limiting contact with neurological tissues such as the brain and spinal cord while field dressing and not eating meat from animals that test positive for CWD.
Chronic wasting disease is a deadly brain disease that affects animals in the deer family and is caused by abnormal infectious proteins called prions. Currently, there is no treatment or vaccine, and infected animals do not recover. The disease has now spread across much of North America and is widespread in southcentral Pennsylvania.
The adult buck at Penn State’s Deer Research Center was found deceased during a routine daily herd check in March, according to Don Wagner, deer unit manager.
Although the animal had not exhibited any signs of CWD before its death, staff followed standard surveillance protocols and submitted diagnostic samples to the Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory System’s Animal Diagnostic Laboratory at Penn State, which detected the disease.
A second test conducted by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, confirmed the presence of CWD, and center staff were notified of the result May 5.
Per established disease control protocols, a confirmed positive case of CWD in a captive herd activates a structured response led by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture in coordination with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Rebecca Krisher, head of the Department of Animal Science, and Deer Research Center personnel are working closely with state officials and have implemented a mandated five-year quarantine of the facility and the remaining herd. To date, no other animals in the herd have shown signs of the disease.
The quarantine plan includes strict containment measures, ongoing monitoring and testing, mandatory reporting, comprehensive documentation of herd inventory, and continued sanitization of the facility. In addition, staff are evaluating the potential use of genetic testing to understand individual animals’ susceptibility to CWD better.
Established in the 1970s, the Penn State Deer Research Center has long served as a cornerstone of experiential learning within the college, providing students with hands-on opportunities to work with one of Pennsylvania’s most recognizable wildlife species. The center operates as a closed herd, with no external deer introduced into the population since 1997.
Currently, the college is assessing how research activities and educational programming will proceed during the quarantine period. Among the center’s ongoing research programs is a project examining whether white-tailed deer develop natural immune defenses against ticks following repeated exposure. The study evaluates how immune responses influence tick feeding success and reproduction, with implications for the development of anti-tick vaccines and improved strategies to manage tick populations and reduce the risk of tick-borne illnesses such as Lyme disease and alpha-gal syndrome.
The Penn State Deer Research Center has maintained stringent biosecurity measures for decades, including secondary electric fencing to prevent direct contact between captive and wild deer. The facility is not open to the public, and access is restricted to authorized faculty, staff and supervised students involved in animal care and research.
According to the Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance, CWD in Pennsylvania is most prevalent in wild deer populations in southcentral counties (Bedford, Blair, Fulton, Huntingdon and Franklin), with established disease management areas extending into surrounding regions, including Cambria, Cumberland, Juniata, Perry, Snyder, Somerset, Westmoreland, Clearfield, Indiana, Jefferson, Lancaster and parts of others. As of early 2026, the disease had expanded, with new detections occasionally reported in other areas, including two wild positives in Centre County.
Symptoms can include progressive weight loss, abnormal behavior such as reduced fear or isolation, drooping head, poor coordination, excessive salivation, increased thirst and urination, and eventual severe weakness.
CWD is particularly challenging to manage because it can spread both through direct animal-to-animal contact and through contaminated environments such as soil, feed and water. Once introduced into a herd or area, it is extremely difficult to eliminate due to environmental persistence and a long, silent incubation period during which infected animals may appear healthy.
For more information about CWD, visit the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture website.