I’m a Neuro RN at a level 1 trauma center in WI, a CWD hot zone for decades. I’ve personally cared for CJD patients. I am very well versed on this topic. CJD prions are VERY different than CWD Prions. I’ll explain why to you as you’re misinformed likely due to your reliance on Google instead of actual knowledge. And please try not to take offense to that it is very common nowadays. I am NOT insulting your intelligence only pointing out your lack of knowledge on this particular topic leading to irrational fears.
CWD prions spread by forcing similar proteins in the host’s brain to misfold too. Deer have these proteins so they are susceptible. Humans most definitely DO NOT have these proteins any more than we have their ability to grow antlers every fall. As such, it is impossible for the prions that cause CWD to misfold proteins in humans that simply do not exist. This biological barrier is why CWD prions cannot infect humans. This is well established knowledge in the medical community and it’s why there has never been a human case of CWD despite millions of CWD positive animals being consumed by humans. Instead of googling i suggest you instead contact a Neurologist. Preferably at a teaching or research hospital such as Froedtert in SE WI.
Additionally, prions are not viruses. Prions have no dna, actually no genetic material at all. They can’t mutate and replicate those mutations as a virus would. Prions are what they are in their current form. As such the prion that causes CWD in deer will never mutate or change to suddenly be able to exploit and misfold a new protein that may be in humans. So in short, if a certain prion cannot misfold any human proteins now it will never be able to. The ten strains you mention already existed in nature they have not evolved or mutated. They’ve only been characterized, none infect humans.
All that being said there ARE things deer have that humans can be infected with. These are as follows:
Tularemia
Bacterial Q Fever
Toxoplasmosis
Trichinellosis
Leptospirosis
Brucellosis
There are others no doubt but that list are the most commonly seen. So if you’re concerned about CWD, a disease you cannot get, you should be equally concerned or really much more concerned with those in this list. Do you also test for these or is it just CWD? If not why don’t you? You might want to ponder that for a moment. Think about why CWD concerns you so much yet you’ve likely never even heard of those i listed that can harm you.
In the end if you’re truly concerned about getting sick from consuming venison, and you have the right to be, there are things you should be much more concerned about than CWD. If i were so concerned id likely quit hunting. I might suggest those that are in that boat do just that instead of killing deer only to toss them in a dumpster. That is abhorrent behavior one should be ashamed to admit they do.
