A third case of chronic wasting disease has been confirmed in a second white-tailed deer in Arkansas, the state Game and Fish Commission said Tuesday.
In a news release, wildlife officials said the third positive diagnosis came from a deer north of Mt. Sherman at Camp Orr found dead March 2.
The Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Madison, Wis., conducted the testing and released the results late Monday.
Brad Carner, the commission's chief of wildlife management, said the deer was found in a "focal testing area" designated as part of sampling efforts to determine the prevalence of chronic wasting disease.
That area encompasses a "capsule-shaped area ranging from 5 miles west of Ponca to 5 miles east of Pruitt, and 5 miles across," according to the commission.
“This positive sample falls squarely in the middle of our sampling area so we will not have to make any adjustments at this time," Carner said in a statement. "We will try to intensify our sampling in the immediate vicinity of this detection.”
A white-tailed deer found in Ponca tested positive for CWD earlier this month, and an elk near Pruitt was diagnosed with the first in-state case of the disease in February.
The Game and Fish Commission said Tuesday that it has sampled 225 deer and six elk in the area near the Buffalo River. Officials have said they intend to sample 300 deer.
Samples are being sent weekly and results are determined within up to 10 days, according to the news release.
Chronic wasting disease is a neurological disorder that affects cervids such as white-tailed deer and elk. No cases of transmission from animals to humans have been reported.
Anyone with concerns about a possible sick deer or elk is asked to call (800) 482-9262 or email cwdinfo@agfc.ar.gov.
Read Wednesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.