How is CWD transmitted?

Prions have been found in bodily secretion such as feces, urine and saliva, and in tissues such as neurologic tissue (brain, spine peripheral nerves), lymphatic tissues, heart, spleen, kidney, lung, soft palate and skeletal muscle. Experimental and circumstantial evidence suggests infected cervids transmit the disease laterally (animal-to-animal). In wild populations, decomposition of carcasses, scrapes, rubs and shared feeding sites play a role in transmission as well as social behavior. CWD and other wildlife diseases seems more likely to occur in areas where deer, elk or moose are crowded or where they congregate at man-made feed and water stations. Artificial feeding of deer, elk and moose compounds the problem. Prions exist in the environment for years to decades. Recent research indicates that prions can be aerosolized and lead to infection also.