Abstract

Copper deficiency has been implicated as having a causative or contributory role in chronic wasting disease (CWD) of cervids. In this study, we measured select trace mineral levels in liver tissue from mule deer culled and harvested from free-ranging populations in northern Colorado where CWD disease has been found. We compared copper, molybdenum, and manganese levels between CWD-infected (n=46) and apparently uninfected (n=171) deer. Preliminary analyses revealed a wide range of concentrations of all three minerals (Cu: 5.6–393 ppm; Mo: 0.71–4 ppm; Mn: 0.05–25 ppm). However, no differences in trace mineral levels between infected and uninfected deer were evident.