{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,24]],"date-time":"2026-10-24T12:55:27Z","timestamp":1792846527155,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":25,"publisher":"Wildlife Disease Association","issue":"4","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Journal of Wildlife Diseases"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2024,10,16]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal prion disease of cervids that has spread across much of North America. Although gold standard CWD diagnostics involve postmortem testing of medial retropharyngeal lymph nodes or obex (brain stem), a key tissue sample for antemortem testing is rectoanal mucosa\u2013associated lymphoid tissue (RAMALT). However, collection of an adequate sample (i.e., enough lymphoid follicles) may be affected by factors such as deer age, repeated sampling, skill of the sampler, and adverse conditions during collection. Here, we document the protocol used to train personnel for RAMALT collection in a large study of free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in Wisconsin, USA, and determine factors that contributed to the occurrence of inadequate RAMALT samples. Our training protocol included hands-on experience with postmortem tissues, as well as a mentored collection process in the field. Collection of RAMALT under field conditions was highly successful, with 763\/806 (94.7%) samples deemed adequate for subsequent testing. Although inadequate samples were rare, they were more likely to occur with older deer and when samples were collected at dusk (i.e., limited ambient lighting). We conclude that RAMALT collection can be highly successful under adverse field conditions, including with technicians with limited prior veterinary experience, and we provide details of our training program to facilitate repeatability in other antemortem CWD testing efforts.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.7589\/jwd-d-24-00020","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,10,16]],"date-time":"2024-10-16T16:54:24Z","timestamp":1729097664000},"page":"996-1003","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Effective Field Sampling of Rectoanal Mucosa\u2013Associated Lymphoid Tissue for Antemortem Chronic Wasting Disease Testing in White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus)"],"prefix":"10.7589","volume":"60","author":[{"given":"Marie L. J.","family":"Gilbertson","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Wisconsin Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison, 1630 Linden Dr, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lindsey J.","family":"Long","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 1300 West Clairemont Ave, Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54701, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Heather N.","family":"Inzalaco","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Wisconsin Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison, 1630 Linden Dr, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wendy C.","family":"Turner","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"U.S. Geological Survey, Wisconsin Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison, 1630 Linden Dr, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Daniel J.","family":"Storm","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 1300 West Clairemont Ave, Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54701, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"4415","reference":[{"key":"20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"DJ Storm, MD Samuel, RE Rolley, et al.  \"Wildl Soc Bull.\"  38, \"Estimating ages of white-tailed deer: Age and sex patterns of error using tooth wear-and-replacement and consistency of cementum annuli.\" 849 (2014)","DOI":"10.1002\/wsb.457"},{"key":"10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"D Keane, D Barr, R Osborn, et al.  \"J Clin Microbiol.\"  47, \"Validation of use of rectoanal mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue for immunohistochemical diagnosis of chronic wasting disease in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus).\" 1412 (2009)","DOI":"10.1128\/JCM.02209-08"},{"key":"24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"ES Williams  and S Young  \"J Wildl Dis.\"  16, \"Chronic wasting disease of captive mule deer: A spongiform encephalopathy.\" 89 (1980)","DOI":"10.7589\/0090-3558-16.1.89"},{"key":"11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"DP Keane, DJ Barr, PN Bochsler, et al.  \"J Vet Diagn Invest.\"  20, \"Chronic wasting disease in a Wisconsin white-tailed deer farm.\" 698 (2008)","DOI":"10.1177\/104063870802000534"},{"key":"9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"NJ Haley  and JA Richt  \"Pathogens.\"  6, \"Evolution of diagnostic tests for chronic wasting disease, a naturally occurring prion disease of cervids.\" 35 (2017)","DOI":"10.3390\/pathogens6030035"},{"key":"17","unstructured":"\"R: a Language and Environment for Statistical Computing.\"  (2018)"},{"key":"1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"H. 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Malone,  \"J Vet Med Educ.\"  46, \"Challenges & issues: Evidence-based clinical skills teaching and learning: What do we really know?\" 379 (2019)","DOI":"10.3138\/jvme.0717-094r1"},{"key":"15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"RJ Monello, JG Powers, NT Hobbs, et al.  \"J Wildl Dis.\"  49, \"Efficacy of antemortem rectal biopsies to diagnose and estimate prevalence of chronic wasting disease in free-ranging cow elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni).\" 270 (2013)","DOI":"10.7589\/2011-12-362"},{"key":"18","unstructured":"B. Richards,  \"Expanding distribution of chronic wasting disease.\"  (2023)"},{"key":"19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"TR Spraker, KC VerCauteren, TL Gidlewski, et al.  \"J Vet Diagn Invest.\"  21, \"Impact of age and sex of Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) on follicle counts from rectal mucosal biopsies for preclinical detection of chronic wasting disease.\" 868 (2009)","DOI":"10.1177\/104063870902100618"},{"key":"21","unstructured":"B Thieurmel  and A Elmarhraoui  \"suncalc: Compute sun position, sunlight phases, moon position and lunar phase.\"  (2022)"},{"key":"23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"MA Wild, TR Spraker, CJ Sigurdson, et al.  \"J Gen Virol.\"  83, \"Preclinical diagnosis of chronic wasting disease in captive mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) using tonsillar biopsy.\" 2629 (2002)","DOI":"10.1099\/0022-1317-83-10-2629"},{"key":"25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"LL Wolfe, TR Spraker, L Gonz\u00e1lez, et al.  \"J Gen Virol.\"  88, \"PrPCWD in rectal lymphoid tissue of deer (Odocoileus spp.).\" 2078 (2007)","DOI":"10.1099\/vir.0.82342-0"},{"key":"16","unstructured":"\"Climate data online.\""}],"container-title":["Journal of Wildlife Diseases"],"original-title":[],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,6]],"date-time":"2026-10-06T00:10:21Z","timestamp":1791245421000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/bioone.org\/journals\/journal-of-wildlife-diseases\/volume-60\/issue-4\/JWD-D-24-00020\/Effective-Field-Sampling-of-Rectoanal-MucosaAssociated-Lymphoid-Tissue-for-Antemortem\/10.7589\/JWD-D-24-00020.full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2024,10,16]]},"references-count":25,"journal-issue":{"issue":"4","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,10,1]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.7589\/jwd-d-24-00020","relation":{},"ISSN":["0090-3558","1943-3700"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0090-3558","type":"print"},{"value":"1943-3700","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2024,10,16]]}}}