1. CWD digest: Penn State Deer Research Center quarantined after buck tests positive for CWD
By Mary Van Beusekom, MS
CIDRAP News
May 21, 2026
A white-tailed deer at Penn State's Deer Research Center has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD), leading to a five-year quarantine of the facility and herd, the college announced this week.
The buck, found dead during a routine daily herd check in March, hadn't displayed signs of CWD before its death, but staff submitted diagnostic samples to the Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory at Penn State, which detected the disease. The National Veterinary Services Laboratories confirmed the finding on May 5.
The campus is located in University Park, Centre County, in the central part of the state. This isn't the first CWD detection in the county, where CWD has been detected in wild deer.
The Penn State Department of Animal Science and the Deer Research Center are working with state officials and have imposed a mandated five-year quarantine of the facility and the remaining herd, the news release said. So far, no other deer in the herd have shown signs of CWD.
"The quarantine plan includes strict containment measures, ongoing monitoring and testing, mandatory reporting, comprehensive documentation of herd inventory, and continued sanitization of the facility," the release said. "In addition, staff are evaluating the potential use of genetic testing to understand individual animals' susceptibility to CWD better."
NWS feline case reported 57 miles from Texas border
By Lacey Vilhauer
High Plains Journal
May 22, 2026
New World screwworm continues to move closer to the United States-Mexico border, with the nearest confirmed case reported May 16 about 57 miles from the border.
According to the Mexican government, the case involved a 16-month-old cat. No additional details about the case were released.
Mexico is reporting NWS cases almost daily within 100 miles of the Texas border, raising concerns among livestock producers and animal health officials.
Despite the increased activity in Mexico, U.S. officials emphasized there are still no confirmed cases in the United States.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture continues to use sterile fly releases and border surveillance efforts to prevent the parasite from entering the country.
About 100 million sterile flies produced in Panama have been released in northern Mexico in the states of Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon and Coahuila. Additional sterile flies have been released about 25 miles into Texas from Del Rio to Matamoros.
Full text: https://hpj.com/2026/05/22/nws-feline-case-reported-57-miles-from-texas-border/
Screwworm detected within 60 miles of US/Mexico border [edited]
By Ruth Wiechmann
TriState Livestock News
May 21, 2026
USDA continues to state that "Isolated detections outside of the known affected areas in Mexico are not unexpected, and the fact that they have been identified and addressed quickly show that our collaborative efforts with Mexico to implement the NWS Action Plan are working."
USDA is involved in the dispersal of 100 million sterile insects* per week in Mexico and "closely evaluates the location and circumstances of each new case to adjust sterile insect release efforts and locations as needed. Changes to the sterile insect dispersal area, or polygon, in Southern Mexico occur as needed to maintain broad suppression and help prevent the pest from moving further north toward the United States."
On May 6, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller issued a statement praising the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) for expanding New World screwworm sterile fly dispersal operations farther north along the Texas-Mexico border, calling it a critical step to protect Texas livestock, wildlife, pets, and the people who care for them.
* The expanded dispersal zone now reaches as far north as Maverick County near Eagle Pass, strengthening the biological barrier against the deadly, flesh-eating parasite.
Note: This article includes a case history map.
Full text: https://www.tsln.com/news/screwworm-detected-within-60-miles-of-us-mexico-border/
3. CDC confirms cat-to-human transmission of avian influenza
Veterinary professional tests positive after exposure to H5N1-infected cats that consumed raw animal products.
WATTAgNet.com
May 21 2026
A public health investigation documented the transmission of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI, more specifically avian influenza type A H5N1) from a domestic cat to a human, but health officials maintain that the risk remains low.
Investigators with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) interviewed individuals who had been exposed to HPAI-infected pet cats that consumed raw animal products. The people were also invited to receive serologic testing, and among the 25 who volunteered, one asymptomatic veterinary professional had serologic evidence of HPAI infection.
4. What the pseudorabies response taught us
From a business standpoint, the event also reinforced a hard truth: animal health preparedness is business preparedness.
By Tom Brincks
National Hog Farmer
May 18, 2026
The recent pseudorabies event showed us how vulnerable our industry is. It was a real-life test of our biosecurity response system and a timely reminder that protecting the U.S. swine herd still depends on disciplined execution at every level.
When pseudorabies was confirmed in Iowa on a small commercial swine herd on April 30, it commanded the attention of pork producers across the country. The event was more than a troubling headline. It was a reminder that even after two decades of pseudorabies-free commercial production, past success cannot be mistaken for permanent immunity.
The disease was traced back to five boars from an outdoor Texas herd with possible feral swine exposure. This was not evidence of a broad failure in modern commercial production. It was re-entry through a risk pathway the industry has long recognized. That distinction matters. The event should be taken seriously without being overstated, and the response should be judged by the standard that matters most: the system recognized the threat, contained it and protected the broader herd.
By that measure, the protocols worked. The response was fast, coordinated and disciplined. Detection came through routine testing rather than after a full-scale clinical crisis, which is exactly how a functioning surveillance system is supposed to perform. Once the positive animals were identified, state and federal animal health officials moved through the necessary steps of confirmation, traceback, control zones, depopulation and clear communication to producers.
Full text: https://www.nationalhogfarmer.com/market-news/what-the-pseudorabies-response-taught-us
5. Texas Game Wardens File 74 Charges Against New Braunfels Man Accused of Poaching 13 White-Tailed Deer
Texas Parks & wildlife News Release
May 21, 2026
NEW BRAUNFELS - Texas Game Wardens have filed 74 charges against a New Braunfels man accused of illegally killing at least 13 white-tailed bucks in Comal, Hays and Bexar counties between the fall of 2024 and through late summer 2025.
Darrell Maguire, 55, New Braunfels, is alleged to have poached deer over an 11-month period, often shooting the animals with a crossbow from his vehicle, removing only the heads and leaving the carcasses to waste.
The investigation began in June 2025 after multiple white-tailed buck carcasses were discovered in Comal and Hays counties. Several of the incidents occurred in residential neighborhoods, where wardens recovered crossbow bolts from front yards and porches.
Texas Game Wardens arrested Maguire in September on wildlife and drug possession charges. While executing the search warrant of his residence, wardens recovered evidence they say linked him to multiple poaching scenes.
6. Notice of Request for Revision to and Extension of an Information Collection; Standards for Privately Owned Quarantine Facilities for
Ruminants
Federal Register Volume 91, Number 99 (Friday, May 22, 2026)
Notices
Pages 30272-30273
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
FR Doc No: 2026-10294
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Docket No. APHIS-2026-0497
Notice of Request for Revision to and Extension of an Information Collection; Standards for Privately Owned Quarantine Facilities for
Ruminants
AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Revision to and extension of an information collection; comment request.
SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's
intention to request a revision to and extension of an information collection associated with regulations for privately owned quarantine
facilities for ruminants.
DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before July 21, 2026.
Full text: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-05-22/html/2026-10294.htm