chronic wasting disease

The common-noun sense that functions as a hypernym over the names of various specific diseases predates the sense naming one specific disease in deer. The latter sense appears to have evolved through misparsing in which the former was misinterpreted as being the latter; but it is now an established term for that specific disease (thus, a fait accompli).

chronic wasting disease (countable and uncountable, plural chronic wasting diseases)

1. (veterinary medicine) A transmissible spongiform encephalopathy found in deer, typified by chronic weight loss leading to death.

   Synonyms: CWD (initialism), zombie deer disease (slang)

2. (medicine) Any of various chronic diseases that involve wasting in various animals, human or nonhuman.

   a chronic wasting disease;   various chronic wasting diseases

   • 1914, James Torrens, “Cœliac disease”, in Arthur Latham and T. Crisp English, editor, A System of Treatment, in Four Volumes, by Many Writers‎^[1], volume II: General Medicine and Surgery, Macmillan, page 426:

     It is to Professor Herter¹ that the recognition of cœliac disease as one of the important wasting diseases of childhood is largely due, though it was originally described by Gee² so long ago as 1888. Herter considers that the disease is produced by the development in the intestine of an abnormal bacillary growth, and he finds that the predominant organisms are gram-positive instead of gram-negative, as is ordinarily the case. Cœliac disease has been defined by Hutchison³ as "a chronic wasting disease of childhood characterised by chronic diarrhœa with large pale and offensive stools; running a prolonged course with a great tendency to relapses, exhibiting often certain nervous complications, such as weakness of the legs and tetany, and ending either in death or in complete recovery, or in partial recovery with great impairment of growth and development (infantilism)." The symptoms usually manifest themselves in the second or third year of life.

   • 1919, Samuel J. Cameron, “Menstruation and its disorders”, in A Manual of Gynæcology‎^[2], 2nd revised edition, London, England: Edward Arnold, page 121:

     A chronic wasting disease such as tuberculosis in any part of the body may produce uterine hæmorrhage, but amenorrhœa is a much more common symptom in such circumstances. Bleeding is frequently noted in cases of chronic Bright's disease, and this is partly due to the changes which take place in the walls of the blood vessels. In acute specific fevers, blood may issue from the cavity of the uterus; it is observed in such fevers as typhoid, scarlet, and smallpox. During epidemics of influenza uterine hæmorrhage may be a prominent symptom.

   • 1923, Robert Donaldson, “Chapter 5: Diseases of the lungs”, in Practical Morbid Histology: A Handbook for the Use of Students and Practitioners‎^[3], London, England: William Heinemann Ltd, page 59:

     There is, further, the broncho-pneumonia that occurs as an intercurrent in the course of the exanthemata, in whooping-cough, diphtheria, etc., and the broncho-pneumonia that occurs, as a terminal event, in various chronic wasting diseases. In all these the patient's powers of resistance have first been lowered in some way, by toxins generated in the course of the initial disease, and the broncho-pneumonic lesions are caused by the secondary invaders, which are now able to penetrate the weakened defence.

   • 1980, United States Atomic Energy Commission, Santa Fe Operatrions Office, “Annex 38 to Appendix E: AEC press release dated 13 January 1954: Study Shows Radioactivity From Atomic Tests Did Not Cause Sheep Deaths”, in United States House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, editor, Low-level Radiation Effects on Health: Hearings Before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, House of Representatives, Ninety-sixth Congress, First Session, April 23, May 24, and August 1, 1979. Issues 96-129 of Serial, 96th Congress, United States Congress‎^[4], U.S. Government Printing Office, pages 1167-1168:

     Examination of tissues obtained from sheep from affected herds in the Cedar City area showed no evidence of significant abnormality in the thyroid glands, bone marrow or any other organ except the liver. Fatty changes characteristic of various chronic wasting diseases, malnutrition and pregnancy diseases were found in some liver specimens of sheep from affected herds. On the basis of the iodine radiation studies, it was concluded that the radiation exposure which the Utah sheep received from radioactive iodine did not exceed one-fortieth of the levels known to cause gross observable effects in sheep.

   • 2023, Tanmoy Rana, “Chapter 8: Bacterial diseases of goats”, in Principles of Goat Disease and Prevention‎^[5], John Wiley and Sons, →ISBN, page 107:

     Johne's disease (JD) is a chronic wasting disease characterized by weight loss, reduced production, and intermittent diarrhea that affects the small intestines of various species of animals.

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