HARRISBURG - Samples taken from hunter-killed elk during the state's 2004 hunting season have all tested negative for chronic wasting disease, said Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Vern Ross.

Based on a significant increase in the number of deer samples collected for testing, Ross noted that the Game Commission is still awaiting the results of the more than 3,600 hunter-killed deer samples collected during the 2004 seasons. In 2003, the agency collected samples from more than 2,000 hunter-killed deer, and all results came back negative for CWD.

"Currently, there are no confirmed or suspected cases of CWD-infected deer or elk in Pennsylvania, and we are doing everything we can to ensure that it stays that way," Ross said. "By conducting these random tests on hunter-killed deer and elk, we will help to assure ourselves and the general public that it is unlikely that CWD is present in wild deer and elk in the state."

CWD tests on the elk samples were conducted by the New Bolton Center, which is the University of Pennsylvania's veterinary diagnostics laboratory. Under a contract with Penn State University, the elk samples also were tested for brucellosis and bovine tuberculosis and found to be free from these diseases.

The New Bolton Center and the Department of Agriculture's State Veterinary Laboratory in Harrisburg are conducting the CWD tests on the deer samples. Results are expected in the near future.