Chronic Wasting Disease of deer has indeed spread to the other side of the Continental Divide and to the Midwest (WI, IL) as well as into Texas and Canada.
The abnormal prions remain in the soil for years. Animals grazing the same soil, (sheep/scrapie; deer, elk/cwd) ingest the abnormal prions and become sick.
You must be a closet genius. As far I know the cause of wasting disease is not known.
Anyway I bought several nice dead cow cut's today, but then I have a bunch of live one's as well.