State officials say deer in two additional Michigan counties are suspected of having chronic wasting disease.
The Department of Natural Resources says hunters recently killed a 4-year-old buck in Gratiot County's Pine River Township and a 2-year-old buck in Eaton County's Carmel Township that showed signs of the fatal neurological illness.
Samples were sent to the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, which is expected to provide a diagnosis next week.
Chronic wasting disease has already been confirmed in Clinton, Dickinson, Ingham, Ionia, Jackson, Kent and Montcalm counties.
The DNR says it has tested more than 16,000 deer this year. Twenty have tested positive and results on an additional 18 are incomplete.
Updated testing results and county-by-county testing goals are available online .
