Retropharyngeal lymph nodes were obtained from a total of seventeen individual Montana mule deer that were presented by hunters to check stations approximately 5 hr (range 2-11 hr) of being shot. Because our samples were obtained from legally killed animals, the study is exempt from Montana State University guidelines governing animal experimentation. Lymph nodes were dissected from animals with sterile scalpel and forceps, and rinsed in 70% ethanol. After dissection from the animal, the lymph nodes were either frozen directly or stored in RNAlater (Applied Biosystems, Ambion, CA) until further processing.