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Olech M. Conventional and State-of-the-Art Detection Methods of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE). Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24087135. [PMID: 37108297 PMCID: PMC10139118 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24087135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 04/08/2023] [Accepted: 04/09/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that belongs to a group of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). It is believed that the infectious agent responsible for prion diseases is abnormally folded prion protein (PrPSc), which derives from a normal cellular protein (PrPC), which is a cell surface glycoprotein predominantly expressed in neurons. There are three different types of BSE, the classical BSE (C-type) strain and two atypical strains (H-type and L-type). BSE is primarily a disease of cattle; however, sheep and goats also can be infected with BSE strains and develop a disease clinically and pathogenically indistinguishable from scrapie. Therefore, TSE cases in cattle and small ruminants require discriminatory testing to determine whether the TSE is BSE or scrapie and to discriminate classical BSE from the atypical H- or L-type strains. Many methods have been developed for the detection of BSE and have been reported in numerous studies. Detection of BSE is mainly based on the identification of characteristic lesions or detection of the PrPSc in the brain, often by use of their partial proteinase K resistance properties. The objective of this paper was to summarize the currently available methods, highlight their diagnostic performance, and emphasize the advantages and drawbacks of the application of individual tests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika Olech
- Department of Pathology, National Veterinary Research Institute, 24-100 Puławy, Poland
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2
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Fast C, Graham C, Kaatz M, Santiago-Mateo K, Kaatz T, MacPherson K, Balkema-Buschmann A, Ziegler U, Groschup MH, Czub S. Discrimination of Classical and Atypical BSE by a Distinct Immunohistochemical PrP Sc Profile. Pathogens 2023; 12:pathogens12020353. [PMID: 36839625 PMCID: PMC9965285 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12020353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) belongs to the group of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies and is associated with the accumulation of a pathological isoform of the host-encoded glycoprotein, designated prion protein (PrPSc). Classical BSE (C-type) and two atypical BSE forms (L- and H-type) are known, and can be discriminated by biochemical characteristics. The goal of our study was to identify type-specific PrPSc profiles by using Immunohistochemistry. In our study, brain samples from 21 cattle, intracerebrally inoculated with C-, H-, and L-type BSE, were used. In addition, the corresponding samples from three orally C-type BSE infected animals were also included. From all animals, a lesion and PrPSc-profiles of six brain regions were determined. The lesion profile and the neuroanatomical distribution of PrPSc was highly consistent between the groups, but the immunohistochemical analysis revealed a distinct PrPSc profile for the different BSE-types, which included both the topographic and cellular pattern of PrPSc. This qualitative and quantitative analysis of PrPSc affected structures sheds new light into the pathogenesis of the different BSE types. Furthermore, immunohistochemical characterization is supported as an additional diagnostic tool in BSE surveillance programs, especially when only formalin-fixed tissue samples are available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Fast
- Friedrich-Loeffler Institut/INEID, 17493 Insel Riems, Germany
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-38351-71274
| | | | - Martin Kaatz
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
| | | | - Tammy Kaatz
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Lethbridge, AB T1J 3Z4, Canada
| | - Kendra MacPherson
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
| | | | - Ute Ziegler
- Friedrich-Loeffler Institut/INEID, 17493 Insel Riems, Germany
| | | | - Stefanie Czub
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Lethbridge, AB T1J 3Z4, Canada
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
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3
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Arokiasamy P, Al Bakri Abdullah MM, Abd Rahim SZ, Luhar S, Sandu AV, Jamil NH, Nabiałek M. Synthesis methods of hydroxyapatite from natural sources: A review. CERAMICS INTERNATIONAL 2022; 48:14959-14979. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ceramint.2022.03.064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
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4
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Neuropathology of Animal Prion Diseases. Biomolecules 2021; 11:biom11030466. [PMID: 33801117 PMCID: PMC8004141 DOI: 10.3390/biom11030466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Revised: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs) or prion diseases are a fatal group of infectious, inherited and spontaneous neurodegenerative diseases affecting human and animals. They are caused by the conversion of cellular prion protein (PrPC) into a misfolded pathological isoform (PrPSc or prion- proteinaceous infectious particle) that self-propagates by conformational conversion of PrPC. Yet by an unknown mechanism, PrPC can fold into different PrPSc conformers that may result in different prion strains that display specific disease phenotype (incubation time, clinical signs and lesion profile). Although the pathways for neurodegeneration as well as the involvement of brain inflammation in these diseases are not well understood, the spongiform changes, neuronal loss, gliosis and accumulation of PrPSc are the characteristic neuropathological lesions. Scrapie affecting small ruminants was the first identified TSE and has been considered the archetype of prion diseases, though atypical and new animal prion diseases continue to emerge highlighting the importance to investigate the lesion profile in naturally affected animals. In this report, we review the neuropathology and the neuroinflammation of animal prion diseases in natural hosts from scrapie, going through the zoonotic bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), the chronic wasting disease (CWD) to the newly identified camel prion disease (CPD).
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Koutsoumanis K, Allende A, Alvarez-Ordoňez A, Bolton D, Bover-Cid S, Chemaly M, Davies R, De Cesare A, Herman L, Hilbert F, Lindqvist R, Nauta M, Peixe L, Ru G, Skandamis P, Suffredini E, Andreoletti O, Benestad SL, Comoy E, Nonno R, da Silva Felicio T, Ortiz-Pelaez A, Simmons MM. Update on chronic wasting disease (CWD) III. EFSA J 2019; 17:e05863. [PMID: 32626163 PMCID: PMC7008890 DOI: 10.2903/j.efsa.2019.5863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The European Commission asked EFSA for a Scientific Opinion: to revise the state of knowledge about the differences between the chronic wasting disease (CWD) strains found in North America (NA) and Europe and within Europe; to review new scientific evidence on the zoonotic potential of CWD and to provide recommendations to address the potential risks and to identify risk factors for the spread of CWD in the European Union. Full characterisation of European isolates is being pursued, whereas most NA CWD isolates have not been characterised in this way. The differing surveillance programmes in these continents result in biases in the types of cases that can be detected. Preliminary data support the contention that the CWD strains identified in Europe and NA are different and suggest the presence of strain diversity in European cervids. Current data do not allow any conclusion on the implications of strain diversity on transmissibility, pathogenesis or prevalence. Available data do not allow any conclusion on the zoonotic potential of NA or European CWD isolates. The risk of CWD to humans through consumption of meat cannot be directly assessed. At individual level, consumers of meat, meat products and offal derived from CWD-infected cervids will be exposed to the CWD agent(s). Measures to reduce human dietary exposure could be applied, but exclusion from the food chain of whole carcasses of infected animals would be required to eliminate exposure. Based on NA experiences, all the risk factors identified for the spread of CWD may be associated with animals accumulating infectivity in both the peripheral tissues and the central nervous system. A subset of risk factors is relevant for infected animals without involvement of peripheral tissues. All the risk factors should be taken into account due to the potential co-localisation of animals presenting with different disease phenotypes.
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Simmons MM, Chaplin MJ, Konold T, Casalone C, Beck KE, Thorne L, Everitt S, Floyd T, Clifford D, Spiropoulos J. L-BSE experimentally transmitted to sheep presents as a unique disease phenotype. Vet Res 2016; 47:112. [PMID: 27825366 PMCID: PMC5101820 DOI: 10.1186/s13567-016-0394-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2016] [Accepted: 10/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Apart from prion protein genotype, the factors determining the host range and susceptiblity for specific transmissible spongiform encephalopathy agents remain unclear. It is known that bovine atypical L-BSE can transmit to a range of species including primates and humanised transgenic mice. It is important, therefore, that there is as broad an understanding as possible of how such isolates might present in food animal species and how robust they are on inter- and intra-species transmission to inform surveillance sytems and risk assessments. This paper demonstrates that L-BSE can be intracerebrally transmitted to sheep of several genotypes, with the exception of ARR/ARR animals. Positive animals mostly present with a cataplectic form of disease characterized by collapsing episodes and reduced muscle tone. PrP accumulation is confined to the nervous system, with the exception of one animal with lymphoreticular involvement. In Western blot there was maintenance of the low molecular mass and glycoform profile associated with L-BSE, irrespective of ovine host genotype, but there was a substantially higher N-terminal antibody signal relative to the core-specific antibody, which is similar to the ratio associated with classical scrapie. The disease phenotype was maintained on experimental subpassage, but with a shortened survival time indicative of an original species barrier and subsequent adaptation. Passive surveillance approaches would be unlikely to identify such cases as TSE suspects, but current statutory active screening methods would be capable of detecting such cases and classifying them as unusual and requiring further investigation if they were to occur in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marion M Simmons
- Department of Pathology, APHA Weybridge, Woodham Lane, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB, UK.
| | - Melanie J Chaplin
- Department of Pathology, APHA Weybridge, Woodham Lane, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB, UK
| | - Timm Konold
- Department of Pathology, APHA Weybridge, Woodham Lane, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB, UK.,Animal Sciences Unit, APHA Weybridge, Woodham Lane, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB, UK
| | - Cristina Casalone
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta Sede Centrale di Torino, via Bologna, 148, 10154, Turin, Italy
| | - Katy E Beck
- Department of Pathology, APHA Weybridge, Woodham Lane, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB, UK
| | - Leigh Thorne
- Department of Virology, APHA Weybridge, Woodham Lane, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB, UK
| | - Sharon Everitt
- Department of Pathology, APHA Weybridge, Woodham Lane, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB, UK
| | - Tobias Floyd
- Department of Pathology, APHA Weybridge, Woodham Lane, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB, UK
| | - Derek Clifford
- Department of Pathology, APHA Weybridge, Woodham Lane, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB, UK.,Animal Sciences Unit, APHA Weybridge, Woodham Lane, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB, UK
| | - John Spiropoulos
- Department of Pathology, APHA Weybridge, Woodham Lane, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB, UK
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7
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Methods for Differentiating Prion Types in Food-Producing Animals. BIOLOGY 2015; 4:785-813. [PMID: 26580664 PMCID: PMC4690018 DOI: 10.3390/biology4040785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2015] [Revised: 10/29/2015] [Accepted: 11/04/2015] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Prions are an enigma amongst infectious disease agents as they lack a genome yet confer specific pathologies thought to be dictated mainly, if not solely, by the conformation of the disease form of the prion protein (PrPSc). Prion diseases affect humans and animals, the latter including the food-producing ruminant species cattle, sheep, goats and deer. Importantly, it has been shown that the disease agent of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is zoonotic, causing variant Creutzfeldt Jakob disease (vCJD) in humans. Current diagnostic tests can distinguish different prion types and in food-producing animals these focus on the differentiation of BSE from the non-zoonotic agents. Whilst BSE cases are now rare, atypical forms of both scrapie and BSE have been reported, as well as two types of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in cervids. Typing of animal prion isolates remains an important aspect of prion diagnosis and is now becoming more focused on identifying the range of prion types that are present in food-producing animals and also developing tests that can screen for emerging, novel prion diseases. Here, we review prion typing methodologies in light of current and emerging prion types in food-producing animals.
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8
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Konold T, Nonno R, Spiropoulos J, Chaplin MJ, Stack MJ, Hawkins SAC, Cawthraw S, Wilesmith JW, Wells GAH, Agrimi U, Di Bari MA, Andréoletti O, Espinosa JC, Aguilar-Calvo P, Torres JM. Further characterisation of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy phenotypes after inoculation of cattle with two temporally separated sources of sheep scrapie from Great Britain. BMC Res Notes 2015. [PMID: 26205536 PMCID: PMC4618938 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-015-1260-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The infectious agent responsible for the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) epidemic in Great Britain is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) strain with uniform properties but the origin of this strain remains unknown. Based on the hypothesis that classical BSE may have been caused by a TSE strain present in sheep, cattle were inoculated intracerebrally with two different pools of brains from scrapie-affected sheep sourced prior to and during the BSE epidemic to investigate resulting disease phenotypes and characterise their causal agents by transmission to rodents. Results As reported in 2006, intracerebral inoculation of cattle with pre-1975 and post-1990 scrapie brain pools produced two distinct disease phenotypes, which were unlike classical BSE. Subsequent to that report none of the remaining cattle, culled at 10 years post inoculation, developed a TSE. Retrospective Western immunoblot examination of the brains from TSE cases inoculated with the pre-1975 scrapie pool revealed a molecular profile similar to L-type BSE. The inoculation of transgenic mice expressing the bovine, ovine, porcine, murine or human prion protein gene and bank voles with brains from scrapie-affected cattle did not detect classical or atypical BSE strains but identified two previously characterised scrapie strains of sheep. Conclusions Characterisation of the causal agents of disease resulting from exposure of cattle to naturally occurring scrapie agents sourced in Great Britain did not reveal evidence of classical or atypical BSE, but did identify two distinct previously recognised strains of scrapie. Although scrapie was still recognizable upon cattle passage there were irreconcilable discrepancies between the results of biological strain typing approaches and molecular profiling methods, suggesting that the latter may not be appropriate for the identification and differentiation of atypical, particularly L-type, BSE agents from cattle experimentally infected with a potential mixture of classical scrapie strains from sheep sources. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13104-015-1260-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timm Konold
- Specialist Scientific Support Department, Animal and Plant Health Agency Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB, UK.
| | - Romolo Nonno
- Department of Veterinary Public Health and Food Safety, Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS), Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161, Rome, Italy.
| | - John Spiropoulos
- Pathology Department, Animal and Plant Health Agency Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB, UK.
| | - Melanie J Chaplin
- Prion Unit, Virology Department, Animal and Plant Health Agency Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB, UK.
| | - Michael J Stack
- Prion Unit, Virology Department, Animal and Plant Health Agency Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB, UK.
| | - Steve A C Hawkins
- Pathology Department, Animal and Plant Health Agency Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB, UK.
| | - Saira Cawthraw
- Specialist Scientific Support Department, Animal and Plant Health Agency Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB, UK.
| | - John W Wilesmith
- Formerly Epidemiology Department, Veterinary Laboratories Agency Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB, UK.
| | - Gerald A H Wells
- Formerly Neuropathology, Veterinary Laboratories Agency Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB, UK.
| | - Umberto Agrimi
- Department of Veterinary Public Health and Food Safety, Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS), Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161, Rome, Italy.
| | - Michele A Di Bari
- Department of Veterinary Public Health and Food Safety, Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS), Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161, Rome, Italy.
| | - Olivier Andréoletti
- UMR INRA-ENVT 1225, Interactions Hôte Agent Pathogène, École Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse, 31076, Toulouse Cedex 3, France.
| | - Juan C Espinosa
- Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal (CISA-INIA), Madrid, Spain.
| | | | - Juan M Torres
- Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal (CISA-INIA), Madrid, Spain.
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Konold T, Phelan LJ, Clifford D, Chaplin MJ, Cawthraw S, Stack MJ, Simmons MM. The pathological and molecular but not clinical phenotypes are maintained after second passage of experimental atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy in cattle. BMC Vet Res 2014; 10:243. [PMID: 25274502 PMCID: PMC4190426 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-014-0243-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2014] [Accepted: 09/24/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathies (BSEs), classified as H-type and L-type BSE based on the Western immunoblot profiles, are naturally occurring diseases in cattle, which are phenotypically different to classical BSE. Transmission studies in cattle using the intracerebral route resulted in disease where the phenotypes were maintained irrespective of BSE type but clinically affected cattle with a shorter survival time displayed a nervous form whereas cattle with a longer survival time displayed a dull form. A second transmission study is reported here where four cattle were intracerebrally inoculated with brain tissue from experimentally infected cattle presenting with either the nervous or dull form of H- or L-type BSE to determine whether the phenotype is maintained. Results The four inoculated cattle were culled at 16.5-19.5 months post inoculation after presenting with difficulty getting up, a positive scratch response (all) and dullness (three cattle), which was not observed in two non-inoculated control cattle, each housed with either group of inoculated cattle. Only the inoculated cattle had detectable prion protein in the brain based on immunohistochemical examination, and the Western immunoblot profile was consistent with the H-type or L-type BSE of the respective donor cattle. Conclusions Second passage of H-type and L-type BSE in cattle produced a TSE where the majority of cattle displayed the dull form regardless of clinical disease form of the donor cattle. The pathological and molecular phenotypes of H- and L-type BSE were maintained. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12917-014-0243-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timm Konold
- Animal Sciences Unit, Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency, New Haw, Addlestone, KT15 3NB, UK.
| | - Laura J Phelan
- Pathology Department, Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency, New Haw, Addlestone, KT15 3NB, UK.
| | - Derek Clifford
- Animal Sciences Unit, Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency, New Haw, Addlestone, KT15 3NB, UK.
| | - Melanie J Chaplin
- Prion Unit, Virology Department, Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency, New Haw, Addlestone, KT15 3NB, UK.
| | - Saira Cawthraw
- Central Sequencing Unit, Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency, New Haw, Addlestone, KT15 3NB, UK.
| | - Michael J Stack
- Prion Unit, Virology Department, Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency, New Haw, Addlestone, KT15 3NB, UK.
| | - Marion M Simmons
- Pathology Department, Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency, New Haw, Addlestone, KT15 3NB, UK.
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Consideration of Risk Variations in Japan Derived from the Proposed Revisions of the Current Countermeasures against BSE. Food Saf (Tokyo) 2014. [DOI: 10.14252/foodsafetyfscj.2014019f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
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Stack MJ, Chaplin MJ, Davis LA, Everitt S, Simmons MM, Windl O, Hope J, Burke P. Four BSE cases with an L‐BSE molecular profile in cattle from Great Britain. VETERINARY RECORD CASE REPORTS 2013. [DOI: 10.1136/vetreccr.101158rep] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- M. J. Stack
- Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA)TSE DepartmentWoodham Lane, AddlestoneWeybridgeSurreyKT15 3NBUK
| | - M. J. Chaplin
- Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA)TSE DepartmentWoodham Lane, AddlestoneWeybridgeSurreyKT15 3NBUK
| | - L. A. Davis
- Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA)TSE DepartmentWoodham Lane, AddlestoneWeybridgeSurreyKT15 3NBUK
| | - S. Everitt
- Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA)TSE DepartmentWoodham Lane, AddlestoneWeybridgeSurreyKT15 3NBUK
| | - M. M. Simmons
- Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA)TSE DepartmentWoodham Lane, AddlestoneWeybridgeSurreyKT15 3NBUK
| | - O. Windl
- Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA)TSE DepartmentWoodham Lane, AddlestoneWeybridgeSurreyKT15 3NBUK
| | - J. Hope
- Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA)TSE DepartmentWoodham Lane, AddlestoneWeybridgeSurreyKT15 3NBUK
| | - P. Burke
- Animal Health and Welfare Board for England SecretariatDepartment for Environment Food and Rural AffairsNobel House, 17 Smith SquareLondonSW1P 3JRUK
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Konold T, Spiropoulos J, Chaplin MJ, Stack MJ, Hawkins SAC, Wilesmith JW, Wells GAH. Unsuccessful oral transmission of scrapie from British sheep to cattle. Vet Rec 2013; 173:118. [PMID: 23723100 DOI: 10.1136/vr.101286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- T Konold
- Animal Sciences Unit, Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 3NB, UK.
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Stack MJ, Chaplin MJ, Davis LA, Everitt S, Simmons MM, Windl O, Hope J, Burke P. Four BSE cases with an L-BSE molecular profile in cattle from Great Britain. Vet Rec 2012; 172:70. [PMID: 23249774 DOI: 10.1136/vr.101158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is a prion disease of cattle which was first observed in Great Britain (GB) in 1986. Throughout the subsequent BSE epidemic, cases identified by passive surveillance have shown consistent histopathological, immunohistochemical, biochemical and biological properties. However, since the start of active surveillance in 2001, across Europe and elsewhere, approximately 67 cases with different biochemical characteristics have been identified by Western blotting (WB). These cases fall into two categories; 'H-type' (H-BSE) or 'L-type' (L-BSE), based on the relatively heavy (H-BSE) or light (L-BSE) mass of the unglycosylated band of the prion protein, as compared with WB against that obtained from classical BSE (C-BSE) cases. Here we report the detection and confirmation of the first four L-BSE cases by active surveillance in GB, two of which were born after the reinforced feed ban of 1996 (BARB cases). These four L-BSE cases were found in relatively old cattle (age range; 11-21 years old) and the carcases did not enter the human food chain or animal feed chains.
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Affiliation(s)
- M J Stack
- Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency, TSE Department, Addlestone, Weybridge, Surrey KT15 3NB, UK.
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Bovine spongiform encephalopathy: the effect of oral exposure dose on attack rate and incubation period in cattle - an update. BMC Res Notes 2012; 5:674. [PMID: 23217206 PMCID: PMC3543162 DOI: 10.1186/1756-0500-5-674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2012] [Accepted: 11/27/2012] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND To provide information on dose-response and aid in modelling the exposure dynamics of the BSE epidemic in the United Kingdom groups of cattle were exposed orally to a range of different doses of brainstem homogenate of known infectious titre from clinical cases of classical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). Interim data from this study was published in 2007. This communication documents additional BSE cases, which occurred subsequently, examines possible influence of the bovine prion protein gene on disease incidence and revises estimates of effective oral exposure. FINDINGS Following interim published results, two further cattle, one dosed with 100 mg and culled at 127 months post exposure and the other dosed with 10 mg and culled at 110 months post exposure, developed BSE. Both had a similar pathological phenotype to previous cases. Based on attack rate and incubation period distribution according to dose, the dose estimate at which 50% of confirmed cases would be clinically affected was revised to 0.15 g of the brain homogenate used in the experiment, with a 95% confidence interval of 0.03-0.79 g. Neither the full open reading frame nor the promoter region of the prion protein gene of dosed cattle appeared to influence susceptibility to BSE, but this may be due to the sample size. CONCLUSIONS Oral exposure of cattle to a large range of doses of a BSE brainstem homogenate produced disease in all dose groups. The pathological presentation resembled natural disease. The attack rate and incubation period were dependent on the dose.
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Konold T, Bone GE, Clifford D, Chaplin MJ, Cawthraw S, Stack MJ, Simmons MM. Experimental H-type and L-type bovine spongiform encephalopathy in cattle: observation of two clinical syndromes and diagnostic challenges. BMC Vet Res 2012; 8:22. [PMID: 22401036 PMCID: PMC3378435 DOI: 10.1186/1746-6148-8-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2011] [Accepted: 03/08/2012] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The majority of atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) cases so far identified worldwide have been detected by active surveillance. Consequently the volume and quality of material available for detailed characterisation is very limiting. Here we report on a small transmission study of both atypical forms, H- and L-type BSE, in cattle to provide tissue for test evaluation and research, and to generate clinical, molecular and pathological data in a standardised way to enable more robust comparison of the two variants with particular reference to those aspects most relevant to case ascertainment and confirmatory diagnosis within existing regulated surveillance programmes. RESULTS Two groups of four cattle, intracerebrally inoculated with L-type or H-type BSE, all presented with a nervous disease form with some similarities to classical BSE, which progressed to a more dull form in one animal from each group. Difficulty rising was a consistent feature of both disease forms and not seen in two BSE-free, non-inoculated cattle that served as controls. The pathology and molecular characteristics were distinct from classical BSE, and broadly consistent with published data, but with some variation in the pathological characteristics. Both atypical BSE types were readily detectable as BSE by current confirmatory methods using the medulla brain region at the obex, but making a clear diagnostic distinction between the forms was not consistently straightforward in this brain region. Cerebellum proved a more reliable sample for discrimination when using immunohistochemistry. CONCLUSIONS The prominent feature of difficulty rising in atypical BSE cases may explain the detection of naturally occurring cases in emergency slaughter cattle and fallen stock. Current confirmatory diagnostic methods are effective for the detection of such atypical cases, but consistently and correctly identifying the variant forms may require modifications to the sampling regimes and methods that are currently in use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timm Konold
- TSE Department, Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, UK.
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Abstract
Prion diseases occur in many animal species, most notably in ruminants. While scrapie in sheep has been recognised for three centuries and goat scrapie has been recognised for decades, BSE in cattle is a relatively novel disease which was first diagnosed in the UK in the mid 1980s. BSE was most likely caused through dietary exposure to animal feed contaminated with prions and disease was subsequently transmitted to people. The BSE epidemic is almost at an end, but the recent identification of so called atypical forms of BSE and scrapie pose many questions about the possible spectrum of prion diseases in animals and their transmissibility to other species, including humans.The pathogenesis of animal prion diseases has been studied both in natural infections and in experimental animal models. Detection of infectivity is greatly helped by suitable rodent models, in particular transgenic mice. Clinically infected animals show characteristic neuropathology in the brain and spinal cord which is accompanied by the accumulation of a conformationally altered, protease-resistant host protein. The post-mortem diagnosis is based on the detection of this protein, PrP(Sc), but despite recent impressive developments a routine ante-mortem diagnostic test has proved elusive.There is no treatment for prion diseases in animals, but disease outbreaks are controlled through a mixture of movement restrictions on holdings, culling of affected animals and herds and, for classical scrapie in sheep, selective breeding for genetic resistance. Prions are very stable and can remain in the environment for prolonged periods. This poses serious practical questions with regard to the decontamination of infected premises. The control of BSE specifically through restrictions in animal feeding practises has been successful, but the changing spectrum of these diseases plus the economic pressures to relax feed bans and reduce levels of surveillance will require constant vigilance to safeguard animal and public health.
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Konold T, Bone GE, Simmons MM. Time and frequency domain analysis of heart rate variability in cattle affected by bovine spongiform encephalopathy. BMC Res Notes 2011; 4:259. [PMID: 21787422 PMCID: PMC3169472 DOI: 10.1186/1756-0500-4-259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2011] [Accepted: 07/25/2011] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Heart rate variability (HRV) analysis is a method to assess the function of the autonomic nervous system. Brainstem nuclei that influence HRV are affected by vacuolar changes and accumulation of disease-associated prion protein (PrPd) in bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) resulting in clinical signs suggestive of an increased parasympathetic tone. It was hypothesised that BSE in cattle causes changes in the autonomic nervous system; this was tested by comparing HRV indices derived from 1048 electrocardiograms, which were recorded from 51 naturally or experimentally infected cattle with BSE confirmed by postmortem tests, 321 clinical suspect cases or cattle inoculated with potentially infectious tissue without disease confirmation and 78 BSE-free control cattle. Findings Statistically significant differences were found for low or high frequency power, their normalised values and ratio when the last recording prior to cull or repeated recordings were compared but only between male and female cattle of the three groups and not between groups of the same gender, even though BSE cases of each gender appeared to be more nervous during the recording. The same findings were made for heart rate, deviation from the mean RR interval and vasovagal tonus index when repeated recordings were compared. BSE cases with severe vacuolar changes in the parasympathetic nucleus of the vagus nerve had a significantly lower low:high frequency power ratio but not a lower heart rate than BSE cases with mild vacuolation, whereas severity of vacuolar changes in the solitary tract nucleus or intensity of PrPd accumulation in both nuclei did not appear to have any affect on either index. Abnormalities in the electrocardiogram were detected in 3% of the recordings irrespective of the BSE status; sinus arrhythmia was present in 93% of the remaining recordings. Conclusions HRV analysis was not useful to distinguish BSE-positive from BSE-negative cattle grouped by gender, and HRV indices appeared to be mainly influenced by gender. There is agreement with earlier studies that vacuolar changes in the brainstem may be associated with an increased parasympathetic tone in BSE and that abnormalities in an electrocardiogram can be detected in cattle without evidence of heart disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timm Konold
- Pathology & Host Susceptibility, Neuropathology, Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, KT15 3NB, UK.
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