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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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Scrapie Resistance Gene Identification using Optimized Taqman Test qPCR Method in Sheep on the Territory of the Republic of Serbia. ACTA VET-BEOGRAD 2021. [DOI: 10.2478/acve-2021-0016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Scrapie is an infectious neurodegenerative disease affecting the central nervous system of sheep and goats that belongs to transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. The disease is caused by the accumulation of proteinase-resistant isoform of the prion protein. The sheep predisposition to scrapie is associated with polymorphisms of the PrP gene. Genetic susceptibility to scrapie is mainly related to codons 136, 154, and 171. ARR sheep are strongly scrapie resistant and VRQ genotype is the most susceptible. Many countries have scrapie eradication programs based on using rams with resistant genotype. The eradication program has not yet been implemented in the Republic of Serbia. To examine the genetic makeup of sheep in Serbia related to scrapie, we optimized TaqMan probes of real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) technique for three codons. Blood samples from 100 sheep were analyzed by qPCR and the majority of the examined sheep were AA homozygous for the 136 codon. For codon 154 the most frequent genotype was RR and for codon 171 the most frequent genotype was QQ.
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Abstract
In sheep, scrapie is a fatal neurologic disease that is caused by a misfolded protein called a prion (designated PrPSc). The normal cellular prion protein (PrPC) is encoded by an endogenous gene, PRNP, that is present in high concentrations within the CNS. Although a broad range of functions has been described for PrPC, its entire range of functions has yet to be fully elucidated. Accumulation of PrPSc results in neurodegeneration. The PRNP gene has several naturally occurring polymorphisms, and there is a strong correlation between scrapie susceptibility and PRNP genotype. The cornerstone of scrapie eradication programs is the selection of scrapie-resistant genotypes to eliminate classical scrapie. Transmission of classical scrapie in sheep occurs during the prenatal and periparturient periods when lambs are highly susceptible. Initially, the scrapie agent is disseminated throughout the lymphoid system and into the CNS. Shedding of the scrapie agent occurs before the onset of clinical signs. In contrast to classical scrapie, atypical scrapie is believed to be a spontaneous disease that occurs in isolated instances in older animals within a flock. The agent that causes atypical scrapie is not considered to be naturally transmissible. Transmission of the scrapie agent to species other than sheep, including deer, has been experimentally demonstrated as has the transmission of nonscrapie prion agents to sheep. The purpose of this review is to outline the current methods for diagnosing scrapie in sheep and the techniques used for studying the pathogenesis and host range of the scrapie agent. Also discussed is the US scrapie eradication program including recent updates.
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Nonno R, Marin-Moreno A, Carlos Espinosa J, Fast C, Van Keulen L, Spiropoulos J, Lantier I, Andreoletti O, Pirisinu L, Di Bari MA, Aguilar-Calvo P, Sklaviadis T, Papasavva-Stylianou P, Acutis PL, Acin C, Bossers A, Jacobs JG, Vaccari G, D'Agostino C, Chiappini B, Lantier F, Groschup MH, Agrimi U, Maria Torres J, Langeveld JPM. Characterization of goat prions demonstrates geographical variation of scrapie strains in Europe and reveals the composite nature of prion strains. Sci Rep 2020; 10:19. [PMID: 31913327 PMCID: PMC6949283 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-57005-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2019] [Accepted: 12/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) is the only animal prion which has been recognized as a zoonotic agent so far. The identification of BSE in two goats raised the need to reliably identify BSE in small ruminants. However, our understanding of scrapie strain diversity in small ruminants remains ill-defined, thus limiting the accuracy of BSE surveillance and spreading fear that BSE might lurk unrecognized in goats. We investigated prion strain diversity in a large panel of European goats by a novel experimental approach that, instead of assessing the neuropathological profile after serial transmissions in a single animal model, was based on the direct interaction of prion isolates with several recipient rodent models expressing small ruminants or heterologous prion proteins. The findings show that the biological properties of scrapie isolates display different patterns of geographical distribution in Europe and suggest that goat BSE could be reliably discriminated from a wide range of biologically and geographically diverse goat prion isolates. Finally, most field prion isolates showed composite strain features, with discrete strain components or sub-strains being present in different proportions in individual goats or tissues. This has important implications for understanding the nature and evolution of scrapie strains and their transmissibility to other species, including humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romolo Nonno
- Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Rome, Italy.
| | | | | | - Christine Fast
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute, Greifswald-Isle of Riems, Germany
| | | | - John Spiropoulos
- Animal and Plant Health Agency, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey, United Kingdom
| | - Isabelle Lantier
- INRA-Centre Val de Loire, Infectiologie et Santé Publique, Nouzilly, France
| | - Olivier Andreoletti
- UMR INRA ENVT 1225- IHAP, École Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Laura Pirisinu
- Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Rome, Italy
| | - Michele A Di Bari
- Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Theodoros Sklaviadis
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, School of Health Sciences, Department of Pharmacy, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | | | - Pier Luigi Acutis
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Torino, Italy
| | - Cristina Acin
- Centro de Encefalopatías y Enfermedades Transmisibles Emergentes, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Alex Bossers
- Wageningen BioVeterinary Research, Lelystad, the Netherlands
| | - Jorge G Jacobs
- Wageningen BioVeterinary Research, Lelystad, the Netherlands
| | - Gabriele Vaccari
- Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Rome, Italy
| | - Claudia D'Agostino
- Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Rome, Italy
| | - Barbara Chiappini
- Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Rome, Italy
| | - Frederic Lantier
- INRA-Centre Val de Loire, Infectiologie et Santé Publique, Nouzilly, France
| | - Martin H Groschup
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute, Greifswald-Isle of Riems, Germany
| | - Umberto Agrimi
- Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Rome, Italy
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Miyazawa K, Masujin K, Matsuura Y, Iwamaru Y, Yokoyama T, Okada H. Interspecies transmission to bovinized transgenic mice uncovers new features of a CH1641-like scrapie isolate. Vet Res 2018; 49:116. [PMID: 30486902 PMCID: PMC6262972 DOI: 10.1186/s13567-018-0611-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2018] [Accepted: 11/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
In animal prion diseases, including bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle, chronic wasting disease in cervids, and scrapie in sheep and goats, a disease-associated isoform of prion protein (PrPd) accumulates in the brains of affected animals. Although the CH1641 scrapie isolate was experimentally established in the UK, a few natural CH1641-like scrapie cases have been reported in France and the UK. The molecular mass of the unglycosylated protease-resistant core of PrPd (PrPres) is known to be similar between CH1641-like scrapie and experimental BSE in sheep. We previously established an experimental CH1641-like scrapie isolate (Sh294) from a natural classical scrapie case. Here, we demonstrated that the Sh294 isolate was independent of both classical and atypical BSEs by cross-species transmission to bovine PrP overexpressing (TgBoPrP) mice and wild-type mice. Interestingly, we found that the Sh294 isolate altered its host range by the transmission to TgBoPrP mice, and we succeeded in the first stable reproduction of CH1641-like scrapie specific PrPres banding patterns with the ~12-kDa small C-terminal fragment in wild-type mice. This study provides new insight into the relationship between CH1641-like scrapie isolates and BSEs. In addition, interspecies transmission models such as we have demonstrated here could be a great help to investigate the origin and host range of animal prions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kohtaro Miyazawa
- Prion Disease Unit, Division of Transboundary Animal Disease, National Institute of Animal Health (NIAH), National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
| | - Kentaro Masujin
- Exotic Disease Research Unit, Division of Transboundary Animal Diseases, NIAH, NARO, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yuichi Matsuura
- Prion Disease Unit, Division of Transboundary Animal Disease, National Institute of Animal Health (NIAH), National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Yoshifumi Iwamaru
- Prion Disease Unit, Division of Transboundary Animal Disease, National Institute of Animal Health (NIAH), National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Takashi Yokoyama
- Department of Planning and General Administration, NIAH, NARO, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Okada
- Prion Disease Unit, Division of Transboundary Animal Disease, National Institute of Animal Health (NIAH), National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
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Abstract
Scrapie is a naturally occurring transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) or prion disease of sheep and goats. Scrapie is a protein misfolding disease where the normal prion protein (PrPC) misfolds into a pathogenic form (PrPSc) that is highly resistant to enzymatic breakdown within the cell and accumulates, eventually leading to neurodegeneration. The amino acid sequence of the prion protein and tissue distribution of PrPSc within affected hosts have a major role in determining susceptibility to and potential environmental contamination with the scrapie agent. Many countries have genotype-based eradication programs that emphasize using rams that express arginine at codon 171 in the prion protein, which is associated with resistance to the classical scrapie agent. In classical scrapie, accumulation of PrPSc within lymphoid and other tissues facilitates environmental contamination and spread of the disease within flocks. A major distinction can be made between classical scrapie strains that are readily spread within populations of susceptible sheep and goats and atypical (Nor-98) scrapie that has unique molecular and phenotype characteristics and is thought to occur spontaneously in older sheep or goats. This review provides an overview of classical and atypical scrapie with consideration of potential transmission of classical scrapie to other mammalian hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin J Greenlee
- 1 Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, USA
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Bolea R, Hedman C, López-Pérez Ó, Marín B, Vidal E, Pumarola M, Corbière F, Romero A, Moreno B, Martín-Burriel I, Andréoletti O, Badiola JJ. Experimental transmission to a calf of an isolate of Spanish classical scrapie. J Gen Virol 2017; 98:2628-2634. [PMID: 28920852 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.000906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple theories exist regarding the origin of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). An early and prominent theory proposed that BSE was the result of the adaptation of sheep scrapie to cattle. The reports to date indicate that the distribution of the pathological prion protein (PrPSc) in experimental bovine scrapie is largely restricted to the central nervous system (CNS). Here, we describe pathological findings in a calf intracerebrally inoculated with a Spanish classical scrapie isolate. While clinical disease was observed 30 months after inoculation and PrPSc was detected in the CNS, the corresponding phenotype differed from that of BSE. Immunohistochemistry and PMCA also revealed the presence of PrPSc in the peripheral nerves, lymphoid tissues, skeletal muscle and gastrointestinal tract, suggesting centrifugal spread of the scrapie agent from the brain. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report describing the detection of PrPSc in tissues other than the CNS after experimental transmission of scrapie to cattle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosa Bolea
- Centro de Investigación en Encefalopatías y Enfermedades Transmisibles Emergentes (CIEETE), Veterinary Faculty, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Carlos Hedman
- Centro de Investigación en Encefalopatías y Enfermedades Transmisibles Emergentes (CIEETE), Veterinary Faculty, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Óscar López-Pérez
- Centro de Investigación en Encefalopatías y Enfermedades Transmisibles Emergentes (CIEETE), Veterinary Faculty, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Belén Marín
- Centro de Investigación en Encefalopatías y Enfermedades Transmisibles Emergentes (CIEETE), Veterinary Faculty, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Enríc Vidal
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Veterinary Faculty, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Martí Pumarola
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Veterinary Faculty, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Fabien Corbière
- UMR INRA ENVT 1225, Interactions Hôtes Agents Pathogènes, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse, 31076 Toulouse, France
| | - Antonio Romero
- Veterinary Hospital, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Bernardino Moreno
- Centro de Investigación en Encefalopatías y Enfermedades Transmisibles Emergentes (CIEETE), Veterinary Faculty, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Inmaculada Martín-Burriel
- Centro de Investigación en Encefalopatías y Enfermedades Transmisibles Emergentes (CIEETE), Veterinary Faculty, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Olivier Andréoletti
- UMR INRA ENVT 1225, Interactions Hôtes Agents Pathogènes, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse, 31076 Toulouse, France
| | - Juan José Badiola
- Centro de Investigación en Encefalopatías y Enfermedades Transmisibles Emergentes (CIEETE), Veterinary Faculty, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain
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Ricci A, Allende A, Bolton D, Chemaly M, Davies R, Fernández Escámez PS, Gironés R, Herman L, Koutsoumanis K, Lindqvist R, Nørrung B, Robertson L, Sanaa M, Simmons M, Skandamis P, Snary E, Speybroeck N, Kuile BT, Threlfall J, Wahlström H, Adkin A, De Koeijer A, Ducrot C, Griffin J, Ortiz Pelaez A, Latronico F, Ru G. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) cases born after the total feed ban. EFSA J 2017; 15:e04885. [PMID: 32625550 PMCID: PMC7010122 DOI: 10.2903/j.efsa.2017.4885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Sixty bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) cases of Classical or unknown type (BARB‐60 cases) were born after the date of entry into force of the EU total feed ban on 1 January 2001. The European Commission has requested EFSA to provide a scientific opinion on the most likely origin(s) of these BARB‐60 cases; whether feeding with material contaminated with the BSE agent can be excluded as the origin of any of these cases and, if so, whether there is enough scientific evidence to conclude that such cases had a spontaneous origin. The source of infection cannot be ascertained at the individual level for any BSE case, including these BARB‐60 cases, so uncertainty remains high about the origin of disease in each of these animals, but when compared with other biologically plausible sources of infection (maternal, environmental, genetic, iatrogenic), feed‐borne exposure is the most likely. This exposure was apparently excluded for only one of these BARB‐60 cases. However, there is considerable uncertainty associated with the data collected through the field investigation of these cases, due to a time span of several years between the potential exposure of the animal and the confirmation of disease, recall difficulty, and the general paucity of documented objective evidence available in the farms at the time of the investigation. Thus, feeding with material contaminated with the BSE agent cannot be excluded as the origin of any of the BARB‐60 cases, nor is it possible to definitively attribute feed as the cause of any of the BARB‐60 cases. A case of disease is classified as spontaneous by a process of elimination, excluding all other definable possibilities; with regard to the BARB‐60 cases, it is not possible to conclude that any of them had a spontaneous origin.
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Moore SJ, West Greenlee MH, Smith JD, Vrentas CE, Nicholson EM, Greenlee JJ. A Comparison of Classical and H-Type Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Associated with E211K Prion Protein Polymorphism in Wild-Type and EK211 Cattle Following Intracranial Inoculation. Front Vet Sci 2016; 3:78. [PMID: 27695695 PMCID: PMC5023952 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2016.00078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2016] [Accepted: 08/31/2016] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
In 2006, a case of H-type bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE-H) was diagnosed in a cow that was associated with a heritable polymorphism in the bovine prion protein gene (PRNP) resulting in a lysine for glutamate amino acid substitution at codon 211 (called E211K) of the prion protein. Although the prevalence of this polymorphism is low, cattle carrying the K211 allele may be predisposed to rapid onset of BSE-H when exposed or to the potential development of a genetic BSE. This study was conducted to better understand the relationship between the K211 polymorphism and its effect on BSE phenotype. BSE-H from the US 2006 case was inoculated intracranially (IC) in one PRNP wild-type (EE211) calf and one EK211 calf. In addition, one wild-type calf and one EK211 calf were inoculated IC with brain homogenate from a US 2003 classical BSE case. All cattle developed clinical disease. The survival time of the E211K BSE-H inoculated EK211 calf (10 months) was shorter than the wild-type calf (18 months). This genotype effect was not observed in classical BSE inoculated cattle (both 26 months). Significant changes in retinal function were observed in H-type BSE challenged cattle only. Cattle challenged with the same inoculum showed similar severity and neuroanatomical distribution of vacuolation and disease-associated prion protein deposition in the brain, though differences in neuropathology were observed between E211K BSE-H and classical BSE inoculated animals. Western blot results for brain tissue from challenged animals were consistent with the inoculum strains. This study demonstrates that the phenotype of E211K BSE-H remains stable when transmitted to cattle without the K211 polymorphism, and exhibits a number of features that differ from classical BSE in both wild-type and heterozygous EK211 animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Jo Moore
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center, United States Department of Agriculture , Ames, IA , USA
| | - M Heather West Greenlee
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Interdepartmental Toxicology Program, Iowa State University , Ames, IA , USA
| | - Jodi D Smith
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center, United States Department of Agriculture , Ames, IA , USA
| | - Catherine E Vrentas
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center, United States Department of Agriculture , Ames, IA , USA
| | - Eric M Nicholson
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center, United States Department of Agriculture , Ames, IA , USA
| | - Justin J Greenlee
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center, United States Department of Agriculture , Ames, IA , USA
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Abstract
Prion diseases or transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are fatal protein-misfolding neurodegenerative diseases. TSEs have been described in several species, including bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle, scrapie in sheep and goats, chronic wasting disease (CWD) in cervids, transmissible mink encephalopathy (TME) in mink, and Kuru and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans. These diseases are associated with the accumulation of a protease-resistant, disease-associated isoform of the prion protein (called PrP(Sc)) in the central nervous system and other tissues, depending on the host species. Typically, TSEs are acquired through exposure to infectious material, but inherited and spontaneous TSEs also occur. All TSEs share pathologic features and infectious mechanisms but have distinct differences in transmission and epidemiology due to host factors and strain differences encoded within the structure of the misfolded prion protein. The possibility that BSE can be transmitted to humans as the cause of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease has brought attention to this family of diseases. This review is focused on the TSEs of livestock: bovine spongiform encephalopathy in cattle and scrapie in sheep and goats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin J Greenlee
- Justin J. Greenlee, DVM, PhD, Diplomate ACVP, is a research veterinary medical officer in the Virus and Prion Research Unit of the National Animal Disease Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service in Ames, Iowa. M. Heather West Greenlee, PhD, is an associate professor of biomedical sciences at the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine
| | - M Heather West Greenlee
- Justin J. Greenlee, DVM, PhD, Diplomate ACVP, is a research veterinary medical officer in the Virus and Prion Research Unit of the National Animal Disease Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service in Ames, Iowa. M. Heather West Greenlee, PhD, is an associate professor of biomedical sciences at the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine
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11
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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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Cassard H, Torres JM, Lacroux C, Douet JY, Benestad SL, Lantier F, Lugan S, Lantier I, Costes P, Aron N, Reine F, Herzog L, Espinosa JC, Beringue V, Andréoletti O. Evidence for zoonotic potential of ovine scrapie prions. Nat Commun 2014; 5:5821. [PMID: 25510416 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms6821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2014] [Accepted: 11/10/2014] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Although Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) is the cause of variant Creutzfeldt Jakob disease (vCJD) in humans, the zoonotic potential of scrapie prions remains unknown. Mice genetically engineered to overexpress the human prion protein (tgHu) have emerged as highly relevant models for gauging the capacity of prions to transmit to humans. These models can propagate human prions without any apparent transmission barrier and have been used used to confirm the zoonotic ability of BSE. Here we show that a panel of sheep scrapie prions transmit to several tgHu mice models with an efficiency comparable to that of cattle BSE. The serial transmission of different scrapie isolates in these mice led to the propagation of prions that are phenotypically identical to those causing sporadic CJD (sCJD) in humans. These results demonstrate that scrapie prions have a zoonotic potential and raise new questions about the possible link between animal and human prions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hervé Cassard
- UMR INRA ENVT 1225, Interactions Hôtes Agents Pathogènes, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse, 23 Chemin des Capelles, 31076 Toulouse, France
| | | | - Caroline Lacroux
- UMR INRA ENVT 1225, Interactions Hôtes Agents Pathogènes, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse, 23 Chemin des Capelles, 31076 Toulouse, France
| | - Jean-Yves Douet
- UMR INRA ENVT 1225, Interactions Hôtes Agents Pathogènes, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse, 23 Chemin des Capelles, 31076 Toulouse, France
| | - Sylvie L Benestad
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Postboks 750 Sentrum, 0106 Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Séverine Lugan
- UMR INRA ENVT 1225, Interactions Hôtes Agents Pathogènes, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse, 23 Chemin des Capelles, 31076 Toulouse, France
| | | | - Pierrette Costes
- UMR INRA ENVT 1225, Interactions Hôtes Agents Pathogènes, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse, 23 Chemin des Capelles, 31076 Toulouse, France
| | - Naima Aron
- UMR INRA ENVT 1225, Interactions Hôtes Agents Pathogènes, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse, 23 Chemin des Capelles, 31076 Toulouse, France
| | - Fabienne Reine
- UR892 Virologie et Immunologie Moléculaires Centre de Recherche de Jouy-en-Josas, F-78352 Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Laetitia Herzog
- UR892 Virologie et Immunologie Moléculaires Centre de Recherche de Jouy-en-Josas, F-78352 Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | | | - Vincent Beringue
- UR892 Virologie et Immunologie Moléculaires Centre de Recherche de Jouy-en-Josas, F-78352 Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Olivier Andréoletti
- UMR INRA ENVT 1225, Interactions Hôtes Agents Pathogènes, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse, 23 Chemin des Capelles, 31076 Toulouse, France
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13
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Protocol for further laboratory investigations into the distribution of infectivity of Atypical BSE. EFSA J 2014. [DOI: 10.2903/j.efsa.2014.3798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
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Vickery CM, Beck KE, Simmons MM, Hawkins SAC, Spiropoulos J. Disease characteristics of bovine spongiform encephalopathy following inoculation into mice via three different routes. Int J Exp Pathol 2013; 94:320-8. [PMID: 24020404 PMCID: PMC3781778 DOI: 10.1111/iep.12036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2013] [Accepted: 06/06/2013] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Mouse-adapted transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) strains are routinely distinguished based on reproducible disease characteristics in a given mouse line following inoculation via a consistent route. We investigated whether different administration routes (oral, intragastric (i.g.) and intracerebral (i.c.)) can alter the disease characteristics in IM mice after serial dilution of a stabilized mouse-adapted bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) strain (301V). In addition, the infectivity of distal ileum and mesenteric lymph nodes (ln) sampled at three time points (35 days postinoculation (dpi), 70 dpi and terminal disease) after i.g. inoculation of 301V strain was assessed in mice by i.c. challenge. Strain characteristics were assessed according to standard methodology and PrPSc immunohistochemistry deposition patterns. Mean incubation periods were prolonged following oral or i.g. inoculations compared to the i.c. route. Lesion profiles following i.c. challenges were elevated compared to i.g. and oral routes although vacuolation in the dorsal medulla was consistently high irrespective of the route of administration. Nevertheless, the same PrPSc deposition pattern was associated with each route of administration. Distal and mesenteric ln infectivity was detected as early as 35 dpi and displayed consistent lesion profiles and PrPSc deposition patterns. Our data suggest that although 301V retained its properties, some phenotypic parameters were affected by the route of inoculation. We conclude that bioassay data should be interpreted carefully and should be standardized for route of inoculation.
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15
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Vrentas CE, Greenlee JJ, Baron T, Caramelli M, Czub S, Nicholson EM. Stability properties of PrP(Sc) from cattle with experimental transmissible spongiform encephalopathies: use of a rapid whole homogenate, protease-free assay. BMC Vet Res 2013; 9:167. [PMID: 23945217 PMCID: PMC3751458 DOI: 10.1186/1746-6148-9-167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2013] [Accepted: 08/12/2013] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs), including scrapie in sheep, chronic wasting disease (CWD) in cervids, transmissible mink encephalopathy (TME), and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), are fatal diseases of the nervous system associated with accumulation of misfolded prion protein (PrPSc). Different strains of TSEs exist, associated with different PrPSc conformations that can be probed by the stability assay, in which PrPSc is treated with increasing concentrations of the denaturant guanidine hydrochloride (GdnHCl). Results Here, we provide the first comprehensive application of a rapid, protease-free version of the GdnHCl stability assay to brain tissue from cattle experimentally infected with various TSE isolates. Consistent with previous findings from a single Japanese isolate, the L-type isolates of BSE are not distinguishable from classical BSE in this assay. In contrast, H-type isolates of BSE, including our unique isolate of E211K BSE, exhibit higher stability than classical BSE, suggesting that its increased protection against protease digestion at the BSE N-terminus is associated with a higher stability in GdnHCl. While the difference in stability in our version of the assay is likely not large enough for effective use in a diagnostic laboratory setting, the use of alternative experimental conditions may enhance this effect. TSEs from other natural host species that have been passaged in cattle, including CWD and TME, were not distinguishable from classical BSE, while isolates of cattle passaged scrapie exhibited a slight increase in stability as compared to classical BSE. Conclusions These results suggest that the core of PrPSc, as probed in this assay, has similar stability properties among cattle-passaged TSE isolates and that the conformational differences that lead to changes in the proteinase K cleavage site do not cause large changes in the stability of PrPSc from TSE-affected cattle. However, the stability differences observed here will provide a basis of comparison for new isolates of atypical BSE observed in the future and in other geographic locations, especially in the case of H-type BSE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine E Vrentas
- Virus and Prion Disease Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, IA 50010, USA
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16
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Acín
- Animal Pathology; Universidad de Zaragoza; C/ Miguel Servet 177 Zaragoza 50013 Spain
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17
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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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18
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Wilson R, King D, Hunter N, Goldmann W, Barron RM. Characterization of an unusual transmissible spongiform encephalopathy in goat by transmission in knock-in transgenic mice. J Gen Virol 2013; 94:1922-1932. [PMID: 23720218 DOI: 10.1099/vir.0.051706-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder of cattle, and its transmission to humans through contaminated food is thought to be the cause of the variant form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. BSE is believed to have spread from the recycling in cattle of ruminant tissue in meat and bone meal (MBM). However, during this time, sheep and goats were also exposed to BSE-contaminated MBM. Both sheep and goats are experimentally susceptible to BSE, and while there have been no reported natural BSE cases in sheep, two goat BSE field cases have been documented. While cases of BSE are rare in small ruminants, the existence of scrapie in both sheep and goats is well established. In the UK, during 2006-2007, a serious outbreak of clinical scrapie was detected in a large dairy goat herd. Subsequently, 200 goats were selected for post-mortem examination, one of which showed biochemical and immunohistochemical features of the disease-associated prion protein (PrP(TSE)) which differed from all other infected goats. In the present study, we investigated this unusual case by performing transmission bioassays into a panel of mouse lines. Following characterization, we found that strain properties such as the ability to transmit to different mouse lines, lesion profile pattern, degree of PrP deposition in the brain and biochemical features of this unusual goat case were neither consistent with goat BSE nor with a goat scrapie herdmate control. However, our results suggest that this unusual case has BSE-like properties and highlights the need for continued surveillance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rona Wilson
- Neurobiology Division, The Roslin Institute and R(D)SVS, University of Edinburgh, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9RG, UK
| | - Declan King
- Neurobiology Division, The Roslin Institute and R(D)SVS, University of Edinburgh, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9RG, UK
| | - Nora Hunter
- Neurobiology Division, The Roslin Institute and R(D)SVS, University of Edinburgh, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9RG, UK
| | - Wilfred Goldmann
- Neurobiology Division, The Roslin Institute and R(D)SVS, University of Edinburgh, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9RG, UK
| | - Rona M Barron
- Neurobiology Division, The Roslin Institute and R(D)SVS, University of Edinburgh, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9RG, UK
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19
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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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20
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Hedlin P, Taschuk R, Potter A, Griebel P, Napper S. Detection and control of prion diseases in food animals. ISRN VETERINARY SCIENCE 2012; 2012:254739. [PMID: 23738120 PMCID: PMC3658581 DOI: 10.5402/2012/254739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2011] [Accepted: 12/22/2011] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), or prion diseases, represent a unique form of infectious disease based on misfolding of a self-protein (PrPC) into a pathological, infectious conformation (PrPSc). Prion diseases of food animals gained notoriety during the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) outbreak of the 1980s. In particular, disease transmission to humans, to the generation of a fatal, untreatable disease, elevated the perspective on livestock prion diseases from food production to food safety. While the immediate threat posed by BSE has been successfully addressed through surveillance and improved management practices, another prion disease is rapidly spreading. Chronic wasting disease (CWD), a prion disease of cervids, has been confirmed in wild and captive populations with devastating impact on the farmed cervid industries. Furthermore, the unabated spread of this disease through wild populations threatens a natural resource that is a source of considerable economic benefit and national pride. In a worst-case scenario, CWD may represent a zoonotic threat either through direct transmission via consumption of infected cervids or through a secondary food animal, such as cattle. This has energized efforts to understand prion diseases as well as to develop tools for disease detection, prevention, and management. Progress in each of these areas is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Hedlin
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada S7N 5E3 ; Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada S7N 5E3
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21
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Hamir AN, Kehrli ME, Kunkle RA, Greenlee JJ, Nicholson EM, Richt JA, Miller JM, Cutlip RC. Experimental interspecies transmission studies of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies to cattle: comparison to bovine spongiform encephalopathy in cattle. J Vet Diagn Invest 2012; 23:407-20. [PMID: 21908269 DOI: 10.1177/1040638711403404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases or transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) of animals include scrapie of sheep and goats; transmissible mink encephalopathy (TME); chronic wasting disease (CWD) of deer, elk and moose; and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) of cattle. The emergence of BSE and its spread to human beings in the form of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) resulted in interest in susceptibility of cattle to CWD, TME and scrapie. Experimental cross-species transmission of TSE agents provides valuable information for potential host ranges of known TSEs. Some interspecies transmission studies have been conducted by inoculating disease-causing prions intracerebrally (IC) rather than orally; the latter is generally effective in intraspecies transmission studies and is considered a natural route by which animals acquire TSEs. The "species barrier" concept for TSEs resulted from unsuccessful interspecies oral transmission attempts. Oral inoculation of prions mimics the natural disease pathogenesis route whereas IC inoculation is rather artificial; however, it is very efficient since it requires smaller dosage of inoculum, and typically results in higher attack rates and reduces incubation time compared to oral transmission. A species resistant to a TSE by IC inoculation would have negligible potential for successful oral transmission. To date, results indicate that cattle are susceptible to IC inoculation of scrapie, TME, and CWD but it is only when inoculated with TME do they develop spongiform lesions or clinical disease similar to BSE. Importantly, cattle are resistant to oral transmission of scrapie or CWD; susceptibility of cattle to oral transmission of TME is not yet determined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir N Hamir
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center-USDA-Agricultural Research Service, 1920 Dayton Avenue, PO Box 70, Ames, IA 50010, USA
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22
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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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23
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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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24
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Joint Scientific Opinion on any possible epidemiological or molecular association between TSEs in animals and humans. EFSA J 2011. [DOI: 10.2903/j.efsa.2011.1945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
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25
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Panza G, Luers L, Stöhr J, Nagel-Steger L, Weiβ J, Riesner D, Willbold D, Birkmann E. Molecular interactions between prions as seeds and recombinant prion proteins as substrates resemble the biological interspecies barrier in vitro. PLoS One 2010; 5:e14283. [PMID: 21151607 PMCID: PMC3000319 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0014283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2009] [Accepted: 09/26/2010] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases like Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, Scrapie in sheep or bovine spongiform encephalopathy are fatal neurodegenerative diseases, which can be of sporadic, genetic, or infectious origin. Prion diseases are transmissible between different species, however, with a variable species barrier. The key event of prion amplification is the conversion of the cellular isoform of the prion protein (PrPC) into the pathogenic isoform (PrPSc). We developed a sodiumdodecylsulfate-based PrP conversion system that induces amyloid fibril formation from soluble α-helical structured recombinant PrP (recPrP). This approach was extended applying pre-purified PrPSc as seeds which accelerate fibrillization of recPrP. In the present study we investigated the interspecies coherence of prion disease. Therefore we used PrPSc from different species like Syrian hamster, cattle, mouse and sheep and seeded fibrillization of recPrP from the same or other species to mimic in vitro the natural species barrier. We could show that the in vitro system of seeded fibrillization is in accordance with what is known from the naturally occurring species barriers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giannantonio Panza
- Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Lars Luers
- Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Jan Stöhr
- Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Luitgard Nagel-Steger
- Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Jürgen Weiβ
- Institut für klinische Biochemie und Pathobiochemie, Deutsches Diabetes-Zentrum, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Detlev Riesner
- Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Dieter Willbold
- Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Institut für Strukturbiologie und Biophysik 3, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Eva Birkmann
- Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Institut für Strukturbiologie und Biophysik 3, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- * E-mail:
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26
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Konold T, Sayers AR, Sach A, Bone GE, van Winden S, Wells GAH, Simmons MM, Stack MJ, Wear A, Hawkins SAC. Relationship between clinical signs and postmortem test status in cattle experimentally infected with the bovine spongiform encephalopathy agent. BMC Vet Res 2010; 6:53. [PMID: 21143919 PMCID: PMC3019182 DOI: 10.1186/1746-6148-6-53] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2010] [Accepted: 12/09/2010] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Various clinical protocols have been developed to aid in the clinical diagnosis of classical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), which is confirmed by postmortem examinations based on vacuolation and accumulation of disease-associated prion protein (PrPd) in the brain. The present study investigated the occurrence and progression of sixty selected clinical signs and behaviour combinations in 513 experimentally exposed cattle subsequently categorised postmortem as confirmed or unconfirmed BSE cases. Appropriate undosed or saline inoculated controls were examined similarly and the data analysed to explore the possible occurrence of BSE-specific clinical expression in animals unconfirmed by postmortem examinations. Results Based on the display of selected behavioural, sensory and locomotor changes, 20 (67%) orally dosed and 17 (77%) intracerebrally inoculated pathologically confirmed BSE cases and 21 (13%) orally dosed and 18 (6%) intracerebrally inoculated but unconfirmed cases were considered clinical BSE suspects. None of 103 controls showed significant signs and were all negative on diagnostic postmortem examinations. Signs indicative of BSE suspects, particularly over-reactivity and ataxia, were more frequently displayed in confirmed cases with vacuolar changes in the brain. The display of several BSE-associated signs over time, including repeated startle responses and nervousness, was significantly more frequent in confirmed BSE cases compared to controls, but these two signs were also significantly more frequent in orally dosed cattle unconfirmed by postmortem examinations. Conclusions The findings confirm that in experimentally infected cattle clinical abnormalities indicative of BSE are accompanied by vacuolar changes and PrPd accumulation in the brainstem. The presence of more frequently expressed signs in cases with vacuolar changes is consistent with this pathology representing a more advanced stage of disease. That BSE-like signs or sign combinations occur in inoculated animals that were not confirmed as BSE cases by postmortem examinations requires further study to investigate the potential causal relationship with prion disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timm Konold
- Veterinary Laboratories Agency Weybridge, Host Pathology and Susceptibility Department, New Haw, Addlestone, KT15 3NB, UK.
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Stack MJ, Moore SJ, Davis A, Webb PR, Bradshaw JM, Lee YH, Chaplin M, Focosi-Snyman R, Thurston L, Spencer YI, Hawkins SAC, Arnold ME, Simmons MM, Wells GAH. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy: investigation of phenotypic variation among passive surveillance cases. J Comp Pathol 2010; 144:277-88. [PMID: 21145564 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcpa.2010.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2010] [Revised: 07/09/2010] [Accepted: 10/19/2010] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is a prion disease of domesticated cattle, first identified in Great Britain (GB) in 1986. The disease has been characterized by histopathological, immunohistochemical, biochemical and biological properties, which have shown a consistent disease phenotype among cases obtained by passive surveillance. With the advent of active surveillance in 2001, immunological tests for detection of the prion protein revealed some cases with different biochemical characteristics and, in certain instances, differences in pathology that have indicated variant phenotypes and the possibility of agent strain variation. This study examines a case set of 523 bovine brains derived from archived material identified through passive surveillance in GB. All cases conformed to the phenotype of classical BSE (BSE-C) by histopathological, immunohistochemical and biochemical approaches. The analyses consolidated an understanding of BSE-C and, by western blotting, confirmed differentiation from the known atypical BSE cases which exhibit higher or lower molecular masses than BSE-C (BSE-H and BSE-L respectively).
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Affiliation(s)
- M J Stack
- Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Woodham Lane, Addlestone, Surrey KT153NB, UK.
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Yokoyama T, Masujin K, Schmerr MJ, Shu Y, Okada H, Iwamaru Y, Imamura M, Matsuura Y, Murayama Y, Mohri S. Intraspecies prion transmission results in selection of sheep scrapie strains. PLoS One 2010; 5:e15450. [PMID: 21103326 PMCID: PMC2982847 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0015450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2010] [Accepted: 09/30/2010] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Sheep scrapie is caused by multiple prion strains, which have been classified on the basis of their biological characteristics in inbred mice. The heterogeneity of natural scrapie prions in individual sheep and in sheep flocks has not been clearly defined. Methodology/Principal Findings In this study, we intravenously injected 2 sheep (Suffolk and Corriedale) with material from a natural case of sheep scrapie (Suffolk breed). These 3 sheep had identical prion protein (PrP) genotypes. The protease-resistant core of PrP (PrPres) in the experimental Suffolk sheep was similar to that in the original Suffolk sheep. In contrast, PrPres in the Corriedale sheep differed from the original PrPres but resembled the unusual scrapie isolate, CH1641. This unusual PrPres was not detected in the original sheep. The PrPres distributions in the brain and peripheral tissues differed between the 2 breeds of challenged sheep. A transmission study in wild-type and TgBoPrP mice, which overexpressing bovine PrP, led to the selection of different prion strains. The pathological features of prion diseases are thought to depend on the dominantly propagated strain. Conclusions/Significance Our results indicate that prion strain selection occurs after both inter- and intraspecies transmission. The unusual scrapie prion was a hidden or an unexpressed component in typical sheep scrapie.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takashi Yokoyama
- Prion Disease Research Center, National Institute of Animal Health, Tsukuba, Japan.
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Baron T, Bencsik A, Morignat E. Prions of ruminants show distinct splenotropisms in an ovine transgenic mouse model. PLoS One 2010; 5:e10310. [PMID: 20436680 PMCID: PMC2859945 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0010310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2009] [Accepted: 03/28/2010] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Transmissible agents involved in prion diseases differ in their capacities to target different regions of the central nervous system and lymphoid tissues, which are also host-dependent. Methodology/Principal Findings Protease-resistant prion protein (PrPres) was analysed by Western blot in the spleen of transgenic mice (TgOvPrP4) that express the ovine prion protein under the control of the neuron-specific enolase promoter, after infection by intra-cerebral route with a variety of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) from cattle and small ruminants. Splenic PrPres was consistently detected in classical BSE and in most natural scrapie sources, the electrophoretic pattern showing similar features to that of cerebral PrPres. However splenic PrPres was not detected in L-type BSE and TME-in-cattle, or in the CH1641 experimental scrapie isolate, indicating that some TSE strains showed reduced splenotropism in the ovine transgenic mice. In contrast with CH1641, PrPres was also consistently detected in the spleen of mice infected with six natural “CH1641-like” scrapie isolates, but then showed clearly different molecular features from those identified in the brains (unglycosylated PrPres at ∼18 kDa with removal of the 12B2 epitope) of ovine transgenic mice or of sheep. These features included different cleavage of the main PrPres cleavage product (unglycosylated PrPres at ∼19 kDa with preservation of the 12B2 epitope) and absence of the additional C-terminally cleaved PrPres product (unglycosylated form at ∼14 kDa) that was detected in the brain. Conclusion/Significance Studies in a transgenic mouse model expressing the sheep prion protein revealed different capacities of ruminant prions to propagate in the spleen. They showed unexpected features in “CH1641-like” ovine scrapie suggesting that such isolates contain mixed conformers with distinct capacities to propagate in the brain or lymphoid tissues of these mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thierry Baron
- Agence Française de Sécurité Sanitaire des Aliments - Lyon, Unité ATNC, Lyon, France.
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Konold T, Bone GE, Phelan LJ, Simmons MM, González L, Sisó S, Goldmann W, Cawthraw S, Hawkins SAC. Monitoring of clinical signs in goats with transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. BMC Vet Res 2010; 6:13. [PMID: 20202205 PMCID: PMC2875668 DOI: 10.1186/1746-6148-6-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2009] [Accepted: 03/04/2010] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Background As there is limited information about the clinical signs of BSE and scrapie in goats, studies were conducted to describe the clinical progression of scrapie and BSE in goats and to evaluate a short clinical protocol for its use in detecting scrapie-affected goats in two herds with previously confirmed scrapie cases. Clinical assessments were carried out in five goats intracerebrally infected with the BSE agent as well as five reported scrapie suspects and 346 goats subject to cull from the two herds, 24 of which were retained for further monitoring. The brain and selected lymphoid tissue were examined by postmortem tests for disease confirmation. Results The sensitivity and specificity of the short clinical protocol in detecting a scrapie case in the scrapie-affected herds was 3.9% and 99.6%, respectively, based on the presence of tremor, positive scratch test, extensive hair loss, ataxia and absent menace response. All BSE- and scrapie-affected goats displayed abnormalities in sensation (over-reactivity to external stimuli, startle responses, pruritus, absent menace response) and movement (ataxia, tremor, postural deficits) at an advanced clinical stage but the first detectable sign associated with scrapie or BSE could vary between animals. Signs of pruritus were not always present despite similar prion protein genotypes. Clinical signs of scrapie were also displayed by two scrapie cases that presented with detectable disease-associated prion protein only in lymphoid tissues. Conclusions BSE and scrapie may present as pruritic and non-pruritic forms in goats. Signs assessed for the clinical diagnosis of scrapie or BSE in goats should include postural and gait abnormalities, pruritus and visual impairment. However, many scrapie cases will be missed if detection is solely based on the display of clinical signs. PrPd accumulation in the brain appeared to be related to the severity of clinical disease but not to the display of individual neurological signs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timm Konold
- Neuropathology, Veterinary Laboratories Agency Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, KT15 3NB, UK.
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Konold T, Spiropoulos J, Chaplin MJ, Thorne L, Spencer YI, Wells GAH, Hawkins SAC. Transmissibility studies of vacuolar changes in the rostral colliculus of pigs. BMC Vet Res 2009; 5:35. [PMID: 19765298 PMCID: PMC2761866 DOI: 10.1186/1746-6148-5-35] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2009] [Accepted: 09/18/2009] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Histopathological examinations of brains from healthy pigs have revealed localised vacuolar changes, predominantly in the rostral colliculus, that are similar to the neuropil vacuolation featured in the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies and have been described in pigs challenged parenterally with the agent causing bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). Feedstuff containing BSE-contaminated meat and bone meal (MBM) may have been fed to pigs prior to the ban of mammalian MBM in feed of farmed livestock in the United Kingdom in 1996, but there is no evidence of the natural occurrence of a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) in the domestic pig. Furthermore, experimental transmission of BSE to pigs by the oral route has been unsuccessful. A study was conducted to investigate whether the localised vacuolar changes in the porcine brain were associated with a transmissible aetiology and therefore biologically significant. Two groups of ten pigs were inoculated parenterally with vacuolated rostral colliculus from healthy pigs either born before 1996 or born after 1996. Controls included ten pigs similarly inoculated with rostral colliculus from New Zealand-derived pigs and nine pigs inoculated with a bovine BSE brain homogenate. Results None of the pigs inoculated with rostral colliculus developed a TSE-like neurological disease up to five years post inoculation when the study was terminated, and disease-associated prion protein, PrPd, was not detected in the brains of these pigs. By contrast, eight of nine BSE-inoculated pigs developed neurological signs, two of which had detectable PrPd by postmortem tests. No significant histopathological changes were detected to account for the clinical signs in the PrPd-negative, BSE-inoculated pigs. Conclusion The findings in this study suggest that vacuolation in the porcine rostral colliculus is not caused by a transmissible agent and is probably a clinically insignificant change. The presence of neurological signs in pigs inoculated with BSE without detectable PrPd raises the possibility that the BSE agent may produce a prion disease in pigs that remains undetected by the current postmortem tests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timm Konold
- Department of Pathology, Veterinary Laboratories Agency Weybridge, Woodham Lane, Addlestone, UK.
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Sohn HJ, Lee YH, Green RB, Spencer YI, Hawkins SAC, Stack MJ, Konold T, Wells GAH, Matthews D, Cho IS, Joo YS. Bone marrow infectivity in cattle exposed to the bovine spongiform encephalopathy agent. Vet Rec 2009; 164:272-3. [PMID: 19252214 DOI: 10.1136/vr.164.9.272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- H J Sohn
- Foreign Animal Disease Division, National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service, 480 Anyang City, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea.
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Laude H, Béringue V. [Newly discovered forms of prion diseases in ruminants]. PATHOLOGIE-BIOLOGIE 2009; 57:117-126. [PMID: 18848406 DOI: 10.1016/j.patbio.2008.07.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2008] [Accepted: 07/03/2008] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), are fatal neurodegenerative diseases caused by unconventional agents, the prions. They are characterised by the accumulation in infected tissues of an abnormally folded form of the host-encoded prion protein (PrP). This pathological form is partially resistant to protease digestion, leading to the production of so-called PrP(res) fragments. Different isolates from the same host species may show different eletrophoretic profiles, reflecting the existence of different prion strains. The active surveillance of ruminant TSEs implemented in European countries, based on a large-scale biochemical testing of brain tissue samples from carcasses, has revealed PrP(res) profiles unnoticed so far. Experimental transmission of these atypical cases to various transgenic mouse lines has led to the recognition of a novel scrapie strain in sheep and goats, called Nor98, and of two variant strains of spongiform encephalopathy in cattle. This review is aimed at summarising the current knowledge on these newly recognised forms of ruminants TSEs, and at discussing their possible origin and potential implications in terms of animal and human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Laude
- INRA, U892, virologie immunologie moléculaires, domaine de Vilvert, 78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France.
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Abstract
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy is an infectious disease of cattle that is transmitted through the consumption of meat-and-bone meal from infected cattle. The etiologic agent is an aberrant isoform of the native cellular prion protein that is a normal component of neurologic tissue. There currently are no approved tests that can detect BSE in live cattle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane L Harman
- Food Safety and Inspection Service, Office of Public Health Science, USDA, 1400 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20250, USA
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Baron T, Bencsik A, Vulin J, Biacabe AG, Morignat E, Verchere J, Betemps D. A C-terminal protease-resistant prion fragment distinguishes ovine "CH1641-like" scrapie from bovine classical and L-Type BSE in ovine transgenic mice. PLoS Pathog 2008; 4:e1000137. [PMID: 18769714 PMCID: PMC2516186 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1000137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2008] [Accepted: 07/31/2008] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The protease-resistant prion protein (PrP(res)) of a few natural scrapie isolates identified in sheep, reminiscent of the experimental isolate CH1641 derived from a British natural scrapie case, showed partial molecular similarities to ovine bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). Recent discovery of an atypical form of BSE in cattle, L-type BSE or BASE, suggests that also this form of BSE might have been transmitted to sheep. We studied by Western blot the molecular features of PrP(res) in four "CH1641-like" natural scrapie isolates after transmission in an ovine transgenic model (TgOvPrP4), to see if "CH1641-like" isolates might be linked to L-type BSE. We found less diglycosylated PrP(res) than in classical BSE, but similar glycoform proportions and apparent molecular masses of the usual PrP(res) form (PrP(res) #1) to L-type BSE. However, the "CH1641-like" isolates differed from both L-type and classical BSE by an abundant, C-terminally cleaved PrP(res) product (PrP(res) #2) specifically recognised by a C-terminal antibody (SAF84). Differential immunoprecipitation of PrP(res) #1 and PrP(res) #2 resulted in enrichment in PrP(res) #2, and demonstrated the presence of mono- and diglycosylated PrP(res) products. PrP(res) #2 could not be obtained from several experimental scrapie sources (SSBP1, 79A, Chandler, C506M3) in TgOvPrP4 mice, but was identified in the 87V scrapie strain and, in lower and variable proportions, in 5 of 5 natural scrapie isolates with different molecular features to CH1641. PrP(res) #2 identification provides an additional method for the molecular discrimination of prion strains, and demonstrates differences between "CH1641-like" ovine scrapie and bovine L-type BSE transmitted in an ovine transgenic mouse model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thierry Baron
- Agence Française de Sécurité Sanitaire des Aliments-Lyon, Unité ATNC, Lyon, France.
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Béringue V, Vilotte JL, Laude H. Prion agent diversity and species barrier. Vet Res 2008; 39:47. [PMID: 18519020 DOI: 10.1051/vetres:2008024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 132] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2008] [Accepted: 05/30/2008] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Mammalian prions are the infectious agents responsible for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE), a group of fatal, neurodegenerative diseases, affecting both domestic animals and humans. The most widely accepted view to date is that these agents lack a nucleic acid genome and consist primarily of PrP(Sc), a misfolded, aggregated form of the host-encoded cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) that propagates by autocatalytic conversion and accumulates mainly in the brain. The BSE epizooty, allied with the emergence of its human counterpart, variant CJD, has focused much attention on two characteristics that prions share with conventional infectious agents. First, the existence of multiple prion strains that impose, after inoculation in the same host, specific and stable phenotypic traits such as incubation period, molecular pattern of PrP(Sc) and neuropathology. Prion strains are thought to be enciphered within distinct PrP(Sc) conformers. Second, a transmission barrier exists that restricts the propagation of prions between different species. Here we discuss the possible situations resulting from the confrontation between species barrier and prion strain diversity, the molecular mechanisms involved and the potential of interspecies transmission of animal prions, including recently discovered forms of TSE in ruminants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Béringue
- Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, UR892, Virologie et Immunologie Moléculaires, F-78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France.
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Intraspecies transmission of BASE induces clinical dullness and amyotrophic changes. PLoS Pathog 2008; 4:e1000075. [PMID: 18497860 PMCID: PMC2374911 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1000075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2007] [Accepted: 04/16/2008] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The disease phenotype of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and the molecular/ biological properties of its prion strain, including the host range and the characteristics of BSE-related disorders, have been extensively studied since its discovery in 1986. In recent years, systematic testing of the brains of cattle coming to slaughter resulted in the identification of at least two atypical forms of BSE. These emerging disorders are characterized by novel conformers of the bovine pathological prion protein (PrP(TSE)), named high-type (BSE-H) and low-type (BSE-L). We recently reported two Italian atypical cases with a PrP(TSE) type identical to BSE-L, pathologically characterized by PrP amyloid plaques and known as bovine amyloidotic spongiform encephalopathy (BASE). Several lines of evidence suggest that BASE is highly virulent and easily transmissible to a wide host range. Experimental transmission to transgenic mice overexpressing bovine PrP (Tgbov XV) suggested that BASE is caused by a prion strain distinct from the BSE isolate. In the present study, we experimentally infected Friesian and Alpine brown cattle with Italian BSE and BASE isolates via the intracerebral route. BASE-infected cattle developed amyotrophic changes accompanied by mental dullness. The molecular and neuropathological profiles, including PrP deposition pattern, closely matched those observed in the original cases. This study provides clear evidence of BASE as a distinct prion isolate and discloses a novel disease phenotype in cattle.
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Simmons MM, Spiropoulos J, Hawkins SAC, Bellworthy SJ, Tongue SC. Approaches to investigating transmission of spongiform encephalopathies in domestic animals using BSE as an example. Vet Res 2008; 39:34. [PMID: 18284911 DOI: 10.1051/vetres:2008011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2007] [Accepted: 02/12/2008] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy was a novel spongiform encephalopathy, in an hitherto unaffected species, that had characteristics of a point source epidemic, with an agent that could have been incorporated into a wide variety of feedstuffs and iatrogenically administered to naïve populations, and there was early evidence that it was not restricted to bovines. It was vital to establish, albeit experimentally, which other species might be affected, and whether the epidemic could be maintained by natural transmission, if the source was removed. In contrast, scrapie has been endemic throughout Great Britain for centuries, is maintained naturally (even if we don't know exactly how) and has a known host range. The principles, process and integration of evidence from different types of studies, however, are similar for both of these transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) and can be applied to any emerging or suspected spongiform encephalopathy. This review discusses the experimental approaches used to determine TSE transmissibility and infectivity and how they relate to natural disease and control measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marion Mathieson Simmons
- Pathology Department, Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Woodham Lane, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB, UK.
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Baron T, Biacabe AG. Molecular behaviors of "CH1641-like" sheep scrapie isolates in ovine transgenic mice (TgOvPrP4). J Virol 2007; 81:7230-7. [PMID: 17442721 PMCID: PMC1933328 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02475-06] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Molecular analyses of the protease-resistant prion protein (PrP(res)) from a few natural scrapie isolates showed by Western blotting some partial similarities with those observed in experimental ovine bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). They showed a low apparent molecular mass of unglycosylated PrP(res), although diglycosylated PrP(res) was less abundant than in ovine BSE. The prototype of such cases is the CH1641 experimental scrapie isolate. We analyzed PrP(res) molecular features from three French natural "CH1641-like" isolates, in comparison with CH1641 and BSE, after transmission of the disease in ovine transgenic mice (TgOvPrP4). One of these isolates (TR316211) behaved like the CH1641 isolate, with PrP(res) features in mice similar to those in the sheep brain. From two other isolates (O100 and O104), two distinct PrP(res) phenotypes were identified in mouse brains, with either high (h-type) or low (l-type) apparent molecular masses of unglycosylated PrP(res), the latter being similar to that observed with CH1641, TR316211, or BSE. Both phenotypes could be found in variable proportions in the brains of the individual mice. In contrast with BSE, l-type PrP(res) from "CH1641-like" isolates showed lower levels of diglycosylated PrP(res). From one of these cases (O104), a second passage in mice was performed for two mice with distinct PrP(res) profiles. This showed a partial selection of the l-type phenotype in mice infected with a mouse brain with predominant l-type PrP(res), and it was accompanied by a significant increase in the proportions of the diglycosylated band. These results are discussed in relation to the diversity of scrapie and BSE strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thierry Baron
- Agence Française de Sécurité Sanitaire des Aliments-Lyon, Unité ATNC, Lyon, France.
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