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Sola Fraca D, Sánchez Garrigós E, de Francisco Moure J, Marín Gonzalez B, Badiola Díez JJ, Acín Tresaco C. Sleep disturbance in clinical and preclinical scrapie-infected sheep measured by polysomnography. Vet Q 2024; 44:1-9. [PMID: 38698657 PMCID: PMC11073408 DOI: 10.1080/01652176.2024.2349674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases are characterised by neuronal loss and abnormal deposition of pathological proteins in the nervous system. Among the most common neurodegenerative diseases are Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Huntington's disease and transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). Sleep and circadian rhythm disturbances are one of the most common symptoms in patients with neurodegenerative diseases. Currently, one of the main objectives in the study of TSEs is to try to establish an early diagnosis, as clinical signs do not appear until the damage to the central nervous system is very advanced, which prevents any therapeutic approach. In this paper, we provide the first description of sleep disturbance caused by classical scrapie in clinical and preclinical sheep using polysomnography compared to healthy controls. Fifteen sheep classified into three groups, clinical, preclinical and negative control, were analysed. The results show a decrease in total sleep time as the disease progresses, with significant changes between control, clinical and pre-clinical animals. The results also show an increase in sleep fragmentation in clinical animals compared to preclinical and control animals. In addition, sheep with clinical scrapie show a total loss of Rapid Eye Movement sleep (REM) and alterations in Non Rapid Eyes Movement sleep (NREM) compared to control sheep, demonstrating more shallow sleep. Although further research is needed, these results suggest that prion diseases also produce sleep disturbances in animals and that polysomnography could be a diagnostic tool of interest in clinical and preclinical cases of prion diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Sola Fraca
- Centro de Encefalopatías y Enfermedades Transmisibles Emergentes, Universidad de Zaragoza, IA2, IIS Aragón, Zaragoza, Spain
| | | | | | - Belén Marín Gonzalez
- Centro de Encefalopatías y Enfermedades Transmisibles Emergentes, Universidad de Zaragoza, IA2, IIS Aragón, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Juan José Badiola Díez
- Centro de Encefalopatías y Enfermedades Transmisibles Emergentes, Universidad de Zaragoza, IA2, IIS Aragón, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Cristina Acín Tresaco
- Centro de Encefalopatías y Enfermedades Transmisibles Emergentes, Universidad de Zaragoza, IA2, IIS Aragón, Zaragoza, Spain
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2
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Ernst S, Piestrzyńska-Kajtoch A, Gethmann J, Natonek-Wiśniewska M, Sadeghi B, Polak MP, Keller M, Gavier-Widén D, Moazami-Goudarzi K, Houston F, Groschup MH, Fast C. Prion protein gene (PRNP) variation in German and Danish cervids. Vet Res 2024; 55:98. [PMID: 39095901 PMCID: PMC11297704 DOI: 10.1186/s13567-024-01340-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024] Open
Abstract
The structure of cellular prion proteins encoded by the prion protein gene (PRNP) impacts susceptibility to transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, including chronic wasting disease (CWD) in deer. The recent emergence of CWD in Northern European reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), moose (Alces alces alces) and red deer (Cervus elaphus), in parallel with the outbreak in North America, gives reason to investigate PRNP variation in European deer, to implement risk assessments and adjust CWD management for deer populations under threat. We here report PRNP-sequence data from 911 samples of German red, roe (Capreolus capreolus), sika (Cervus nippon) and fallow deer (Dama dama) as well as additional data from 26 Danish red deer close to the German border and four zoo species not native to Germany. No PRNP sequence variation was observed in roe and fallow deer, as previously described for populations across Europe. In contrast, a broad PRNP variation was detected in red deer, with non-synonymous polymorphisms at codons 98, 226 and 247 as well as synonymous mutations at codons 21, 78, 136 and 185. Moreover, a novel 24 bp deletion within the octapeptide repeat was detected. In summary, 14 genotypes were seen in red deer with significant differences in their geographical distribution and frequencies, including geographical clustering of certain genotypes, suggesting "PRNP-linages" in this species. Based on data from North American CWD and the genotyping results of the European CWD cases, we would predict that large proportions of wild cervids in Europe might be susceptible to CWD once introduced to naive populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonja Ernst
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Greifswald, Isle of Riems, Germany
| | | | - Jörn Gethmann
- Institute of Epidemiology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Greifswald, Isle of Riems, Germany
| | | | - Balal Sadeghi
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Greifswald, Isle of Riems, Germany
| | - Miroslaw P Polak
- Department of Virology, National Veterinary Research Institute, Pulawy, Poland
| | - Markus Keller
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Greifswald, Isle of Riems, Germany
| | | | | | - Fiona Houston
- Division of Immunology, The Roslin Institute, Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Martin H Groschup
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Greifswald, Isle of Riems, Germany
| | - Christine Fast
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Greifswald, Isle of Riems, Germany.
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3
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Baron JN, Mysterud A, Hopp P, Rosendal T, Frössling J, Benestad SL, Våge J, Nöremark M, Viljugrein H. Assessing freedom from chronic wasting disease in semi-domesticated reindeer in Norway and Sweden. Prev Vet Med 2024; 229:106242. [PMID: 38924869 DOI: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2024.106242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Revised: 05/23/2024] [Accepted: 06/02/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
Establishing freedom from disease is a key component of surveillance and may have direct consequences for trade and economy. Transboundary populations pose challenges in terms of variable legislation, efforts, and data availability between countries, often limiting surveillance efficiency. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a contagious prion disease of cervids. The long incubation period and slow initial epidemic growth make it notoriously difficult to detect CWD in the early phase of an epidemic. The recent emergence of CWD in wild reindeer in Norway poses a threat to approximately 250,000 semi-domesticated reindeer in Norway and 250,000 in Sweden, including transboundary populations. Here, we provide a first analysis of surveillance data (2016-2022) from all reindeer districts in Norway and Sweden to determine the probability of freedom from CWD infection. During the six years, 6017 semi-domesticated reindeer were tested in Sweden and 51,974 in Norway. Most samples came from healthy slaughtered animals (low risk). Reindeer use large and remote areas and (high risk) samples from fallen stock and animals with clinical signs were difficult to obtain. A scenario tree model was run for seven different set of values for the input parameters (design prevalence within and between districts, probability of introduction, and relative risks) to determine the effect on surveillance sensitivity. At the national level, the mean probability of disease freedom was 59.0 % in Sweden and 87.0 % in Norway by 2021. The most marked effect on sensitivity was varying the design prevalence both within and between districts. Uncertainty about relative risk ratios affected sensitivity for Sweden more than for Norway, due to the higher proportion of animals in the high-risk group in the former (13.8 % vs. 2.1 %, respectively). A probability of disease freedom of 90 % or higher was reached in 8.2 % of the 49 districts in Sweden and 43.5 % of the 46 districts in Norway for a design prevalence of 0.5 %. The probability of freedom remained below 60 % in 29 districts (59.2 %) in Sweden and 10 districts (21.7 %) in Norway. At the national level, only Norway had a sufficiently large number of samples to reach a probability of more than 95 % of disease freedom within a period of 10 years. Our cross-border assessment forms an important knowledge base for designing future surveillance efforts depending on the spatial pattern of prevalence of CWD and risk of spread.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jerome N Baron
- Department of Epidemiology, Surveillance and Risk Assessment, Swedish Veterinary Agency (SVA), Uppsala SE-751 89, Sweden
| | - Atle Mysterud
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066 Blindern, Oslo NO-0316, Norway; Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Trondheim NO-7485, Norway
| | - Petter Hopp
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute (NVI), P.O. Box 64, Ås NO-1431, Norway
| | - Thomas Rosendal
- Department of Epidemiology, Surveillance and Risk Assessment, Swedish Veterinary Agency (SVA), Uppsala SE-751 89, Sweden
| | - Jenny Frössling
- Department of Epidemiology, Surveillance and Risk Assessment, Swedish Veterinary Agency (SVA), Uppsala SE-751 89, Sweden; Department of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 234, Skara SE-532 23, Sweden
| | - Sylvie L Benestad
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute (NVI), P.O. Box 64, Ås NO-1431, Norway
| | - Jørn Våge
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute (NVI), P.O. Box 64, Ås NO-1431, Norway
| | - Maria Nöremark
- Department of Epidemiology, Surveillance and Risk Assessment, Swedish Veterinary Agency (SVA), Uppsala SE-751 89, Sweden.
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4
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Thackray AM, McNulty EE, Nalls AV, Smith A, Comoy E, Telling G, Benestad SL, Andréoletti O, Mathiason CK, Bujdoso R. Lack of prion transmission barrier in human PrP transgenic Drosophila. J Biol Chem 2024:107617. [PMID: 39089583 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107617] [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: 05/08/2024] [Revised: 07/08/2024] [Accepted: 07/19/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024] Open
Abstract
While animal prion diseases are a threat to human health, their zoonotic potential is generally inefficient because of interspecies prion transmission barriers. New animal models are required to provide an understanding of these prion transmission barriers and to assess the zoonotic potential of animal prion diseases. To address this goal, we generated Drosophila transgenic for human or non-human primate PrP and determined their susceptibility to known pathogenic prion diseases, namely vCJD and classical BSE, and that with unknown pathogenic potential, namely CWD. Adult Drosophila transgenic for M129 or V129 human PrP, or non-human primate PrP developed a neurotoxic phenotype and showed an accelerated loss of survival after exposure to vCJD, classical BSE, or CWD prions at the larval stage. vCJD prion strain identity was retained after passage in both M129 and V129 human PrP Drosophila. All of the primate PrP fly lines accumulated prion seeding activity and concomitantly developed a neurotoxic phenotype, generally including accelerated loss of survival, after exposure to CWD prions derived from different cervid species, including North American white-tailed deer and muntjac, and European reindeer and moose. These novel studies show that primate PrP transgenic Drosophila lack known prion transmission barriers since, in mammalian hosts, V129 human PrP is associated with severe resistance to classical BSE prions, while both human and cynomolgus macaque PrP are associated with resistance to CWD prions. Significantly, our data suggest that interspecies differences in the amino acid sequence of PrP may not be a principal determinant of the prion transmission barrier.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alana M Thackray
- University of Cambridge, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ES, UK
| | - Erin E McNulty
- Prion Research Center (PRC) and the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Amy V Nalls
- Prion Research Center (PRC) and the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Andrew Smith
- University of Cambridge, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ES, UK
| | - Emmanuel Comoy
- Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique, DRF/IBFJ/SEPIA, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Glenn Telling
- Prion Research Center (PRC) and the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Sylvie L Benestad
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Department of Biohazard and Pathology, WOAH Reference Laboratory for CWD (SLB), Postboks 64, 1431 Ås, Norway
| | - Olivier Andréoletti
- UMR INRA ENVT 1225 -Hôtes-Agents Pathogènes, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse, 23 Chemin des Capelles, 31076 Toulouse, France
| | - Candace K Mathiason
- Prion Research Center (PRC) and the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Raymond Bujdoso
- University of Cambridge, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ES, UK.
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5
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Harpaz E, Cazzaniga FA, Tran L, Vuong TT, Bufano G, Salvesen Ø, Gravdal M, Aldaz D, Sun J, Kim S, Celauro L, Legname G, Telling GC, Tranulis MA, Benestad SL, Espenes A, Moda F, Ersdal C. Transmission of Norwegian reindeer CWD to sheep by intracerebral inoculation results in an unusual phenotype and prion distribution. Vet Res 2024; 55:94. [PMID: 39075607 PMCID: PMC11285437 DOI: 10.1186/s13567-024-01350-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 07/02/2024] [Indexed: 07/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD), a prion disease affecting cervids, has been known in North America (NA) since the 1960s and emerged in Norway in 2016. Surveillance and studies have revealed that there are different forms of CWD in Fennoscandia: contagious CWD in Norwegian reindeer and sporadic CWD in moose and red deer. Experimental studies have demonstrated that NA CWD prions can infect various species, but thus far, there have been no reports of natural transmission to non-cervid species. In vitro and laboratory animal studies of the Norwegian CWD strains suggest that these strains are different from the NA strains. In this work, we describe the intracerebral transmission of reindeer CWD to six scrapie-susceptible sheep. Detection methods included immunohistochemistry (IHC), western blot (WB), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) and protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA). In the brain, grey matter vacuolation was limited, while all sheep exhibited vacuolation of the white matter. IHC and WB conventional detection techniques failed to detect prions; however, positive seeding activity with the RT-QuIC and PMCA amplification techniques was observed in the central nervous system of all but one sheep. Prions were robustly amplified in the lymph nodes of all animals, mainly by RT-QuIC. Additionally, two lymph nodes were positive by WB, and one was positive by ELISA. These findings suggest that sheep can propagate reindeer CWD prions after intracerebral inoculation, resulting in an unusual disease phenotype and prion distribution with a low amount of detectable prions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erez Harpaz
- Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Sandnes, Norway
| | - Federico Angelo Cazzaniga
- Unit of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Linh Tran
- Section for Biohazard and Pathology, Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Ås, Norway
| | - Tram T Vuong
- Section for Biohazard and Pathology, Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Ås, Norway
| | - Giuseppe Bufano
- Unit of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Øyvind Salvesen
- Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Sandnes, Norway
- Åkerblå AS, Haugesund, Norway
| | - Maiken Gravdal
- Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Sandnes, Norway
| | - Devin Aldaz
- Prion Research Center (PRC) and the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Julianna Sun
- Prion Research Center (PRC) and the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Sehun Kim
- Prion Research Center (PRC) and the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Luigi Celauro
- Department of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Legname
- Department of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Glenn C Telling
- Prion Research Center (PRC) and the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Michael A Tranulis
- Department of Preclinical Sciences and Pathology, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - Sylvie L Benestad
- Section for Biohazard and Pathology, Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Ås, Norway
| | - Arild Espenes
- Department of Preclinical Sciences and Pathology, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - Fabio Moda
- Unit of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Cecilie Ersdal
- Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Sandnes, Norway.
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6
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Mierkiewicz M, Dzikowski A, Anusz K. CWD as a New Health Threat in Europe and the Adequacy and Effectiveness of Instruments of Legal Response from a Comparative Legal Perspective. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:2027. [PMID: 39061487 PMCID: PMC11273877 DOI: 10.3390/ani14142027] [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: 05/29/2024] [Revised: 06/20/2024] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Prions cause infectious and fatal neurodegenerative diseases in mammals. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) affects wild and farmed cervids. The increasing number of cases in Europe, the resistance of prions to external conditions, and the persistence period threaten not only wild cervid populations but also the economy. The possible zoonotic potential of CWD is of growing concern. CWD is a relevant issue as far as the idea of "one health" is concerned, which is a fundamental principle of European veterinary law. Methods of legal text analysis and interpretation are used for this comparative legal study. Research reveals that countries struggling to tackle CWD employ different normative approaches to the problem and use different control and eradication schemes. The results of this study indicate that it is reasonable to issue uniform regulations in the European Union at the common, rather than national, level. The European legislation should creatively draw on the experience of North American countries that have been struggling with the discussed disease for a long time.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrzej Dzikowski
- Department of Food Hygiene and Public Health Protection, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 159 Nowoursynowska St., 02-787 Warsaw, Poland; (M.M.); (K.A.)
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7
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Arifin MI, Hannaoui S, Ng RA, Zeng D, Zemlyankina I, Ahmed-Hassan H, Schatzl HM, Kaczmarczyk L, Jackson WS, Benestad SL, Gilch S. Norwegian moose CWD induces clinical disease and neuroinvasion in gene-targeted mice expressing cervid S138N prion protein. PLoS Pathog 2024; 20:e1012350. [PMID: 38950080 PMCID: PMC11244775 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1012350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Revised: 07/12/2024] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease affecting deer, elk and moose in North America and reindeer, moose and red deer in Northern Europe. Pathogenesis is driven by the accumulation of PrPSc, a pathological form of the host's cellular prion protein (PrPC), in the brain. CWD is contagious among North American cervids and Norwegian reindeer, with prions commonly found in lymphatic tissue. In Nordic moose and red deer CWD appears exclusively in older animals, and prions are confined to the CNS and undetectable in lymphatic tissues, indicating a sporadic origin. We aimed to determine transmissibility, neuroinvasion and lymphotropism of Nordic CWD isolates using gene-targeted mice expressing either wild-type (138SS/226QQ) or S138N (138NN/226QQ) deer PrP. When challenged with North American CWD strains, mice expressing S138N PrP did not develop clinical disease but harbored prion seeding activity in brain and spleen. Here, we infected these models intracerebrally or intraperitoneally with Norwegian moose, red deer and reindeer CWD isolates. The moose isolate was the first CWD type to cause full-blown disease in the 138NN/226QQ model in the first passage, with 100% attack rate and shortened survival times upon second passage. Furthermore, we detected prion seeding activity or PrPSc in brains and spinal cords, but not spleens, of 138NN/226QQ mice inoculated intraperitoneally with the moose isolate, providing evidence of prion neuroinvasion. We also demonstrate, for the first time, that transmissibility of the red deer CWD isolate was restricted to transgenic mice overexpressing elk PrPC (138SS/226EE), identical to the PrP primary structure of the inoculum. Our findings highlight that susceptibility to clinical disease is determined by the conformational compatibility between prion inoculum and host PrP primary structure. Our study indicates that neuroinvasion of Norwegian moose prions can occur without, or only very limited, replication in the spleen, an unprecedented finding for CWD.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Samia Hannaoui
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Raychal Ashlyn Ng
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Doris Zeng
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Irina Zemlyankina
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Hanaa Ahmed-Hassan
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
- Zoonoses Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
| | - Hermann M. Schatzl
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
- Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | | | | | | | - Sabine Gilch
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
- Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
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8
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Kuznetsova A, Ness A, Moffatt E, Bollinger T, McKenzie D, Stasiak I, Bahnson CS, Aiken JM. Detection of Chronic Wasting Disease Prions in Prairie Soils from Endemic Regions. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:10932-10940. [PMID: 38865602 PMCID: PMC11210205 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.4c04633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2024] [Revised: 05/22/2024] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024]
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a contagious prion disease that affects cervids in North America, Northern Europe, and South Korea. CWD is spread through direct and indirect horizontal transmission, with both clinical and preclinical animals shedding CWD prions in saliva, urine, and feces. CWD particles can persist in the environment for years, and soils may pose a risk for transmission to susceptible animals. Our study presents a sensitive method for detecting prions in the environmental samples of prairie soils. Soils were collected from CWD-endemic regions with high (Saskatchewan, Canada) and low (North Dakota, USA) CWD prevalence. Heat extraction with SDS-buffer, a serial protein misfolding cyclic amplification assay coupled with a real-time quaking-induced conversion assay was used to detect the presence of CWD prions in soils. In the prairie area of South Saskatchewan where the CWD prevalence rate in male mule deer is greater than 70%, 75% of the soil samples tested were positive, while in the low-prevalence prairie region of North Dakota (11% prevalence in male mule deer), none of the soils contained prion seeding activity. Soil-bound CWD prion detection has the potential to improve our understanding of the environmental spread of CWD, benefiting both surveillance and mitigation approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alsu Kuznetsova
- Department
of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 2G7, Canada
- Centre
for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 2M8, Canada
| | - Anthony Ness
- Centre
for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 2M8, Canada
| | - Erin Moffatt
- Canadian
Wildlife Health Cooperative Western Northern, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon S7N 5B4, Canada
| | - Trent Bollinger
- Canadian
Wildlife Health Cooperative Western Northern, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon S7N 5B4, Canada
| | - Debbie McKenzie
- Centre
for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 2M8, Canada
| | - Iga Stasiak
- Ministry
of Environment, Government of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon S7N 3R3, Canada
| | - Charlie S. Bahnson
- North
Dakota Game and Fish Department, Bismarck, North Dakota 58501-5095, United States
| | - Judd M. Aiken
- Centre
for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 2M8, Canada
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9
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Marín-Moreno A, Benestad SL, Barrio T, Pirisinu L, Espinosa JC, Tran L, Huor A, Di Bari MA, Eraña H, Maddison BC, D'Agostino C, Fernández-Borges N, Canoyra S, Jerez-Garrido N, Castilla J, Spiropoulos J, Bishop K, Gough KC, Nonno R, Våge J, Andréoletti O, Torres JM. Classical BSE dismissed as the cause of CWD in Norwegian red deer despite strain similarities between both prion agents. Vet Res 2024; 55:62. [PMID: 38750594 PMCID: PMC11097568 DOI: 10.1186/s13567-024-01320-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
The first case of CWD in a Norwegian red deer was detected by a routine ELISA test and confirmed by western blotting and immunohistochemistry in the brain stem of the animal. Two different western blotting tests were conducted independently in two different laboratories, showing that the red deer glycoprofile was different from the Norwegian CWD reindeer and CWD moose and from North American CWD. The isolate showed nevertheless features similar to the classical BSE (BSE-C) strain. Furthermore, BSE-C could not be excluded based on the PrPSc immunohistochemistry staining in the brainstem and the absence of detectable PrPSc in the lymphoid tissues. Because of the known ability of BSE-C to cross species barriers as well as its zoonotic potential, the CWD red deer isolate was submitted to the EURL Strain Typing Expert Group (STEG) as a BSE-C suspect for further investigation. In addition, different strain typing in vivo and in vitro strategies aiming at identifying the BSE-C strain in the red deer isolate were performed independently in three research groups and BSE-C was not found in it. These results suggest that the Norwegian CWD red deer case was infected with a previously unknown CWD type and further investigation is needed to determine the characteristics of this potential new CWD strain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alba Marín-Moreno
- Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal (CISA), Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Tomas Barrio
- UMR École Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse (ENVT), 1225 Interactions Hôtes-Agents Pathogènes, Institut National Pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (INRAE), Toulouse, France
| | - Laura Pirisinu
- Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Juan Carlos Espinosa
- Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal (CISA), Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Linh Tran
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Ås, Norway
| | - Alvina Huor
- UMR École Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse (ENVT), 1225 Interactions Hôtes-Agents Pathogènes, Institut National Pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (INRAE), Toulouse, France
| | - Michele Angelo Di Bari
- Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Hasier Eraña
- CIC bioGUNE, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Basque Foundation for Science, Bizkaia Technology Park & IKERBASQUE, Bizkaia, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Carlos III National Health Institute, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ben C Maddison
- RSK- ADAS Ltd, Technology Drive, Beeston, Nottingham, UK
| | - Claudia D'Agostino
- Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Natalia Fernández-Borges
- Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal (CISA), Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Sara Canoyra
- Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal (CISA), Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Nuria Jerez-Garrido
- Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal (CISA), Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Joaquín Castilla
- CIC bioGUNE, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Basque Foundation for Science, Bizkaia Technology Park & IKERBASQUE, Bizkaia, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Carlos III National Health Institute, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Keith Bishop
- RSK- ADAS Ltd, Technology Drive, Beeston, Nottingham, UK
| | | | - Romolo Nonno
- Department of Food Safety, Nutrition and Veterinary Public Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Jorn Våge
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Ås, Norway
| | - Olivier Andréoletti
- UMR École Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse (ENVT), 1225 Interactions Hôtes-Agents Pathogènes, Institut National Pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (INRAE), Toulouse, France
| | - Juan María Torres
- Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal (CISA), Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain.
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10
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Kvalnes T, Flagstad Ø, Våge J, Strand O, Viljugrein H, Sæther B. Harvest and decimation affect genetic drift and the effective population size in wild reindeer. Evol Appl 2024; 17:e13684. [PMID: 38617828 PMCID: PMC11009432 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Harvesting and culling are methods used to monitor and manage wildlife diseases. An important consequence of these practices is a change in the genetic dynamics of affected populations that may threaten their long-term viability. The effective population size (N e) is a fundamental parameter for describing such changes as it determines the amount of genetic drift in a population. Here, we estimate N e of a harvested wild reindeer population in Norway. Then we use simulations to investigate the genetic consequences of management efforts for handling a recent spread of chronic wasting disease, including increased adult male harvest and population decimation. The N e/N ratio in this population was found to be 0.124 at the end of the study period, compared to 0.239 in the preceding 14 years period. The difference was caused by increased harvest rates with a high proportion of adult males (older than 2.5 years) being shot (15.2% in 2005-2018 and 44.8% in 2021). Increased harvest rates decreased N e in the simulations, but less sex biased harvest strategies had a lower negative impact. For harvest strategies that yield stable population dynamics, shifting the harvest from calves to adult males and females increased N e. Population decimation always resulted in decreased genetic variation in the population, with higher loss of heterozygosity and rare alleles with more severe decimation or longer periods of low population size. A very high proportion of males in the harvest had the most severe consequences for the loss of genetic variation. This study clearly shows how the effects of harvest strategies and changes in population size interact to determine the genetic drift of a managed population. The long-term genetic viability of wildlife populations subject to a disease will also depend on population impacts of the disease and how these interact with management actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Kvalnes
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA)TrondheimNorway
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD), Department of BiologyNorwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)TrondheimNorway
| | | | - Jørn Våge
- Norwegian Veterinary InstituteÅsNorway
| | - Olav Strand
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA)TrondheimNorway
| | | | - Bernt‐Erik Sæther
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD), Department of BiologyNorwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)TrondheimNorway
- Gjærevoll Center for Biodiversity Foresight AnalysesNorwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)TrondheimNorway
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11
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Inzalaco HN, Brandell EE, Wilson SP, Hunsaker M, Stahler DR, Woelfel K, Walsh DP, Nordeen T, Storm DJ, Lichtenberg SS, Turner WC. Detection of prions from spiked and free-ranging carnivore feces. Sci Rep 2024; 14:3804. [PMID: 38360908 PMCID: PMC10869337 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-44167-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a highly contagious, fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by infectious prions (PrPCWD) affecting wild and captive cervids. Although experimental feeding studies have demonstrated prions in feces of crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos), coyotes (Canis latrans), and cougars (Puma concolor), the role of scavengers and predators in CWD epidemiology remains poorly understood. Here we applied the real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) assay to detect PrPCWD in feces from cervid consumers, to advance surveillance approaches, which could be used to improve disease research and adaptive management of CWD. We assessed recovery and detection of PrPCWD by experimental spiking of PrPCWD into carnivore feces from 9 species sourced from CWD-free populations or captive facilities. We then applied this technique to detect PrPCWD from feces of predators and scavengers in free-ranging populations. Our results demonstrate that spiked PrPCWD is detectable from feces of free-ranging mammalian and avian carnivores using RT-QuIC. Results show that PrPCWD acquired in natural settings is detectable in feces from free-ranging carnivores, and that PrPCWD rates of detection in carnivore feces reflect relative prevalence estimates observed in the corresponding cervid populations. This study adapts an important diagnostic tool for CWD, allowing investigation of the epidemiology of CWD at the community-level.
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Affiliation(s)
- H N Inzalaco
- Wisconsin Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.
| | - E E Brandell
- Wisconsin Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - S P Wilson
- Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, 2200 N 33rd St., P.O. Box 30370, Lincoln, NE, 68503, USA
| | - M Hunsaker
- Wisconsin Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - D R Stahler
- Yellowstone Center for Resources, Yellowstone National Park, WY, 82190, USA
| | - K Woelfel
- Wild and Free Wildlife Rehabilitation Program, 27264 MN-18, Garrison, MN, 56450, USA
| | - D P Walsh
- U.S. Geological Survey, Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
| | - T Nordeen
- Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, 2200 N 33rd St., P.O. Box 30370, Lincoln, NE, 68503, USA
| | - D J Storm
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Eau Claire, WI, 54701, USA
| | - S S Lichtenberg
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - W C Turner
- U.S. Geological Survey, Wisconsin Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
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12
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Soto P, Bravo-Risi F, Kramm C, Gamez N, Benavente R, Bonilla DL, Reed JH, Lockwood M, Spraker TR, Nichols T, Morales R. Nasal bots carry relevant titers of CWD prions in naturally infected white-tailed deer. EMBO Rep 2024; 25:334-350. [PMID: 38191872 PMCID: PMC10883265 DOI: 10.1038/s44319-023-00003-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease affecting farmed and free-ranging cervids. CWD is rapidly expanding across North America and its mechanisms of transmission are not completely understood. Considering that cervids are commonly afflicted by nasal bot flies, we tested the potential of these parasites to transmit CWD. Parasites collected from naturally infected white-tailed deer were evaluated for their prion content using the protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) technology and bioassays. Here, we describe PMCA seeding activity in nasal bot larvae collected from naturally infected, nonclinical deer. These parasites efficiently infect CWD-susceptible mice in ways suggestive of high infectivity titers. To further mimic environmental transmission, bot larvae homogenates were mixed with soils, and plants were grown on them. We show that both soils and plants exposed to CWD-infected bot homogenates displayed seeding activity by PMCA. This is the first report describing prion infectivity in a naturally occurring deer parasite. Our data also demonstrate that CWD prions contained in nasal bots interact with environmental components and may be relevant for disease transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulina Soto
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
- Centro Integrativo de Biologia y Quimica Aplicada (CIBQA), Universidad Bernardo O'Higgins, Santiago, Chile
| | - Francisca Bravo-Risi
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
- Centro Integrativo de Biologia y Quimica Aplicada (CIBQA), Universidad Bernardo O'Higgins, Santiago, Chile
| | - Carlos Kramm
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Nazaret Gamez
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Rebeca Benavente
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Denise L Bonilla
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, Veterinary Services, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - J Hunter Reed
- Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Kerrville, TX, USA
| | | | - Terry R Spraker
- Colorado State University Diagnostic Medical Center, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Tracy Nichols
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, Veterinary Services, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Rodrigo Morales
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
- Centro Integrativo de Biologia y Quimica Aplicada (CIBQA), Universidad Bernardo O'Higgins, Santiago, Chile.
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13
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Hopp P, Rolandsen CM, Korpenfelt SL, Våge J, Sörén K, Solberg EJ, Averhed G, Pusenius J, Rosendal T, Ericsson G, Bakka HC, Mysterud A, Gavier-Widén D, Hautaniemi M, Ågren E, Isomursu M, Madslien K, Benestad SL, Nöremark M. Sporadic cases of chronic wasting disease in old moose - an epidemiological study. J Gen Virol 2024; 105. [PMID: 38265285 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.001952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies or prion diseases comprise diseases with different levels of contagiousness under natural conditions. The hypothesis has been raised that the chronic wasting disease (CWD) cases detected in Nordic moose (Alces alces) may be less contagious, or not contagious between live animals under field conditions. This study aims to investigate the epidemiology of CWD cases detected in moose in Norway, Sweden and Finland using surveillance data from 2016 to 2022.In total, 18 CWD cases were detected in Nordic moose. All moose were positive for prion (PrPres) detection in the brain, but negative in lymph nodes, all were old (mean 16 years; range 12-20) and all except one, were female. Age appeared to be a strong risk factor, and the sex difference may be explained by few males reaching high age due to hunting targeting calves, yearlings and males.The cases were geographically scattered, distributed over 15 municipalities. However, three cases were detected in each of two areas, Selbu in Norway and Arjeplog-Arvidsjaur in Sweden. A Monte Carlo simulation approach was applied to investigate the likelihood of such clustering occurring by chance, given the assumption of a non-contagious disease. The empirical P-value for obtaining three cases in one Norwegian municipality was less than 0.05, indicating clustering. However, the moose in Selbu were affected by different CWD strains, and over a 6 year period with intensive surveillance, the apparent prevalence decreased, which would not be expected for an ongoing outbreak of CWD. Likewise, the three cases in Arjeplog-Arvidsjaur could also indicate clustering, but management practices promotes a larger proportion of old females and the detection of the first CWD case contributed to increased awareness and sampling.The results of our study show that the CWD cases detected so far in Nordic moose have a different epidemiology compared to CWD cases reported from North America and in Norwegian reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus). The results support the hypothesis that these cases are less contagious or not contagious between live animals under field conditions. To enable differentiation from other types of CWD, we support the use of sporadic CWD (sCWD) among the names already in use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petter Hopp
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, P.O. Box 64, NO-1431 Ås, Norway
| | - Christer Moe Rolandsen
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), P.O. Box 5685 Torgarden, NO-7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | | | - Jørn Våge
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, P.O. Box 64, NO-1431 Ås, Norway
| | - Kaisa Sörén
- National Veterinary Institute (SVA), Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Erling Johan Solberg
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), P.O. Box 5685 Torgarden, NO-7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | | | - Jyrki Pusenius
- Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE), Yliopistokatu 6, FI-80100 Joensuu, Finland
| | | | - Göran Ericsson
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Umeå, Sweden
| | - Haakon Christopher Bakka
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, P.O. Box 64, NO-1431 Ås, Norway
- Present address: Kontali, Fred Olsens gate 1, NO-0152 Oslo, Norway
| | - Atle Mysterud
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066 Blindern, NO-0316 Oslo, Norway
| | | | | | - Erik Ågren
- National Veterinary Institute (SVA), Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | - Knut Madslien
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, P.O. Box 64, NO-1431 Ås, Norway
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14
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Carlson CM, Thomas S, Keating MW, Soto P, Gibbs NM, Chang H, Wiepz JK, Austin AG, Schneider JR, Morales R, Johnson CJ, Pedersen JA. Plants as vectors for environmental prion transmission. iScience 2023; 26:108428. [PMID: 38077138 PMCID: PMC10700824 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Revised: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Prions cause fatal neurodegenerative diseases and exhibit remarkable durability, which engenders a wide array of potential exposure scenarios. In chronic wasting disease of deer, elk, moose, and reindeer and in scrapie of sheep and goats, prions are transmitted via environmental routes and the ability of plants to accumulate and subsequently transmit prions has been hypothesized, but not previously demonstrated. Here, we establish the ability of several crop and other plant species to take up prions via their roots and translocate them to above-ground tissues from various growth media including soils. We demonstrate that plants can accumulate prions in above-ground tissues to levels sufficient to transmit disease after oral ingestion by mice. Our results suggest plants may serve as vectors for prion transmission in the environment-a finding with implications for wildlife conservation, agriculture, and public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina M. Carlson
- Cellular and Molecular Biology Program, University of Wisconsin – Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
- U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, WI 53711, USA
| | - Samuel Thomas
- Department of Soil Science, University of Wisconsin – Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Matthew W. Keating
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Wisconsin – Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Paulina Soto
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Nicole M. Gibbs
- U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, WI 53711, USA
| | - Haeyoon Chang
- U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, WI 53711, USA
| | - Jamie K. Wiepz
- U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, WI 53711, USA
| | - Annabel G. Austin
- School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Jay R. Schneider
- U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, WI 53711, USA
| | - Rodrigo Morales
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Centro Integrativo de Biologia y Quimica Aplicada (CIBQA), Universidad Bernardo O’Higgins, Santiago, Chile
| | | | - Joel A. Pedersen
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
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15
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Ness A, Aiken J, McKenzie D. Sheep scrapie and deer rabies in England prior to 1800. Prion 2023; 17:7-15. [PMID: 36654484 PMCID: PMC9858414 DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2023.2166749] [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] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Eighteenth-century England witnessed the emergence of two neurological diseases in animals. Scrapie, a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, is a fatal neurodegenerative disease of sheep and goats that appears in classical and atypical forms. Reports of classical scrapie in continental Europe with described symptoms date back to 1750 in what is now western Poland. However, two major outbreaks of scrapie appeared in England prior to the 1800s. References to a sheep disease with a resemblance to scrapie first appear in Southwestern England between 1693 and 1722 and in the East Midlands between 1693 and 1706. Concurrent with the descriptions of scrapie in sheep was a neurological disease of deer first appearing in the East of England. Two 18th-century writers remarked on the symptomatic similarities between the sheep and deer neurological diseases. Multiple outbreaks of the unknown deer disease existing as early as 1772 are examined and are identified as rabies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Ness
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada,Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Judd Aiken
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada,Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Debbie McKenzie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada,Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada,CONTACT Debbie McKenzie Centre for Prion and Protein Folding Diseases, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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16
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Mallikarjun A, Swartz B, Kane SA, Gibison M, Wilson I, Collins A, Moore MB, Charendoff I, Ellis J, Murphy LA, Nichols T, Otto CM. Canine detection of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in laboratory and field settings. Prion 2023; 17:16-28. [PMID: 36740856 PMCID: PMC9904315 DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2023.2169519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal transmissible spongiform encephalopathy that affects both free-ranging and farmed cervid species, including mule deer, white-tailed deer, and elk (Odocoileus hemionus, Odocoileus virginianus, and Cervus canadensis). Due to the long incubation period and variability of clinical signs, CWD can expand and spread to new areas before they reach diagnostically detectable levels. Antemortem testing methods currently available can be difficult to obtain and to be applied to the large numbers required for adequate surveillance. However, key volatile biomarkers could be harnessed for non-invasive antemortem surveillance. Detection dogs are the most effective tool currently available for volatile detection; dogs can effectively complete wildlife surveys at rates surpassing that of humans. This study is the first to demonstrate that trained detection dogs can be used as an antemortem test for CWD. First, we trained three dogs to differentiate between CWD-positive and CWD-negative white-tailed deer faeces in a laboratory setting. Dogs spent significantly more time at the positive sample than the negative samples, suggesting that they differentiated between the positive and negative volatile signatures. We then trained the same dogs to search for CWD-positive faecal samples in a more naturalistic field setting. In the field, dogs found 8/11 CWD-positive samples and had an average false detection rate of 13%. These results suggest that dogs can be trained to differentiate CWD-positive faeces from CWD-negative faeces in both laboratory and field settings. Future studies will compare canine accuracy to other antemortem methods, as well as improved canine training methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amritha Mallikarjun
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Penn Vet Working Dog Center, University of Pennsylvania, PA, USA,CONTACT Amritha Mallikarjun School of Veterinary Medicine, Penn Vet Working Dog Center, University of Pennsylvania, PA, USA
| | - Ben Swartz
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Penn Vet Working Dog Center, University of Pennsylvania, PA, USA
| | - Sarah A. Kane
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Penn Vet Working Dog Center, University of Pennsylvania, PA, USA
| | - Michelle Gibison
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Wildlife Futures Program, New Bolton Center, University of Pennsylvania, PA, USA
| | - Isabella Wilson
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Penn Vet Working Dog Center, University of Pennsylvania, PA, USA
| | - Amanda Collins
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Penn Vet Working Dog Center, University of Pennsylvania, PA, USA
| | - Madison B. Moore
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Penn Vet Working Dog Center, University of Pennsylvania, PA, USA
| | - Ila Charendoff
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Penn Vet Working Dog Center, University of Pennsylvania, PA, USA
| | - Julie Ellis
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Wildlife Futures Program, New Bolton Center, University of Pennsylvania, PA, USA
| | - Lisa A. Murphy
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Wildlife Futures Program, New Bolton Center, University of Pennsylvania, PA, USA
| | - Tracy Nichols
- United States Department of Agriculture, Washington D.C, WA, USA
| | - Cynthia M. Otto
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Penn Vet Working Dog Center, University of Pennsylvania, PA, USA,School of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences and Advanced Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, PA, USA
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17
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Pereira JC, Gonçalves-Anjo N, Orge L, Pires MA, Rocha S, Figueira L, Matos AC, Silva J, Mendonça P, Carvalho P, Tavares P, Lima C, Alves A, Esteves A, Pinto ML, Pires I, Gama A, Sargo R, Silva F, Seixas F, Vieira-Pinto M, Bastos E. Estimating sequence diversity of prion protein gene ( PRNP) in Portuguese populations of two cervid species: red deer and fallow deer. Prion 2023; 17:75-81. [PMID: 36945178 PMCID: PMC10038017 DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2023.2191540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Among the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), chronic wasting disease (CWD) in cervids is now a rising concern in wildlife within Europe, after the detection of the first case in Norway in 2016, in a wild reindeer and until June 2022 a total of 34 cases were described in Norway, Sweden and Finland. The definite diagnosis is post-mortem, performed in target areas of the brain and lymph nodes. Samples are first screened using a rapid test and, if positive, confirmed by immunohistochemistry and Western immunoblotting. The study of the genetics of the prion protein gene, PRNP, has been proved to be a valuable tool for determining the relative susceptibility to TSEs. In the present study, the exon 3 of PRNP gene of 143 samples from red deer (Cervus elaphus) and fallow deer (Dama dama) of Portugal was analysed. Three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were found in red deer - codon A136A, codon T98A, codon Q226E - and no sequence variation was detected in fallow deer. The low genetic diversity found in our samples is compatible with previous studies in Europe. The comparison with results from North America suggests that the free-ranging deer from our study may present susceptibility to CWD, although lack of experimental data and the necessity of continuous survey are necessary to evaluate these populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge C Pereira
- Animal and Veterinary Research Centre (CECAV), Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Nuno Gonçalves-Anjo
- Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Leonor Orge
- Animal and Veterinary Research Centre (CECAV), Vila Real, Portugal
- Pathology Laboratory, UEISPSA, National Institute for Agricultural and Veterinary Research (INIAV), I.P, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Maria A Pires
- Animal and Veterinary Research Centre (CECAV), Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Sara Rocha
- Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Luís Figueira
- Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco (IPCB), Castelo Branco, Portugal
| | - Ana C Matos
- Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco (IPCB), Castelo Branco, Portugal
| | - João Silva
- Pathology Laboratory, UEISPSA, National Institute for Agricultural and Veterinary Research (INIAV), I.P, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Paula Mendonça
- Pathology Laboratory, UEISPSA, National Institute for Agricultural and Veterinary Research (INIAV), I.P, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Paulo Carvalho
- Pathology Laboratory, UEISPSA, National Institute for Agricultural and Veterinary Research (INIAV), I.P, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Paula Tavares
- Pathology Laboratory, UEISPSA, National Institute for Agricultural and Veterinary Research (INIAV), I.P, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Carla Lima
- Pathology Laboratory, UEISPSA, National Institute for Agricultural and Veterinary Research (INIAV), I.P, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Anabela Alves
- Animal and Veterinary Research Centre (CECAV), Vila Real, Portugal
| | | | - Maria L Pinto
- Animal and Veterinary Research Centre (CECAV), Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Isabel Pires
- Animal and Veterinary Research Centre (CECAV), Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Adelina Gama
- Animal and Veterinary Research Centre (CECAV), Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Roberto Sargo
- Animal and Veterinary Research Centre (CECAV), Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Filipe Silva
- Animal and Veterinary Research Centre (CECAV), Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Fernanda Seixas
- Animal and Veterinary Research Centre (CECAV), Vila Real, Portugal
| | | | - Estela Bastos
- Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal
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18
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Benavente R, Reed JH, Lockwood M, Morales R. PMCA screening of retropharyngeal lymph nodes in white-tailed deer and comparisons with ELISA and IHC. Sci Rep 2023; 13:20171. [PMID: 37978312 PMCID: PMC10656533 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-47105-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease affecting cervids. CWD diagnosis is conducted through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) in retropharyngeal lymph nodes. Unfortunately, these techniques have limited sensitivity against the biomarker (CWD-prions). Two in vitro prion amplification techniques, real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) and protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA), have shown promise in detecting CWD-prions in tissues and bodily fluids. Recent studies have demonstrated that RT-QuIC yields similar results compared to ELISA and IHC. Here, we analyzed 1003 retropharyngeal lymph nodes (RPLNs) from Texas white-tailed deer. PMCA detected CWD at a higher rate compared to ELISA/IHC, identified different prion strains, and revealed the presence of CWD-prions in places with no previous history. These findings suggest that PMCA exhibits greater sensitivity than current standard techniques and could be valuable for rapid and strain-specific CWD detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebeca Benavente
- Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - J Hunter Reed
- Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Kerrville, TX, USA
| | | | - Rodrigo Morales
- Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
- Centro Integrativo de Biologia y Quimica Aplicada (CIBQA), Universidad Bernardo O'Higgins, Santiago, Chile.
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19
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Bravo-Risi F, Soto P, Benavente R, Nichols TA, Morales R. Dynamics of CWD prion detection in feces and blood from naturally infected white-tailed deer. Sci Rep 2023; 13:20170. [PMID: 37978207 PMCID: PMC10656452 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46929-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease affecting cervids. Confirmatory testing of CWD is currently performed postmortem in obex and lymphoid tissues. Extensive evidence demonstrates the presence of infectious prions in feces of CWD-infected deer using in vitro prion-amplification techniques and bioassays. In experimental conditions, this has been achieved as soon as 6-month post-inoculation, suggesting this sample type is a candidate for antemortem diagnosis. In the present study, we optimized the detection of CWD-prions in fecal samples from naturally infected, pre-clinical white-tailed deer by comparing protocols aiming to concentrate CWD-prions with direct spiking of the sample into the PMCA reactions. Results of this screening were compared with similar analyses made in blood. Our data shows that CWD-prion detection in feces using PMCA is best in the absence of sample pre-treatments. We performed a screening of 169 fecal samples, detecting CWD-prions with diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of 54.81% and 98.46%, respectively. In addition, the PMCA seeding activity of 76 fecal samples was compared with that on blood of matched deer. Our findings, demonstrate that CWD-prions in feces and blood are increased at late pre-clinical stages, exhibiting similar detection in both sample types (> 90% sensitivity) when PrP96GG animals are tested. Our findings contribute to understand prion distribution across different biological samples and polymorphic variants in white-tailed deer. This information is also relevant for the current efforts to identify platforms to diagnose CWD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisca Bravo-Risi
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin St., Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Centro Integrativo de Biologia y Quimica Aplicada (CIBQA), Universidad Bernardo O'Higgins, Santiago, Chile
| | - Paulina Soto
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin St., Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Centro Integrativo de Biologia y Quimica Aplicada (CIBQA), Universidad Bernardo O'Higgins, Santiago, Chile
| | - Rebeca Benavente
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin St., Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Tracy A Nichols
- Veterinary Services Cervid Health Program, United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Rodrigo Morales
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin St., Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
- Centro Integrativo de Biologia y Quimica Aplicada (CIBQA), Universidad Bernardo O'Higgins, Santiago, Chile.
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20
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Thackray AM, McNulty EE, Nalls AV, Cardova A, Tran L, Telling G, Benestad SL, Gilch S, Mathiason CK, Bujdoso R. Genetic modulation of CWD prion propagation in cervid PrP Drosophila. Biochem J 2023; 480:1485-1501. [PMID: 37747806 PMCID: PMC10586768 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20230247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023]
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease is a fatal prion condition of cervids such as deer, elk, moose and reindeer. Secretion and excretion of prion infectivity from North American cervids with this condition causes environmental contamination and subsequent efficient lateral transmission in free-ranging and farmed cervids. Variants of cervid PrP exist that affect host susceptibility to chronic wasting disease. Cervid breeding programmes aimed at increasing the frequency of PrP variants associated with resistance to chronic wasting disease may reduce the burden of this condition in animals and lower the risk of zoonotic disease. This strategy requires a relatively rapid and economically viable model system to characterise and support selection of prion disease-modifying cervid PrP variants. Here, we generated cervid PrP transgenic Drosophila to fulfil this purpose. We have generated Drosophila transgenic for S138 wild type cervid PrP, or the N138 variant associated with resistance to chronic wasting disease. We show that cervid PrP Drosophila accumulate bona fide prion infectivity after exposure to cervid prions. Furthermore, S138 and N138 PrP fly lines are susceptible to cervid prion isolates from either North America or Europe when assessed phenotypically by accelerated loss of locomotor ability or survival, or biochemically by accumulation of prion seeding activity. However, after exposure to European reindeer prions, N138 PrP Drosophila accumulated prion seeding activity with slower kinetics than the S138 fly line. These novel data show that prion susceptibility characteristics of cervid PrP variants are maintained when expressed in Drosophila, which highlights this novel invertebrate host in modelling chronic wasting disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alana M. Thackray
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ES, U.K
| | - Erin E. McNulty
- Prion Research Center (PRC) and the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, U.S.A
| | - Amy V. Nalls
- Prion Research Center (PRC) and the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, U.S.A
| | - Alzbeta Cardova
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ES, U.K
| | - Linh Tran
- Department of Biohazard and Pathology, WOAH Reference Laboratory for CWD (SLB), National Veterinary Institute, Postboks 64, 1431 Ås, Norway
| | - Glenn Telling
- Prion Research Center (PRC) and the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, U.S.A
| | - Sylvie L. Benestad
- Department of Biohazard and Pathology, WOAH Reference Laboratory for CWD (SLB), National Veterinary Institute, Postboks 64, 1431 Ås, Norway
| | - Sabine Gilch
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Candace K. Mathiason
- Prion Research Center (PRC) and the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, U.S.A
| | - Raymond Bujdoso
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ES, U.K
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21
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Needham T, Bureš D, Černý J, Hoffman LC. Overview of game meat utilisation challenges and opportunities: A European perspective. Meat Sci 2023; 204:109284. [PMID: 37480669 DOI: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2023.109284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/24/2023]
Abstract
Re-wilding and similar initiatives have resulted in an increase in wildlife suitable for human consumption in Europe. However, game meat production and consumption present several challenges, including infectious diseases which pose risks to livestock, processers, and consumers. This review provides insights into the infectious diseases and toxic contaminants associated with game meat. The effect of killing method on the meat quality is also discussed and means of improving the meat quality of game meat is elucidated. The use of different food safety systems that could be applied to provide safe meat is reported. The importance of collaborative multi-sector approaches is emphasized, to generate and distribute knowledge and implement One Health strategies that ensure the safe, traceable, sustainable, and professional development of commercial game meat supply chains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tersia Needham
- Department of Animal Science and Food Processing, Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, Prague, Suchdol 165 00, Czech Republic.
| | - Daniel Bureš
- Institute of Animal Science, Přátelství 815, 104 00 Prague, Czech Republic; Department of Food Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, Prague, Suchdol 165 00, Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Černý
- Department of Animal Science and Food Processing, Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, Prague, Suchdol 165 00, Czech Republic
| | - Louwrens C Hoffman
- Center for Nutrition and Food Sciences, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), The University of Queensland, Digital Agricultural Building. 8115. Office 110, Gatton 4343, Australia
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22
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Harpaz E, Vuong TT, Tran L, Tranulis MA, Benestad SL, Ersdal C. Inter- and intra-species conversion efficacies of Norwegian prion isolates estimated by serial protein misfolding cyclic amplification. Vet Res 2023; 54:84. [PMID: 37773068 PMCID: PMC10542671 DOI: 10.1186/s13567-023-01220-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases, including chronic wasting disease (CWD) in cervids, are fatal neurodegenerative disorders caused by the misfolding of cellular prion proteins. CWD is known to spread among captive and free-ranging deer in North America. In 2016, an outbreak of contagious CWD was detected among wild reindeer in Norway, marking the first occurrence of the disease in Europe. Additionally, new sporadic forms of CWD have been discovered in red deer in Norway and moose in Fennoscandia. We used serial protein misfolding cyclic amplification to study the ability of Norwegian prion isolates from reindeer, red deer, and moose (two isolates), as well as experimental classical scrapie from sheep, to convert a panel of 16 brain homogenates (substrates) from six different species with various prion protein genotypes. The reindeer CWD isolate successfully converted substrates from all species except goats. The red deer isolate failed to convert sheep and goat substrates but exhibited amplification in all cervid substrates. The two moose isolates demonstrated lower conversion efficacies. The wild type isolate propagated in all moose substrates and in the wild type red deer substrate, while the other isolate only converted two of the moose substrates. The experimental classical scrapie isolate was successfully propagated in substrates from all species tested. Thus, reindeer CWD and classical sheep scrapie isolates were similarly propagated in substrates from different species, suggesting the potential for spillover of these contagious diseases. Furthermore, the roe deer substrate supported conversion of three isolates suggesting that this species may be vulnerable to prion disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erez Harpaz
- Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Svebastadveien 112, 4325, Sandnes, Norway
| | - Tram Thu Vuong
- Department of Biohazard and Pathology, Norwegian Veterinary Institute, P.O. box 64, 1431, Ås, Norway
| | - Linh Tran
- Department of Biohazard and Pathology, Norwegian Veterinary Institute, P.O. box 64, 1431, Ås, Norway
| | - Michael Andreas Tranulis
- Department of Preclinical Sciences and Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Universitetstunet 3, 1433, Ås, Norway
| | - Sylvie L Benestad
- Department of Biohazard and Pathology, Norwegian Veterinary Institute, P.O. box 64, 1431, Ås, Norway
| | - Cecilie Ersdal
- Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Svebastadveien 112, 4325, Sandnes, Norway.
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23
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Kim DJ, Kim YC, Jeong BH. First report of a novel polymorphism and genetic characteristics of the leporine prion protein ( PRNP) gene. Front Vet Sci 2023; 10:1229369. [PMID: 37808111 PMCID: PMC10556520 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1229369] [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: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) have been reported in a broad spectrum of hosts. The genetic polymorphisms and characteristics of the prion protein (PRNP) gene have a vital impact on the development of TSEs. Notably, natural TSE infection cases have never been reported in rabbits, and genetic variations of the leporine PRNP gene have not been investigated to date. To identify leporine PRNP gene polymorphism, we performed amplicon sequencing in 203 rabbits. We report a novel single nucleotide polymorphism on the leporine PRNP gene. In addition, we performed a comparative analysis of amino acid sequences of prion protein (PrP) across several hosts using ClustalW2. Furthermore, we evaluated the effect of changes of unique leporine PrP amino acids with those conserved among various species using Swiss-Pdb Viewer. Interestingly, we found seven unique leporine amino acids, and the change of unique leporine amino acids with those conserved among other species, including S175N, Q221K, Q221R, A226Y, A230G, and A230S, was predicted to reduce hydrogen bonds in leporine PrP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong-Ju Kim
- Korea Zoonosis Research Institute, Jeonbuk National University, Iksan, Jeonbuk, Republic of Korea
- Department of Bioactive Material Sciences and Institute for Molecular Biology and Genetics, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju, Jeonbuk, Republic of Korea
| | - Yong-Chan Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Andong National University, Andong, Republic of Korea
| | - Byung-Hoon Jeong
- Korea Zoonosis Research Institute, Jeonbuk National University, Iksan, Jeonbuk, Republic of Korea
- Department of Bioactive Material Sciences and Institute for Molecular Biology and Genetics, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju, Jeonbuk, Republic of Korea
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24
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Sola D, Tran L, Våge J, Madslien K, Vuong TT, Korpenfelt SL, Ågren EO, Averhed G, Nöremark M, Sörén K, Isaksson M, Acín C, Badiola JJ, Gavier-Widén D, Benestad SL. Heterogeneity of pathological prion protein accumulation in the brain of moose (Alces alces) from Norway, Sweden and Finland with chronic wasting disease. Vet Res 2023; 54:74. [PMID: 37684668 PMCID: PMC10492377 DOI: 10.1186/s13567-023-01208-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are a group of neurodegenerative, transmissible, and fatal disorders that affect several animal species. They are characterized by the conformational conversion of the cellular prion protein (PrPC) into the pathological prion protein (PrPSc). In 2016, chronic wasting disease (CWD) gained great importance at European level due to the first disease detection in a wild reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) in Norway. The subsequent intensive CWD surveillance launched in cervids resulted in the detection of CWD in moose (Alces alces), with 11 cases in Norway, 3 in Finland and 4 in Sweden. These moose cases differ considerably from CWD cases in North American and reindeer in Norway, as PrPSc was detectable in the brain but not in lymphoid tissues. These facts suggest the occurrence of a new type of CWD. Here, we show some immunohistochemical features that are clearly different from CWD cases in North American and Norwegian reindeer. Further, the different types of PrPSc deposits found among moose demonstrate strong variations between the cases, supporting the postulation that these cases could carry multiple strains of CWD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Sola
- Centro de Encefalopatías Y Enfermedades Transmisibles Emergentes, Universidad de Zaragoza, IA2, IIS Aragón, 50013, Zaragoza, Spain.
| | - Linh Tran
- WOAH Reference Laboratory for CWD (SLB), Norwegian Veterinary Institute (NVI), Postboks 64, 1431, Ås, Ås, Norway
| | - Jørn Våge
- WOAH Reference Laboratory for CWD (SLB), Norwegian Veterinary Institute (NVI), Postboks 64, 1431, Ås, Ås, Norway
| | - Knut Madslien
- WOAH Reference Laboratory for CWD (SLB), Norwegian Veterinary Institute (NVI), Postboks 64, 1431, Ås, Ås, Norway
| | - Tram T Vuong
- WOAH Reference Laboratory for CWD (SLB), Norwegian Veterinary Institute (NVI), Postboks 64, 1431, Ås, Ås, Norway
| | | | - Erik O Ågren
- National Veterinary Institute (SVA), 75189, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Gustav Averhed
- National Veterinary Institute (SVA), 75189, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Maria Nöremark
- National Veterinary Institute (SVA), 75189, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Kaisa Sörén
- National Veterinary Institute (SVA), 75189, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Mats Isaksson
- National Veterinary Institute (SVA), 75189, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Cristina Acín
- Centro de Encefalopatías Y Enfermedades Transmisibles Emergentes, Universidad de Zaragoza, IA2, IIS Aragón, 50013, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Juan José Badiola
- Centro de Encefalopatías Y Enfermedades Transmisibles Emergentes, Universidad de Zaragoza, IA2, IIS Aragón, 50013, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Dolores Gavier-Widén
- National Veterinary Institute (SVA), 75189, Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Box 7028, 75007, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Sylvie L Benestad
- WOAH Reference Laboratory for CWD (SLB), Norwegian Veterinary Institute (NVI), Postboks 64, 1431, Ås, Ås, Norway
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25
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Mazza M, Tran L, Loprevite D, Cavarretta MC, Meloni D, Dell’Atti L, Våge J, Madslien K, Vuong TT, Bozzetta E, Benestad SL. Are rapid tests and confirmatory western blot used for cattle and small ruminants TSEs reliable tools for the diagnosis of Chronic Wasting Disease in Europe? PLoS One 2023; 18:e0286266. [PMID: 37647272 PMCID: PMC10468065 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The first case of CWD in Europe was detected in a Norwegian reindeer in 2016, followed later by two CWD cases in Norwegian moose. To prevent the potential spread of CWD to the EU, the European Commission (Regulation EU 2017_1972) implemented a CWD surveillance programme in cervids in the six countries having reindeer and or moose (Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Sweden). Each country had to test a minimum of 3000 cervids for CWD using diagnostic rapid tests approved by the EC Regulation. Experimental transmission studies in rodents have demonstrated that the CWD strains found in Norwegian reindeer are different from those found in moose and that these European strains are all different from the North American ones. Data on the performances of authorised rapid tests are limited for CWD (from North America) and are currently minimal for CWD from Europe, due to the paucity of positive material. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performances of three of the so-called "rapid" tests, commercially available and approved for TSE diagnosis in cattle and small ruminants, to detect the CWD strains circulating in Europe. The performances of these three tests were also compared to two different confirmatory western blot methods. Using parallel testing on the same panel of available samples, we evaluated here the analytical sensitivity of these methods for TSE diagnosis of CWD in Norwegian cervids tissues. Our results show that all the methods applied were able to detect the CWD positive samples even if differences in analytical sensitivity were clearly observed. Although this study could not assess the test accuracy, due to the small number of samples available, it is conceivable that the rapid and confirmatory diagnostic systems applied for CWD surveillance in Northern Europe are reliable tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Mazza
- European Reference Laboratory for Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies - Italian Reference Laboratory for Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - Linh Tran
- World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH, founded as OIE) - Reference Laboratory for Chronic Wasting Disease, Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Oslo, Norway
| | - Daniela Loprevite
- European Reference Laboratory for Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies - Italian Reference Laboratory for Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - Maria C. Cavarretta
- European Reference Laboratory for Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies - Italian Reference Laboratory for Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - Daniela Meloni
- European Reference Laboratory for Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies - Italian Reference Laboratory for Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - Luana Dell’Atti
- European Reference Laboratory for Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies - Italian Reference Laboratory for Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - Jørn Våge
- World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH, founded as OIE) - Reference Laboratory for Chronic Wasting Disease, Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Oslo, Norway
| | - Knut Madslien
- World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH, founded as OIE) - Reference Laboratory for Chronic Wasting Disease, Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Oslo, Norway
| | - Tram T. Vuong
- World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH, founded as OIE) - Reference Laboratory for Chronic Wasting Disease, Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Oslo, Norway
| | - Elena Bozzetta
- European Reference Laboratory for Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies - Italian Reference Laboratory for Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Turin, Italy
| | - Sylvie L. Benestad
- World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH, founded as OIE) - Reference Laboratory for Chronic Wasting Disease, Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Oslo, Norway
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26
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Napper S, Schatzl HM. Oral vaccination as a potential strategy to manage chronic wasting disease in wild cervid populations. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1156451. [PMID: 37122761 PMCID: PMC10140515 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1156451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are a novel class of infectious disease based in the misfolding of the cellular prion protein (PrPC) into a pathological, self-propagating isoform (PrPSc). These fatal, untreatable neurodegenerative disorders affect a variety of species causing scrapie in sheep and goats, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle, chronic wasting disease (CWD) in cervids, and Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (CJD) in humans. Of the animal prion diseases, CWD is currently regarded as the most significant threat due its ongoing geographical spread, environmental persistence, uptake into plants, unpredictable evolution, and emerging evidence of zoonotic potential. The extensive efforts to manage CWD have been largely ineffective, highlighting the need for new disease management tools, including vaccines. Development of an effective CWD vaccine is challenged by the unique biology of these diseases, including the necessity, and associated dangers, of overcoming immune tolerance, as well the logistical challenges of vaccinating wild animals. Despite these obstacles, there has been encouraging progress towards the identification of safe, protective antigens as well as effective strategies of formulation and delivery that would enable oral delivery to wild cervids. In this review we highlight recent strategies for antigen selection and optimization, as well as considerations of various platforms for oral delivery, that will enable researchers to accelerate the rate at which candidate CWD vaccines are developed and evaluated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott Napper
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Hermann M. Schatzl
- Calgary Prion Research Unit, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
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27
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Thompson NE, Huang MHJ, Christensen SA, Demarais S. Wildlife agency responses to chronic wasting disease in free‐ranging cervids. WILDLIFE SOC B 2023. [DOI: 10.1002/wsb.1435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
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28
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Sun JL, Telling GC. New developments in prion disease research using genetically modified mouse models. Cell Tissue Res 2023; 392:33-46. [PMID: 36929219 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-023-03761-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
Abstract
While much of what we know about the general principles of protein-based information transfer derives from studies of experimentally adapted rodent prions, these laboratory strains are limited in their ability to recapitulate features of human and animal prions and the diseases they produce. Here, we review how recent approaches using genetically modified mice have informed our understanding of naturally occurring prion diseases, their strain properties, and the factors controlling their transmission and evolution. In light of the increasing importance of chronic wasting disease, the application of mouse transgenesis to study this burgeoning and highly contagious prion disorder, in particular recent insights derived from gene-targeting approaches, will be a major focus of this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julianna L Sun
- Prion Research Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, USA
| | - Glenn C Telling
- Prion Research Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, USA.
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Tranulis MA, Tryland M. The Zoonotic Potential of Chronic Wasting Disease-A Review. Foods 2023; 12:foods12040824. [PMID: 36832899 PMCID: PMC9955994 DOI: 10.3390/foods12040824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are transmissible neurodegenerative disorders that affect humans and ruminant species consumed by humans. Ruminant prion diseases include bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle, scrapie in sheep and goats and chronic wasting disease (CWD) in cervids. In 1996, prions causing BSE were identified as the cause of a new prion disease in humans; variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). This sparked a food safety crisis and unprecedented protective measures to reduce human exposure to livestock prions. CWD continues to spread in North America, and now affects free-ranging and/or farmed cervids in 30 US states and four Canadian provinces. The recent discovery in Europe of previously unrecognized CWD strains has further heightened concerns about CWD as a food pathogen. The escalating CWD prevalence in enzootic areas and its appearance in a new species (reindeer) and new geographical locations, increase human exposure and the risk of CWD strain adaptation to humans. No cases of human prion disease caused by CWD have been recorded, and most experimental data suggest that the zoonotic risk of CWD is very low. However, the understanding of these diseases is still incomplete (e.g., origin, transmission properties and ecology), suggesting that precautionary measures should be implemented to minimize human exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A. Tranulis
- Department of Preclinical Sciences and Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 5003 As, Norway
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +47-67232040
| | - Morten Tryland
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, 2480 Koppang, Norway
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Kuznetsova A, McKenzie D, Ytrehus B, Utaaker KS, Aiken JM. Movement of Chronic Wasting Disease Prions in Prairie, Boreal and Alpine Soils. Pathogens 2023; 12:269. [PMID: 36839541 PMCID: PMC9965917 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12020269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy negatively impacting cervids on three continents. Soil can serve as a reservoir for horizontal transmission of CWD by interaction with the infectious prion protein (PrPCWD) shed by diseased individuals and from infected carcasses. We investigated the pathways for PrPCWD migration in soil profiles using lab-scale soil columns, comparing PrPCWD migration through pure soil minerals (quartz, illite and montmorillonite), and diverse soils from boreal (Luvisol, Brunisol) and prairie (Chernozem) regions. We analyzed the leachate of the soil columns by immunoblot and protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) and detected PrP in the leachates of columns composed of quartz, illite, Luvisol and Brunisol. Animal bioassay confirmed the presence of CWD infectivity in the leachates from quartz, illite and Luvisol columns. Leachates from columns with montmorillonite and prairie Chernozems did not contain PrP detectable by immunoblotting or PMCA; bioassay confirmed that the Chernozemic leachate was not infectious. Analysis of the solid phase of the columns confirmed the migration of PrP to lower layers in the illite column, while the strongest signal in the montmorillonite column remained close to the surface. Montmorillonite, the prevalent clay mineral in prairie soils, has the strongest prion binding ability; by contrast, illite, the main clay mineral in northern boreal and tundra soils, does not bind prions significantly. This suggests that in soils of North American CWD-endemic regions (Chernozems), PrPCWD would remain on the soil surface due to avid binding to montmorillonite. In boreal Luvisols and mountain Brunisols, prions that pass through the leaf litter will continue to move through the soil mineral horizon, becoming less bioavailable. In light-textured soils where quartz is a dominant mineral, the majority of the infectious prions will move through the soil profile. Local soil properties may consequently determine the efficiency of environmental transmission of CWD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alsu Kuznetsova
- Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G8, Canada
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2M8, Canada
| | - Debbie McKenzie
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2M8, Canada
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2M8, Canada
| | - Bjørnar Ytrehus
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), 7034 Trondheim, Norway
- Department of Biomedicine and Veterinary Public Health Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Kjersti Selstad Utaaker
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), 7034 Trondheim, Norway
- Faculty of Biosciences and Aquaculture, Nord University, 8026 Bodø, Norway
| | - Judd M. Aiken
- Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2M8, Canada
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2M8, Canada
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Effect of legal regulation of supplemental feeding on space use of red deer in an area with chronic wasting disease. EUR J WILDLIFE RES 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s10344-022-01630-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
AbstractSupplemental feeding of cervids during winter is a widespread management practice, but feeding may increase the risk of disease transmission. Therefore, legal regulations to limit supplemental feeding are often implemented when dealing with severe infectious diseases, such as chronic wasting disease (CWD) in cervids. However, it is currently unclear whether these regulations result in decreased spatial clustering and aggregation as intended. Supplemental feeding is expected to restrict the movement of cervids. Therefore, a ban on feeding may also result in wider space use and a risk of geographic spread of disease. The space use of 63 GPS-marked red deer (Cervus elaphus) was investigated before (n = 34) and after (n = 29) the implementation of a legal regulation aimed at limiting the supplemental feeding of cervids during winter in a CWD-affected region of Nordfjella, Norway. Snow depth was the main determinant of the space use for red deer. A moderate reduction in the number of GPS positions in spatial clusters was evident during periods of deep snow once the ban was in place. Sizes of core areas (Kernel 50%), home ranges (Kernel 95%), and dispersion (MCP 100%, number of 1 km2 pixels visited per deer) declined from January to March and with increasing snow depth. Dispersion (number of 1 km2 pixels visited per deer) did not depend on snow depth after the ban, and red deer used larger areas when snow depth was high after the ban compared to before. The ban on supplementary feeding had no effect on size of core areas or home ranges. Several potential factors can explain the overall weak effect of the ban on space use, including the use of agricultural fields by red deer, other anthropogenic feeding, and landscape topography. This study highlights that snow depth is the main factor determining space use during winter, and it remains to be determined whether the moderate reduction in spatial clustering during deep snow after the ban was sufficient to lower the risk of disease transmission.
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Sun JL, Kim S, Crowell J, Webster BK, Raisley EK, Lowe DC, Bian J, Korpenfelt SL, Benestad SL, Telling GC. Novel Prion Strain as Cause of Chronic Wasting Disease in a Moose, Finland. Emerg Infect Dis 2023; 29:323-332. [PMID: 36692340 PMCID: PMC9881765 DOI: 10.3201/eid2902.220882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Our previous studies using gene-targeted mouse models of chronic wasting disease (CWD) demonstrated that Norway and North America cervids are infected with distinct prion strains that respond differently to naturally occurring amino acid variation at residue 226 of the prion protein. Here we performed transmissions in gene-targeted mice to investigate the properties of prions causing newly emergent CWD in moose in Finland. Although CWD prions from Finland and Norway moose had comparable responses to primary structural differences at residue 226, other distinctive criteria, including transmission kinetics, patterns of neuronal degeneration, and conformational features of prions generated in the brains of diseased mice, demonstrated that the strain properties of Finland moose CWD prions are different from those previously characterized in Norway CWD. Our findings add to a growing body of evidence for a diverse portfolio of emergent strains in Nordic countries that are etiologically distinct from the comparatively consistent strain profile of North America CWD.
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Utaaker KS, Ytrehus B, Davey ML, Fossøy F, Davidson RK, Miller AL, Robertsen PA, Strand O, Rauset GR. Parasite Spillover from Domestic Sheep to Wild Reindeer-The Role of Salt Licks. Pathogens 2023; 12:pathogens12020186. [PMID: 36839459 PMCID: PMC9959430 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12020186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Attraction sites are important for environmental pathogen transmission and spillover. Yet, their role in wildlife disease dynamics is often poorly substantiated. Herein, we study the role of salt licks as potential attraction sites for the spillover of gastrointestinal parasites from domestic sheep to wild reindeer. Eggs from the introduced sheep nematode Nematodirus battus were found in faecal samples of both species, suggestive of spillover. DNA metabarcoding of soil, collected at salt licks, revealed that N. battus, in addition to Teladorsagia circumcincta, were the most frequently occurring parasitic nematodes, with a significantly higher prevalence of nematodal DNA in salt lick soil compared to soil from control sites nearby. The finding of similar DNA haplotypes of N. battus in sheep, reindeer, and salt lick soil supports the hypothesis of spillover to reindeer via salt licks. More detailed investigation of the genetic diversity of N. battus across these hosts is needed to draw firm conclusions. Infection with these sheep nematodes could potentially explain a recently observed decline in the calf recruitment rate of the Knutshø reindeer herd. This study also supports the hypothesized role of artificial salt licks as hot spots for the transmission of environmentally persistent pathogens and illustrates the importance of knowledge about such attraction points in the study of disease in free-roaming animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kjersti Selstad Utaaker
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Torgarden, P.O. Box 5685, 7485 Trondheim, Norway
- Faculty of Bioscience and Aquaculture, Nord University, 8049 Bodø, Norway
- Correspondence:
| | - Bjørnar Ytrehus
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Torgarden, P.O. Box 5685, 7485 Trondheim, Norway
- Department of Biomedical Science and Veterinary Public Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7028, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Marie L. Davey
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Torgarden, P.O. Box 5685, 7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Frode Fossøy
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Torgarden, P.O. Box 5685, 7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | | | - Andrea L. Miller
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Torgarden, P.O. Box 5685, 7485 Trondheim, Norway
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Applied Ecology and Agricultural Sciences, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, 2480 Koppang, Norway
| | - Per-Anders Robertsen
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Applied Ecology and Agricultural Sciences, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, 2480 Koppang, Norway
| | - Olav Strand
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Torgarden, P.O. Box 5685, 7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Geir Rune Rauset
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Torgarden, P.O. Box 5685, 7485 Trondheim, Norway
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Raudabaugh DB, Ishida Y, Haley NJ, Brown WM, Novakofski J, Roca AL, Mateus-Pinilla NE. County-wide assessments of Illinois white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) prion protein gene variation using improved primers and potential implications for management. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0274640. [PMID: 36449540 PMCID: PMC9710747 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0274640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal, highly infectious prion disease that affects captive and wild cervids. Chronic wasting disease is the only known transmissible spongiform encephalopathy affecting free-ranging wildlife. In CWD-positive deer, some haplotypes of the prion protein gene PRNP are detected at lower frequencies as compared to CWD-negative deer, as are some variants of the prion protein PrP. Here, we examined wild, hunter-harvested CWD-negative white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) to determine whether there were geographical or temporal differences in the PRNP haplotypes, PRNP diplotypes, PrP proteoforms, and in the proportion of deer with at least one protective haplotype. We sampled 96-100 hunter-harvested deer per county at two time points in the Illinois counties of Jo Daviess, LaSalle, and Winnebago, chosen based on their geographic locations and known occurrence of CWD. The entire coding region of PRNP was sequenced, with haplotypes, diplotypes, and PrP proteoforms inferred. Across time, in Winnebago there was a significant increase in PrP proteoform F (p = 0.034), which is associated with a lower vulnerability to CWD. In every county, there was an increase over time in the frequency of deer carrying at least one protective haplotype to CWD, with a significant increase (p = 0.02) in the Jo Daviess County CWD infected region. We also found that primer combination was important as there was an 18.7% difference in the number of the deer identified as homozygous depending on primer usage. Current Illinois state management practices continue to remove CWD infected deer from locally infected areas helping to keep CWD prevalence low. Nonetheless, continued research on spatial and temporal changes in PRNP haplotypes, PrP proteoforms, and levels of deer vulnerability among Illinois deer will be important for the management of CWD within the state of Illinois and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel B. Raudabaugh
- Illinois Natural History Survey, University of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois, United States of America
- * E-mail: (NEMP); (DBR)
| | - Yasuko Ishida
- Department of Animal Science, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Nicholas J. Haley
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ, United States of America
| | - William M. Brown
- Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Jan Novakofski
- Illinois Natural History Survey, University of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Animal Science, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Alfred L. Roca
- Illinois Natural History Survey, University of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Animal Science, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Nohra E. Mateus-Pinilla
- Illinois Natural History Survey, University of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Animal Science, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- * E-mail: (NEMP); (DBR)
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Igel A, Fornara B, Rezaei H, Béringue V. Prion assemblies: structural heterogeneity, mechanisms of formation, and role in species barrier. Cell Tissue Res 2022; 392:149-166. [PMID: 36399162 PMCID: PMC10113350 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-022-03700-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
AbstractPrions are proteinaceous pathogens responsible for a wide range of neurodegenerative diseases in animal and human. Prions are formed from misfolded, ß-sheet rich, and aggregated conformers (PrPSc) of the host-encoded prion protein (PrPC). Prion replication stems from the capacity of PrPSc to self-replicate by templating PrPC conversion and polymerization. The question then arises about the molecular mechanisms of prion replication, host invasion, and capacity to contaminate other species. Studying these mechanisms has gained in recent years further complexity with evidence that PrPSc is a pleiomorphic protein. There is indeed compelling evidence for PrPSc structural heterogeneity at different scales: (i) within prion susceptible host populations with the existence of different strains with specific biological features due to different PrPSc conformers, (ii) within a single infected host with the co-propagation of different strains, and (iii) within a single strain with evidence for co-propagation of PrPSc assemblies differing in their secondary to quaternary structure. This review summarizes current knowledge of prion assembly heterogeneity, potential mechanisms of formation during the replication process, and importance when crossing the species barrier.
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36
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Jennelle CS, Walter WD, Crawford J, Rosenberry CS, Wallingford BD. Movement of white‐tailed deer in contrasting landscapes influences management of chronic wasting disease. J Wildl Manage 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.22306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher S. Jennelle
- Minnesota Department of Natural Resources 5463 West Broadway Avenue Forest Lake MN 55025 USA
| | - W. David Walter
- U.S. Geological Survey, Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 403 Forest Resources Building The Pennsylvania State University, University Park PA 16802 USA
| | - Joanne Crawford
- Minnesota Department of Natural Resources 2118 Campus Drive SE, Suite 100 Rochester MN 55904 USA
| | - Christopher S. Rosenberry
- Bureau of Wildlife Management Pennsylvania Game Commission 2001 Elmerton Avenue Harrisburg PA 17110 USA
| | - Bret D. Wallingford
- Bureau of Wildlife Management Pennsylvania Game Commission 2001 Elmerton Avenue Harrisburg PA 17110 USA
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37
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Emergence of CWD strains. Cell Tissue Res 2022; 392:135-148. [PMID: 36201049 PMCID: PMC10113326 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-022-03688-9] [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: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) strains present a novel challenge to defining and mitigating this contagious prion disease of deer, elk, moose, and reindeer. Similar to strains of other prion diseases (bovine spongiform encephalopathy, sheep scrapie), CWD strains can affect biochemical and neuropathological properties of the infectious agent, and importantly interspecies transmission. To date, ten CWD strains have been characterized. The expanding range of CWD in North America and its presence in South Korea as well as Scandinavian countries will potentially result in millions of cervids infected with CWD; thus, novel strains will continue to emerge. In this review, we will summarize the characteristics of known CWD strains and describe the impact of prion protein gene polymorphisms on the generation of strains. We will also discuss the evidence that individual cervids can harbor more than one CWD strain, complicating strain analysis, and affecting selection and adaptation of strains in new hosts.
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Kjær LJ, Schauber EM. The effect of landscape, transmission mode and social behavior on disease transmission: Simulating the transmission of chronic wasting disease in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations using a spatially explicit agent-based model. Ecol Modell 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2022.110114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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CAUSE OF DEATH, PATHOLOGY, AND CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE STATUS OF WHITE-TAILED DEER (ODOCOILEUS VIRGINIANUS) MORTALITIES IN WISCONSIN, USA. J Wildl Dis 2022; 58:803-815. [PMID: 36288680 DOI: 10.7589/jwd-d-21-00202] [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: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
White-tailed deer (WTD; Odocoileus virginianus) are a critical species for ecosystem function and wildlife management. As such, studies of cause-specific mortality among WTD have long been used to understand population dynamics. However, detailed pathological information is rarely documented for free-ranging WTD, especially in regions with a high prevalence of chronic wasting disease (CWD). This leaves a significant gap in understanding how CWD is associated with disease processes or comorbidities that may subsequently alter broader population dynamics. We investigated unknown mortalities among collared WTD in southwestern Wisconsin, USA, an area of high CWD prevalence. We tested for associations between CWD and other disease processes and used a network approach to test for co-occurring disease processes. Predation and infectious disease were leading suspected causes of death, with high prevalence of CWD (42.4%; of 245 evaluated) and pneumonia (51.2%; of 168 evaluated) in our sample. CWD prevalence increased with age, before decreasing among older individuals, with more older females than males in our sample. Females were more likely to be CWD positive, and although this was not statistically significant when accounting for age, females were significantly more likely to die with end-stage CWD than males and may consequently be an underrecognized source of CWD transmission. Presence of CWD was associated with emaciation, atrophy of marrow fat and hematopoietic cells, and ectoparasitism (lice and ticks). Occurrences of severe infectious disease processes clustered together (e.g., pneumonia, CWD), as compared to noninfectious or low-severity processes (e.g., sarcocystosis), although pneumonia cases were not fully explained by CWD status. With the prevalence of CWD increasing across North America, our results highlight the critical importance of understanding the potential role of CWD in favoring or maintaining disease processes of importance for deer population health and dynamics.
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Wadsworth JDF, Joiner S, Linehan JM, Jack K, Al-Doujaily H, Costa H, Ingold T, Taema M, Zhang F, Sandberg MK, Brandner S, Tran L, Vikøren T, Våge J, Madslien K, Ytrehus B, Benestad SL, Asante EA, Collinge J. Humanized Transgenic Mice Are Resistant to Chronic Wasting Disease Prions From Norwegian Reindeer and Moose. J Infect Dis 2022; 226:933-937. [PMID: 33502474 PMCID: PMC9470110 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiab033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is the transmissible spongiform encephalopathy or prion disease affecting cervids. In 2016, the first cases of CWD were reported in Europe in Norwegian wild reindeer and moose. The origin and zoonotic potential of these new prion isolates remain unknown. In this study to investigate zoonotic potential we inoculated brain tissue from CWD-infected Norwegian reindeer and moose into transgenic mice overexpressing human prion protein. After prolonged postinoculation survival periods no evidence for prion transmission was seen, suggesting that the zoonotic potential of these isolates is low.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan D F Wadsworth
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit at University College London, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, United Kingdom
| | - Susan Joiner
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit at University College London, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jacqueline M Linehan
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit at University College London, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, United Kingdom
| | - Kezia Jack
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit at University College London, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, United Kingdom
| | - Huda Al-Doujaily
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit at University College London, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, United Kingdom
| | - Helena Costa
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit at University College London, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, United Kingdom
| | - Thea Ingold
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit at University College London, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, United Kingdom
| | - Maged Taema
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit at University College London, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, United Kingdom
| | - Fuquan Zhang
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit at University College London, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, United Kingdom
| | - Malin K Sandberg
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit at University College London, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sebastian Brandner
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit at University College London, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology and Division of Neuropathology, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, University College London National Health Service Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Linh Tran
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Jørn Våge
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Oslo, Norway
| | | | | | | | - Emmanuel A Asante
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit at University College London, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, United Kingdom
| | - John Collinge
- Medical Research Council Prion Unit at University College London, University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, London, United Kingdom
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Hanley BJ, Carstensen M, Walsh DP, Christensen SA, Storm DJ, Booth JG, Guinness J, Them CE, Ahmed MS, Schuler KL. Informing Surveillance through the Characterization of Outbreak Potential of Chronic Wasting Disease in White-Tailed Deer. Ecol Modell 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2022.110054] [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]
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42
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Yuan Q, Rowden G, Wolf TM, Schwabenlander MD, Larsen PA, Bartelt-Hunt SL, Bartz JC. Sensitive detection of chronic wasting disease prions recovered from environmentally relevant surfaces. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2022; 166:107347. [PMID: 35753198 PMCID: PMC9749837 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Revised: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been identified in 30 states in the United States, four provinces in Canada, and recently emerged in Scandinavia. The association of CWD prions with environmental materials such as soil, plants, and surfaces may enhance the persistence of CWD prion infectivity in the environment exacerbating disease transmission. Identifying and quantifying CWD prions in the environment is significant for prion monitoring and disease transmission control. A systematic method for CWD prion quantification from associated environmental materials, however, does not exist. In this study, we developed an innovative method for extracting prions from swabs and recovering CWD prions swabbed from different types of surfaces including glass, stainless steel, and wood. We found that samples dried on swabs were unfavorable for prion extraction, with the greatest prion recovery from wet swabs. Using this swabbing technique, the recovery of CWD prions dried to glass or stainless steel was approximately 30% in most cases, whereas that from wood was undetectable by conventional prion immunodetection techniques. Real-time quake-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) analysis of these same samples resulted in an increase of the detection limit of CWD prions from stainless steel by 4 orders of magnitude. More importantly, the RT-QuIC detection of CWD prions recovered from stainless steel surfaces using this method was similar to the original CWD prion load applied to the surface. This combined surface swabbing and RT-QuIC detection method provides an ultrasensitive means for prion detection across many settings and applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Yuan
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, 68178, United States of America
| | - Gage Rowden
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, 55108, United States of America
| | - Tiffany M Wolf
- Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, 55108, United States of America
| | - Marc D Schwabenlander
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, 55108, United States of America
| | - Peter A Larsen
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, 55108, United States of America
| | - Shannon L Bartelt-Hunt
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Peter Kiewit Institute, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Omaha, Nebraska, 68182, United States of America
| | - Jason C Bartz
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, 68178, United States of America.
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A SCOPING REVIEW OF THE RANGIFER TARANDUS INFECTIOUS DISEASE LITERATURE: GAP BETWEEN INFORMATION AND APPLICATION. J Wildl Dis 2022; 58:473-486. [PMID: 35675481 DOI: 10.7589/jwd-d-21-00165] [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: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The role and impact of infectious diseases in wildlife population dynamics are increasingly recognized, yet disease information is variably incorporated into wildlife management frameworks. This discrepancy is particularly relevant for Rangifer tarandus (caribou or reindeer), a keystone circumarctic species experiencing widespread population declines. The primary objective of this review was to characterize the available peer-reviewed literature on infectious diseases of Rangifer by using a scoping review methodology. Three databases of peer-reviewed literature-Web of Science, BIOSIS previews, and Scopus-were searched and 695 articles met the criteria for initial review. After screening for relevance and language, 349 articles, published between 1967 and 2020, remained. More than half of the excluded articles (181/346; 52%) were left out because they were not published in English; the majority of these excluded articles (120) were in Russian. From the 349 included articles, 137 (39%) pertained to wild (as opposed to semidomesticated or captive) Rangifer populations. Articles on infectious disease in wild Rangifer were published in 40 different journals across various disciplines; the most common journals were disease and parasitology oriented, accounting for 55% of included articles. Most studies were descriptive (87%), followed by experimental (9%). Of the pathogen taxa investigated, helminths were the most common, comprising 35% of articles. Rangifer subspecies were not equally represented in the literature, with barren-ground caribou (R. t. groenlandicus; n=40) and woodland caribou (R. t. caribou; n=39) having the greatest abundance and diversity of infectious disease information available. Few studies explicitly examined individual or population-level impacts of disease, or related disease to vital population rates, and only 27 articles explicitly related results to management or conservation. Findings from this review highlight an unbalanced distribution of studies across Rangifer ecotypes, a preference for dissemination in disease-specialized publication venues, and an opportunity for investigating population-level impacts that may be more readily integrated into caribou conservation frameworks.
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Transmission, Strain Diversity, and Zoonotic Potential of Chronic Wasting Disease. Viruses 2022; 14:v14071390. [PMID: 35891371 PMCID: PMC9316268 DOI: 10.3390/v14071390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2022] [Revised: 06/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease affecting several species of captive and free-ranging cervids. In the past few decades, CWD has been spreading uncontrollably, mostly in North America, resulting in a high increase of CWD incidence but also a substantially higher number of geographical regions affected. The massive increase in CWD poses risks at several levels, including contamination of the environment, transmission to animals cohabiting with cervids, and more importantly, a putative transmission to humans. In this review, I will describe the mechanisms and routes responsible for the efficient transmission of CWD, the strain diversity of natural CWD, its spillover and zoonotic potential and strategies to minimize the CWD threat.
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Harpaz E, Salvesen Ø, Rauset GR, Mahmood A, Tran L, Ytrehus B, Benestad SL, Tranulis MA, Espenes A, Ersdal C. No evidence of uptake or propagation of reindeer CWD prions in environmentally exposed sheep. Acta Vet Scand 2022; 64:13. [PMID: 35668456 PMCID: PMC9169292 DOI: 10.1186/s13028-022-00632-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease of cervids first reported in North America in the 1960s. In Europe, CWD was first diagnosed in 2016 in a wild reindeer in Norway. Detection of two more cases in the same mountain area led to the complete culling of this partially confined reindeer population of about 2400 animals. A total of 19 CWD positive animals were identified. The affected area is extensively used for the grazing of sheep during summers. There are many mineral licks intended for sheep in the area, but these have also been used by reindeer. This overlap in area use raised concerns for cross-species prion transmission between reindeer and sheep. In this study, we have used global positioning system (GPS) data from sheep and reindeer, including tracking one of the CWD positive reindeer, to investigate spatial and time-relevant overlaps between these two species. Since prions can accumulate in lymphoid follicles following oral uptake, samples of gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) from 425 lambs and 78 adult sheep, which had grazed in the region during the relevant timeframe, were analyzed for the presence of prions. The recto-anal mucosa associated lymphoid tissue (RAMALT) from all the animals were examined by histology, immunohistochemistry (IHC) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the ileal Peyer's patch (IPP) from a subsample of 37 lambs were examined by histology and IHC, for the detection of prions. RESULTS GPS data showed an overlap in area use between the infected reindeer herd and the sheep. In addition, the GPS positions of an infected reindeer and some of the sampled sheep showed temporospatial overlap. No prions were detected in the GALT of the investigated sheep even though the mean lymphoid follicle number in RAMALT and IPP samples were high. CONCLUSION The absence of prions in the GALT of sheep that have shared pasture with CWD-infected reindeer, may suggest that transmission of this novel CWD strain to sheep does not easily occur under the conditions found in these mountains. We document that the lymphoid follicle rich RAMALT could be a useful tool to screen for prions in sheep.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erez Harpaz
- Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Svebastadveien, 112, 4325, Sandnes, Norway
| | - Øyvind Salvesen
- Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Svebastadveien, 112, 4325, Sandnes, Norway
| | - Geir Rune Rauset
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Torgarden, P.O. Box 5685, 7485, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Aqsa Mahmood
- Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Svebastadveien, 112, 4325, Sandnes, Norway
| | - Linh Tran
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, P.O. box 64, 1431, Ås, Norway
| | - Bjørnar Ytrehus
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Torgarden, P.O. Box 5685, 7485, Trondheim, Norway.,Department of Biomedical Science and Veterinary Public Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7028, 750 07, Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | - Michael Andreas Tranulis
- Department of Preclinical Sciences and Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Universitetstunet 3, 1433, Ås, Norway
| | - Arild Espenes
- Department of Preclinical Sciences and Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Universitetstunet 3, 1433, Ås, Norway
| | - Cecilie Ersdal
- Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Svebastadveien, 112, 4325, Sandnes, Norway.
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Non-human primates in prion diseases. Cell Tissue Res 2022; 392:7-20. [PMID: 35661921 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-022-03644-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The fascinating history of prion diseases is intimately linked to the use of nonhuman primates as experimental models, which brought so fundamental and founding information about transmissibility, pathogenesis, and resistance of prions. These models are still of crucial need for risk assessment of human health and may contribute to pave a new way towards the moving field of prion-like entities which now includes the main human neurodegenerative diseases (especially Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases).
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Susceptibility of Beavers to Chronic Wasting Disease. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:biology11050667. [PMID: 35625395 PMCID: PMC9137852 DOI: 10.3390/biology11050667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Revised: 04/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a contagious, fatal, neurodegenerative prion disease of cervids. The expanding geographical range and rising prevalence of CWD are increasing the risk of pathogen transfer and spillover of CWD to non-cervid sympatric species. As beavers have close contact with environmental and food sources of CWD infectivity, we hypothesized that they may be susceptible to CWD prions. We evaluated the susceptibility of beavers to prion diseases by challenging transgenic mice expressing beaver prion protein (tgBeaver) with five strains of CWD, four isolates of rodent-adapted prions and one strain of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. All CWD strains transmitted to the tgBeaver mice, with attack rates highest from moose CWD and the 116AG and H95+ strains of deer CWD. Mouse-, rat-, and especially hamster-adapted prions were also transmitted with complete attack rates and short incubation periods. We conclude that the beaver prion protein is an excellent substrate for sustaining prion replication and that beavers are at risk for CWD pathogen transfer and spillover.
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Silva CJ. Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in Cervids and the Consequences of a Mutable Protein Conformation. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:12474-12492. [PMID: 35465121 PMCID: PMC9022204 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c00155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease of cervids (deer, elk, moose, etc.). It spreads readily from CWD-contaminated environments and among wild cervids. As of 2022, North American CWD has been found in 29 states, four Canadian provinces and South Korea. The Scandinavian form of CWD originated independently. Prions propagate their pathology by inducing a natively expressed prion protein (PrPC) to adopt the prion conformation (PrPSc). PrPC and PrPSc differ solely in their conformation. Like other prion diseases, transmissible CWD prions can arise spontaneously. The CWD prions can respond to selection pressures resulting in the emergence of new strain phenotypes. Annually, 11.5 million Americans hunt and harvest nearly 6 million deer, indicating that CWD is a potential threat to an important American food source. No tested CWD strain has been shown to be zoonotic. However, this may not be true for emerging strains. Should a zoonotic CWD strain emerge, it could adversely impact the hunting economy and game meat consumers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J. Silva
- Produce Safety & Microbiology
Research Unit, Western Regional Research Center, Agricultural Research
Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Albany, California 94710, United States of America
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Gilch S. Chronic wasting disease - A prion disease through a One Health lens. THE CANADIAN VETERINARY JOURNAL = LA REVUE VETERINAIRE CANADIENNE 2022; 63:431-433. [PMID: 35368398 PMCID: PMC8922376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Gilch
- Dr. Gilch is an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Prion Disease Research in the Department of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary
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Tripodi L, Ru G, Lazzara F, Florio LC, Cocco C, Meloni D, Maria M, Bozzetta E, Perrotta MG, Caramelli M, Casalone C, Iulini B. Chronic Wasting Disease Monitoring in Italy 2017–2019: Neuropathological Findings in Cervids. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11040401. [PMID: 35456076 PMCID: PMC9029944 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11040401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease that affects cervids; it is classified under transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). CWD is particularly contagious, making its eradication in endemic areas very difficult and creating serious problems for cervid conservation and breeding. It has recently become an emerging public health risk to be managed by health authorities. Starting in 2017, active CWD surveillance in Italy has intensified with the monitoring of wild and farmed cervids. The present study summarizes findings from a histopathological survey of the brains from wild ruminants collected via CWD monitoring between 2017 and 2019. A total of 113 brains from 62 red deer (Cervus elaphus) and 51 roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) were submitted for analysis at the National Reference Center for Animal Encephalopathies (CEA) to determine major patterns of neuropathological lesions and correlated pathogens. Brain lesions were detected in 20 animals, 10 brain samples were unsuitable for examination, and 83 presented no lesions. Neuropathological examination revealed non-suppurative encephalitis or meningoencephalitis in most cases (15/20). This brain study revealed evidence for the absence of CWD in Italy and provided a reference spectrum of neuropathological lesions for differential diagnosis in cervids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Letizia Tripodi
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Via Bologna 148, 10154 Turin, Italy; (L.T.); (G.R.); (L.C.F.); (C.C.); (D.M.); (M.M.); (E.B.); (M.C.); (C.C.)
| | - Giuseppe Ru
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Via Bologna 148, 10154 Turin, Italy; (L.T.); (G.R.); (L.C.F.); (C.C.); (D.M.); (M.M.); (E.B.); (M.C.); (C.C.)
| | - Fabrizio Lazzara
- Dipartimento Di Prevenzione, S.C. Sanità Animale, ASL 3 Genovese, Via San Giovanni Battista 48, 16154 Genoa, Italy;
| | - Lucia Caterina Florio
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Via Bologna 148, 10154 Turin, Italy; (L.T.); (G.R.); (L.C.F.); (C.C.); (D.M.); (M.M.); (E.B.); (M.C.); (C.C.)
| | - Cinzia Cocco
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Via Bologna 148, 10154 Turin, Italy; (L.T.); (G.R.); (L.C.F.); (C.C.); (D.M.); (M.M.); (E.B.); (M.C.); (C.C.)
| | - Daniela Meloni
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Via Bologna 148, 10154 Turin, Italy; (L.T.); (G.R.); (L.C.F.); (C.C.); (D.M.); (M.M.); (E.B.); (M.C.); (C.C.)
| | - Mazza Maria
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Via Bologna 148, 10154 Turin, Italy; (L.T.); (G.R.); (L.C.F.); (C.C.); (D.M.); (M.M.); (E.B.); (M.C.); (C.C.)
| | - Elena Bozzetta
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Via Bologna 148, 10154 Turin, Italy; (L.T.); (G.R.); (L.C.F.); (C.C.); (D.M.); (M.M.); (E.B.); (M.C.); (C.C.)
| | | | - Maria Caramelli
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Via Bologna 148, 10154 Turin, Italy; (L.T.); (G.R.); (L.C.F.); (C.C.); (D.M.); (M.M.); (E.B.); (M.C.); (C.C.)
| | - Cristina Casalone
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Via Bologna 148, 10154 Turin, Italy; (L.T.); (G.R.); (L.C.F.); (C.C.); (D.M.); (M.M.); (E.B.); (M.C.); (C.C.)
| | - Barbara Iulini
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Via Bologna 148, 10154 Turin, Italy; (L.T.); (G.R.); (L.C.F.); (C.C.); (D.M.); (M.M.); (E.B.); (M.C.); (C.C.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-011-2686261
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