Articles, Neurobiology of Disease
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Induces Misfolding of Alleged Prion-Resistant Species Cellular Prion Protein without Altering Its Pathobiological Features
Enric Vidal, Natalia Fernández-Borges, Belén Pintado, Montserrat Ordóñez, Mercedes Márquez, Dolors Fondevila, Juan María Torres, Martí Pumarola and Joaquín Castilla
Journal of Neuroscience 1 May
2013, 33 (18) 7778-7786;
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0244-13.2013
Enric Vidal
3Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal, Campus de la Universitat
Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)-IRTA, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain,
Abstract
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) prions were responsible for an unforeseen epizootic in cattle which had a vast social, economic, and public health impact. This was primarily because BSE prions were found to be transmissible to humans. Other species were also susceptible to BSE either by natural infection (e.g., felids, caprids) or in experimental settings (e.g., sheep, mice). However, certain species closely related to humans, such as canids and leporids, were apparently resistant to BSE. In vitro prion amplification techniques (saPMCA) were used to successfully misfold the cellular prion protein (PrPc) of these allegedly resistant species into a BSE-type prion protein. The biochemical and biological properties of the new prions generated in vitro after seeding rabbit and dog brain homogenates with classical BSE were studied. Pathobiological features of the resultant prion strains were determined after their inoculation into transgenic mice expressing bovine and human PrPC. Strain characteristics of the in vitro-adapted rabbit and dog BSE agent remained invariable with respect to the original cattle BSE prion, suggesting that the naturally low susceptibility of rabbits and dogs to prion infections should not alter their zoonotic potential if these animals became infected with BSE. This study provides a sound basis for risk assessment regarding prion diseases in purportedly resistant species.
snip...
Discussion
Prion diseases have been known for a long time, especially scrapie in sheep and goats, and some diseases affecting humans, including Kuru and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Yet the occurrence and identification of the BSE epizootic was a remarkable milestone in the history of prion disease as cattle had never before been affected by TSE and so were presumed resistant. The recognition that BSE was zoonotic turned prion diseases of animals into a serious threat to public health, which resulted in an unprecedented crisis of confidence in consumers. Vast amounts of money were spent in numerous countries, not just to eliminate hundreds of thousands of infected animals, but also to establish radical changes related to disease control and surveillance, i.e., diagnostic tests, disposal of specified risk material, which could no longer be used in the food industry, etc. However, as prion diseases became the subject of profound scientific study, previously unknown prion strains have been discovered, many with unknown species susceptibilities and zoonotic potential. Thus, the susceptibility of different species to prions, particularly those that may come into close contact with humans, is a matter of continuous debate and study in the scientific community and great concern when determining health and safety policies.
Detailed study of naturally occurring prions is not enough to
understand the behavior of these proteins in certain species. Before 1985, no
one could have foreseen the massive cattle BSE epizootic. Hence, the scientific
community is now particularly cautious when assessing the risk associated with
host susceptibilities of various prions. Nevertheless, certain species display
a limited or apparently null susceptibility to prion disease. Therefore, could
one assume that such species would be resistant to all existing prion strains?
If only one prion strain should be able to infect a new species, it might adapt
to the new host and become easily transmissible. To address this we used all
the tools available (i.e., in
vitro amplification and transgenic mouse models) to evaluate the
behavior of BSE prions in two historically considered prion disease resistant
species: dogs and rabbits. BSE was chosen due to its zoonotic properties and
because, as mentioned above, it is a promiscuous strain that has demonstrated
infectivity in a wider range of species than most other prions. Even though
these experimental conditions are far from modeling natural scenarios, they may
enable us to predict the outcome of potential unforeseen species
susceptibilities and epizootics as occurred with BSE (mad cow disease). During
the last decade, in vitro
replication studies endorsed PMCA as one of the most powerful technologies to
overcome transmission barriers (Castilla et al.,
2008; Green
et al., 2008; Fernández-Borges
and Castilla, 2010; Barria et al.,
2011; Kurt
et al., 2011; Yoshioka et al.,
2011; Chianini
et al., 2012). Thus, dog and rabbit normal brain homogenates were seeded
with BSE prions and submitted to in
vitro amplification (saPMCA) to try to overcome the species transmission
barrier. Interestingly, rabbit PrPC could be misfolded with relative
ease by any of the prion strains used TSE (Barlow and
Rennie, 1976; Fernández-Borges
et al., 2009; Chianini et al.,
2012). This was rather surprising since this species had, until then, been
considered resistant to TSE (Barlow and
Rennie, 1976; Fernández-Borges
et al., 2009; Chianini et al.,
2012). However, dog brain homogenate could not be misfolded until the
initial BSE prion seed concentration was raised considerably, and even with
this modification only BSE was able to misfold dog PrPC, which
suggested a strong resistance of this species to BSE.
Comparison of the original cattle BSE prions with those generated
by seeding rabbit and dog brain homogenate with BSE followed by in vitro saPMCA demonstrated
that the biochemical strain properties of BSE were maintained in the new
species, i.e., glycoform proportion and molecular weight after PK digestion.
This suggests that the BSE prion's conformation is reliably transmitted to new
PrPC species in
vitro. However, to ensure that the BSE strain's pathobiological
properties was also transmitted, particularly those regarding infectivity and
the ability to cross certain species barriers, an in vivo approach was mandatory. The transgenic
mouse model expressing the bovine PRNP
gene was chosen as it had previously demonstrated to reproduce reliably BSE
strain features. This model was key in determining that BSE acquired a
different behavior regarding the length of the incubation period upon its
passage through sheep, while maintaining other strain features, such as Western
blot electrophoretical profile, molecular weight, and PK resistance (Espinosa et al.,
2007). As predicted by the in
vitro experiments (once initially converted, BSE-DoPrPres
and BSE-RaPrPres easily amplified further dog and rabbit normal
brain homogenates in vitro),
both rabbit and dog adapted BSE efficiently infected tgBov mice with attack rates
of 100%. Initially the incubation period was slightly longer for both inocula
than that of cattle BSE, probably due to a lack of adaptation of the in vitro generated prions to
the new host (bovine) prion. However, on second passage the incubation periods
were significantly shortened. Interestingly the behavior of BSE-DoPrPres
was similar to that observed in sheep BSE where the biochemical, lesion, and
immunohistochemical features were unchanged but with a reduction in the
incubation period (Espinosa et al.,
2007). The neuropathology and molecular signature of PrPres
found in tgBov
mice showed no significant differences between cattle BSE and the two in vitro-generated prions,
suggesting that the strain features had not changed upon passage through rabbit
and dog brain homogenates.
The data shown here prove that the difficulties found in
misfolding certain species of PrPC molecules do not imply a loss of
the pathobiological features encoded in the BSE structure. Compared with cat
PrPC (data not shown), dog PrP was tremendously difficult to misfold
in vitro. It could
only be converted when a relatively large dose of BSE prion was used as seed.
However, the similarity of dog PrP primary sequence, differing principally in
just three residues (positions: 163, 181, and 189) with cat PrP (Lysek et al., 2005; Stewart
et al., 2012), would predict a similar behavior to feline spongiform
encephalopathy (FSE). In fact, FSE was one of the first nonbovine prions shown
to maintain BSE strain features (Lezmi et al.,
2006). Accordingly, once the bovine–canine barrier was surpassed, BSE
pathobiological features remained stable in BSE-DoPrPres.
However, the results obtained with BSE cannot be used to predict
the behavior of other prion strains when adapted to these species in vivo or in vitro. Thus, instead of a
species transmission barrier a strain transmission barrier should be considered
as suggested by Scott and coworkers (Scott et al.,
2005). Prion strains might be classified according to their ability to
transmit to different species and also in relation to their adaptability to new
hosts and their permissiveness to change. Therefore, BSE would be a strain with
a low (or null) permissiveness to change and yet high adaptability to different
environments. As such, the zoonotic behavior of BSE toward humans can be
predicted regardless of the host infected with the BSE prion. Any species
derivation of BSE, be it rabbit-BSE, dog-BSE, or any other version, is likely
to encode a structure capable of misfolding human PrPC. Second
passage experiments in transgenic mice expressing human PrP (Tg340 mice) would
have been useful to determine whether silent infection was present in mice
inoculated with cattle BSE and BSE-DoPrPres which seems to be a
plausible assumption according to experiments published in this model (Padilla et al.,
2011).
Our in vitro
and in vivo
results predict that, hypothetically, if BSE infected canids and leporids
(considered, so far, prion resistant) it would maintain its pathobiological
features; including zoonotic potential. This is particularly relevant with
respect to rabbit amplified BSE as rabbits are eaten by humans. In conclusion,
it is strongly recommended that no mammalian species be fed with animal protein
potentially contaminated with BSE to prevent a new epizootic and zoonosis of
unknown consequences.
Given the difficulties of performing infectivity studies in many
natural hosts (without previous in
vitro replication), transgenic mice have been generated expressing
rabbit and dog PRNP
gene which have been inoculated with cattle BSE, among other strains of
interest, to test the in vivo
susceptibility of these PRNP
sequences. In addition, a detailed study of the primary amino acid sequences of
bovine PrP compared with rabbit and dog PrP, focusing on the structural
peculiarities of each amino acid change, is ongoing to explain the different
PrPC to PrPd conversion abilities of each species.
Footnotes
- This work was financially supported by two national grants from Spain (AGL2009-11553-C02-01 and AGL2008-05296-C02), Basque Government Grant PI2010-18, and Etortek Research Programs 2011/2013. We thank the IKERBasque Foundation for their support. We thank CIC bioGUNE, Sierra Espinar, Marta Valle, Mariano Moreno, and Paola Marco for the providing the vivarium and maintenance; the CReSA Biocontainment Unit staff for care and maintenance of the animals; Tomás Mayoral for the bovine spongiform encephalopathy brain tissue samples; and Mark Daeglish for his critical revision of the paper.
- The authors declare no competing financial interests.
- Correspondence should be addressed to Dr. Joaquín Castilla, CIC bioGUNE, Parque tecnológico de Bizkaia, Derio 48160, Bizkaia, Spain. castilla@joaquincastilla.com
EP-021 Canine Prions: A
New Form of Prion Disease
Mourad Tayebi1, Monique
A David2, Brian Summers3
1 University of
Melbourne, Veterinary Sciences, Australia; 2Ausbiologics, Sydney, Australia;
3Royal Veterinary College, London, UK
The origin of bovine
spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), which rapidly evolved into a major epidemic
remains unresolved and was initially widely attributed to transmission of sheep
scrapie to cattle with contaminated feed prepared from rendered sheep carcasses.
Alternative transmission hypotheses also include feed contaminated with
unrecognized subclinical case(s) of bovine prion disease or with prion-infected
human remains. However, following the demonstration of a BSE case exhibiting
the novel mutation E211 K, similar to the E200K mutation associated with most
genetic CJD in humans, support for a genetic origin of prion disease in cattle
is gaining momentum. In contrast to other animal species such as feline, the
canine species seems to be resistant to prion disease as no canine prion cases
were previously reported.
We describe here three
cases of Rottweiler puppy (called RWD cases) with neurological deficits and
spongiform change. We used animal bioassays and in vitro studies to show
efficient interspecies transmission of this novel canidae prion isolate to
other species.
Biochemical studies
revealed the presence of partially proteinase K (PK)-resistant fragment and
immunohistochemistry displayed staining for PrPSc in the cerebral cortex.
Importantly, interspecies transmission of canine PrPSc derived from RWD3 brain
homogenates following inoculation of hamsters led to signs of prion disease and
replication of PrPSc in brains, spinal cords and spleens of these animals.
These findings if
confirmed by further cases of prion disease in canidae and regardless of the
origin of the disease would have a major impact on animal and public health.
PRION 2016 TOKYO
*** DEFRA TO SINGELTARY
ON HOUND STUDY AND BSE 2001 ***
DEFRA Department for
Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Area 307, London, SW1P
4PQ Telephone: 0207 904 6000 Direct line: 0207 904 6287 E-mail:
h.mcdonagh.defra.gsi.gov.uk
GTN: FAX:
Mr T S Singeltary P.O.
Box 42 Bacliff Texas USA 77518
21 November 2001
Dear Mr Singeltary
TSE IN HOUNDS
Thank you for e-mail
regarding the hounds survey. I am sorry for the long delay in responding.
As you note, the hound
survey remains unpublished. However the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory
Committee (SEAC), the UK Government's independent Advisory Committee on all
aspects related to BSE-like disease, gave the hound study detailed
consideration at their meeting in January 1994. As a summary of this meeting
published in the BSE inquiry noted, the Committee were clearly concerned about
the work that had been carried out, concluding that there had clearly been
problems with it, particularly the control on the histology, and that it was
more or less inconclusive. However was agreed that there should be a
re-evaluation of the pathological material in the study.
Later, at their meeting
in June 95, The Committee re-evaluated the hound study to see if any useful
results could be gained from it. The Chairman concluded that there were varying
opinions within the Committee on further work. It did not suggest any further
transmission studies and thought that the lack of clinical data was a major
weakness.
Overall, it is clear
that SEAC had major concerns about the survey as conducted. As a result it is
likely that the authors felt that it would not stand up to r~eer review and
hence it was never published. As noted above, and in the detailed minutes of
the SEAC meeting in June 95, SEAC considered whether additional work should be performed
to examine dogs for evidence of TSE infection. Although the Committee had mixed
views about the merits of conducting further work, the Chairman noted that when
the Southwood Committee made their recommendation to complete an assessment of
possible spongiform disease in dogs, no TSEs had been identified in other
species and hence dogs were perceived as a high risk population and worthy of
study. However subsequent to the original recommendation, made in 1990, a
number of other species had been identified with TSE ( e.g. cats) so a study in
hounds was less
critical. For more
details see- http://www.bseinquiry,
gov.uk/files/yb/1995/06/21005001 .pdf
As this study remains
unpublished, my understanding is that the ownership of the data essentially
remains with the original researchers. Thus unfortunately, I am unable to help
with your request to supply information on the hound survey directly. My only
suggestion is that you contact one of the researchers originally involved in
the project, such as Gerald Wells. He can be contacted at the following
address.
Dr Gerald Wells,
Veterinary Laboratories Agency, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey, KT 15 3NB, UK
You may also wish to be
aware that since November 1994 all suspected cases of spongiform encephalopathy
in animals and poultry were made notifiable. Hence since that date there has
been a requirement for vets to report any suspect SE in dogs for further
investigation. To date there has never been positive identification of a TSE in
a dog.
I hope this is helpful
Yours sincerely 4
HUGH MCDONAGH BSE
CORRESPONDENCE SECTION
======================================
HOUND SURVEY
I am sorry, but I really
could have been a co-signatory of Gerald's minute.
I do NOT think that we
can justify devoting any resources to this study, especially as larger and more
important projects such as the pathogenesis study will be quite demanding.
If there is a POLITICAL
need to continue with the examination of hound brains then it should be passed
entirely to the VI Service.
J W WILESMITH
Epidemiology Unit 18 October 1991
Mr. R Bradley
cc: Mr. G A H Wells
3.3. Mr R J Higgins in
conjunction with Mr G A Wells and Mr A C Scott would by the end of the year,
indentify the three brains that were from the ''POSITIVE'' end of the lesion
spectrum.
TSE in dogs have not
been documented simply because OF THE ONLY STUDY, those brain tissue samples
were screwed up too. see my investigation of this here, and to follow, later
follow up, a letter from defra, AND SEE SUSPICIOUS BRAIN TISSUE SAF's. ...TSS
TSE & HOUNDS
GAH WELLS (very
important statement here...TSS)
HOUND STUDY
AS implied in the Inset
25 we must not _ASSUME_ that transmission of BSE to other species will
invariably present pathology typical of a scrapie-like disease.
snip...
76 pages on hound study;
snip...
The spongiform changes
were not pathognomonic (ie. conclusive proof) for prion disease, as they were
atypical, being largely present in white matter rather than grey matter in the
brain and spinal cord. However, Tony Scott, then head of electron microscopy
work on TSEs, had no doubt that these SAFs were genuine and that these hounds
therefore must have had a scrapie-like disease. I reviewed all the sections
myself (original notes appended) and although the pathology was not typical, I
could not exclude the possibility that this was a scrapie-like disorder, as
white matter vacuolation is seen in TSEs and Wallerian degeneration was also
present in the white matter of the hounds, another feature of scrapie.
38.I reviewed the
literature on hound neuropathology, and discovered that micrographs and
descriptive neuropathology from papers on 'hound ataxia' mirrored those in
material from Robert Higgins' hound survey. Dr Tony Palmer (Cambridge) had done
much of this work, and I obtained original sections from hound ataxia cases
from him. This enabled me provisionally to conclude that Robert Higgins had in
all probability detected hound ataxia, but also that hound ataxia itself was
possibly a TSE. Gerald Wells confirmed in 'blind' examination of single
restricted microscopic fields that there was no distinction between the white
matter vacuolation present in BSE and scrapie cases, and that occurring in
hound ataxia and the hound survey cases.
39.Hound ataxia had
reportedly been occurring since the 1930's, and a known risk factor for its
development was the feeding to hounds of downer cows, and particularly bovine
offal. Circumstantial evidence suggests that bovine offal may also be causal in
FSE, and TME in mink. Despite the inconclusive nature of the neuropathology, it
was clearly evident that this putative canine spongiform encephalopathy merited
further investigation.
40.The inconclusive
results in hounds were never confirmed, nor was the link with hound ataxia
pursued. I telephoned Robert Higgins six years after he first sent the slides
to CVL. I was informed that despite his submitting a yearly report to the CVO
including the suggestion that the hound work be continued, no further work had
been done since 1991. This was surprising, to say the very least.
41.The hound work could
have provided valuable evidence that a scrapie-like agent may have been present
in cattle offal long before the BSE epidemic was recognised. The MAFF hound
survey remains unpublished.
Histopathological
support to various other published MAFF experiments
42.These included
neuropathological examination of material from experiments studying the
attempted transmission of BSE to chickens and pigs (CVL 1991) and to mice (RVC
1994).
It was thought likely
that at least some, and probably all, of the cases in zoo animals were caused
by the BSE agent. Strong support for this hypothesis came from the findings of
Bruce and others (1994) ( Bruce, M.E., Chree, A., McConnell, I., Foster, J.,
Pearson, G. & Fraser, H. (1994) Transmission of bovine spongiform
encephalopathy and scrapie to mice: strain variation and species barrier.
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 343, 405-411: J/PTRSL/343/405
), who demonstrated that the pattern of variation in incubation period and
lesion profile in six strains of mice inoculated with brain homogenates from an
affected kudu and the nyala, was similar to that seen when this panel of mouse
strains was inoculated with brain from cattle with BSE. The affected zoo bovids
were all from herds that were exposed to feeds that were likely to have
contained contaminated ruminant-derived protein and the zoo felids had been
exposed, if only occasionally in some cases, to tissues from cattle unfit for
human consumption.
snip...
NEW URL ;
Friday, March 8, 2013
Dogs may have been used
to make Petfood and animal feed
Monday, March 26, 2012
CANINE SPONGIFORM
ENCEPHALOPATHY: A NEW FORM OF ANIMAL PRION DISEASE
http://caninespongiformencephalopathy.blogspot.com/2012/03/canine-spongiform-encephalopathy-new.html
Monday, February 14,
2011
THE ROLE OF PREDATION IN
DISEASE CONTROL: A COMPARISON OF SELECTIVE AND NONSELECTIVE REMOVAL ON PRION
DISEASE DYNAMICS IN DEER
NO, NO, NOT NO, BUT HELL
NO !
Journal of Wildlife
Diseases, 47(1), 2011, pp. 78-93 © Wildlife Disease Association 2011
Monday, March 8, 2010
Canine Spongiform
Encephalopathy aka MAD DOG DISEASE
snip...see full text ;
Friday, May 27, 2016
Canine Prions: A New
Form of Prion Disease EP-021 PRION 2016 TOKYO
Monday, August 8, 2011
Susceptibility of Domestic Cats to CWD Infection
Monday, August 8, 2011
Susceptibility of Domestic Cats to CWD Infection
Oral.29: Susceptibility
of Domestic Cats to CWD Infection
Amy Nalls, Nicholas J. Haley, Jeanette Hayes-Klug, Kelly Anderson, Davis M. Seelig, Dan S. Bucy, Susan L. Kraft, Edward A. Hoover and Candace K. Mathiason†
Colorado State University; Fort Collins, CO USA†Presenting author; Email: ckm@lamar.colostate.edu
Domestic and non-domestic cats have been shown to be susceptible to one prion disease, feline spongiform encephalopathy (FSE), thought to be transmitted through consumption of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) contaminated meat. Because domestic and free ranging felids scavenge cervid carcasses, including those in CWD affected areas, we evaluated the susceptibility of domestic cats to CWD infection experimentally. Groups of n = 5 cats each were inoculated either intracerebrally (IC) or orally (PO) with CWD deer brain homogenate. Between 40–43 months following IC inoculation, two cats developed mild but progressive symptoms including weight loss, anorexia, polydipsia, patterned motor behaviors and ataxia—ultimately mandating euthanasia. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on the brain of one of these animals (vs. two age-matched controls) performed just before euthanasia revealed increased ventricular system volume, more prominent sulci, and T2 hyperintensity deep in the white matter of the frontal hemisphere and in cortical grey distributed through the brain, likely representing inflammation or gliosis. PrPRES and widely distributed peri-neuronal vacuoles were demonstrated in the brains of both animals by immunodetection assays. No clinical signs of TSE have been detected in the remaining primary passage cats after 80 months pi. Feline-adapted CWD was sub-passaged into groups (n=4 or 5) of cats by IC, PO, and IP/SQ routes. Currently, at 22 months pi, all five IC inoculated cats are demonstrating abnormal behavior including increasing aggressiveness, pacing, and hyper responsiveness. Two of these cats have developed rear limb ataxia. Although the limited data from this ongoing study must be considered preliminary, they raise the potential for cervid-to-feline transmission in nature.
http://www.prion2011.ca/files/PRION_2011_-_Posters_(May_5-11).pdf
Hunting and diet
A successful generalist predator, the cougar will eat any animal it can catch, from insects to large ungulates (over 500 kg). Like all cats, it is an obligate carnivore, feeding only on meat. The mean weight of vertebrate prey (MWVP) was positively correlated (r=0.875) with puma body weight and inversely correlated (r=-0.836) with food niche breadth in all America. In general, MWVP was lower in areas closer to the Equator.[3] Its most important prey species are various deer species, particularly in North America; mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk, and even large moose are taken by the cat. Other species such as Bighorn Sheep, wild horses of Arizona, domestic horses, and domestic livestock such as cattle and sheep are also primary food bases in many areas.[38] A survey of North America research found 68% of prey items were ungulates, especially deer. Only the Florida Panther showed variation, often preferring feral hogs and armadillos.[3]
Shown eating. Cougars are ambush predators, feeding mostly on deer and other mammals. Investigation in Yellowstone National Park showed that elk, followed by mule deer, were the cougar's primary targets; the prey base is shared with the park's gray wolves, with whom the cougar competes for resources.[39] Another study on winter kills (November–April) in Alberta showed that ungulates accounted for greater than 99% of the cougar diet. Learned, individual prey recognition was observed, as some cougars rarely killed bighorn sheep, while others relied heavily on the species.[40]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cougar
Oral.22:
Transmission and Pathogenesis of Chronic Wasting Disease in Cervid and Non-Cervid Species
Edward Hoover,† Candace K. Mathiason, Nicholas J. Haley, Timothy D. Kurt, Davis M. Seelig, Amy V. Nalls, Mark D. Zabel, Glenn C. Telling Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology; Colorado State University; Fort Collins, CO; Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics and Neurology; University of Kentucky Medical Center; Lexington, KY USA †Presenting author
Now recognized in 18 states in the US, two Canadian provinces, and one Asian country, efficient horizontal transmission is a signature trait of chronic wasting disease (CWD) of cervids. The facile spread of CWD appears linked to the prion/host relationship facilitating efficient mucosal uptake, peripheral lymphoreticular amplification, and horizontal dissemination exploiting excretory tissues and their products. In addition, recent studies suggest the likelihood of early life mother to offspring transmission. Growing evidence from studies of cervid CWD exposure by natural routes indicate that the incubation period for overt infection detection and disease onset (if any) may be much longer than originally thought. Whether non-cervid species (including humans) may be susceptible to CWD infection and/or act as reservoirs for infection in nature remains unknown. In vitro and in vivo studies of the CWD species barrier indicate the potential for a host range extending beyond cervid species, although no evidence for this has thus far been detected in nature. Interestingly, rodent and mustelid species sympatric with free ranging cervids have been shown susceptible to CWD prions and such trans-species infection broadens the host range/strain characteristics of CWD prions. While the origins of CWD remain unknown, the relationship between sheep scrapie and CWD and the existence of multiple CWD prion strains/quasispecies remain interesting and merit further investigation.
==========================
Monday, August 8, 2011
Susceptibility of Domestic Cats to CWD Infection
http://felinespongiformencephalopathyfse.blogspot.com/2011/08/susceptibility-of-domestic-cats-to-cwd.html
Amy Nalls, Nicholas J. Haley, Jeanette Hayes-Klug, Kelly Anderson, Davis M. Seelig, Dan S. Bucy, Susan L. Kraft, Edward A. Hoover and Candace K. Mathiason†
Colorado State University; Fort Collins, CO USA†Presenting author; Email: ckm@lamar.colostate.edu
Domestic and non-domestic cats have been shown to be susceptible to one prion disease, feline spongiform encephalopathy (FSE), thought to be transmitted through consumption of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) contaminated meat. Because domestic and free ranging felids scavenge cervid carcasses, including those in CWD affected areas, we evaluated the susceptibility of domestic cats to CWD infection experimentally. Groups of n = 5 cats each were inoculated either intracerebrally (IC) or orally (PO) with CWD deer brain homogenate. Between 40–43 months following IC inoculation, two cats developed mild but progressive symptoms including weight loss, anorexia, polydipsia, patterned motor behaviors and ataxia—ultimately mandating euthanasia. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on the brain of one of these animals (vs. two age-matched controls) performed just before euthanasia revealed increased ventricular system volume, more prominent sulci, and T2 hyperintensity deep in the white matter of the frontal hemisphere and in cortical grey distributed through the brain, likely representing inflammation or gliosis. PrPRES and widely distributed peri-neuronal vacuoles were demonstrated in the brains of both animals by immunodetection assays. No clinical signs of TSE have been detected in the remaining primary passage cats after 80 months pi. Feline-adapted CWD was sub-passaged into groups (n=4 or 5) of cats by IC, PO, and IP/SQ routes. Currently, at 22 months pi, all five IC inoculated cats are demonstrating abnormal behavior including increasing aggressiveness, pacing, and hyper responsiveness. Two of these cats have developed rear limb ataxia. Although the limited data from this ongoing study must be considered preliminary, they raise the potential for cervid-to-feline transmission in nature.
http://www.prion2011.ca/files/PRION_2011_-_Posters_(May_5-11).pdf
Hunting and diet
A successful generalist predator, the cougar will eat any animal it can catch, from insects to large ungulates (over 500 kg). Like all cats, it is an obligate carnivore, feeding only on meat. The mean weight of vertebrate prey (MWVP) was positively correlated (r=0.875) with puma body weight and inversely correlated (r=-0.836) with food niche breadth in all America. In general, MWVP was lower in areas closer to the Equator.[3] Its most important prey species are various deer species, particularly in North America; mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk, and even large moose are taken by the cat. Other species such as Bighorn Sheep, wild horses of Arizona, domestic horses, and domestic livestock such as cattle and sheep are also primary food bases in many areas.[38] A survey of North America research found 68% of prey items were ungulates, especially deer. Only the Florida Panther showed variation, often preferring feral hogs and armadillos.[3]
Shown eating. Cougars are ambush predators, feeding mostly on deer and other mammals. Investigation in Yellowstone National Park showed that elk, followed by mule deer, were the cougar's primary targets; the prey base is shared with the park's gray wolves, with whom the cougar competes for resources.[39] Another study on winter kills (November–April) in Alberta showed that ungulates accounted for greater than 99% of the cougar diet. Learned, individual prey recognition was observed, as some cougars rarely killed bighorn sheep, while others relied heavily on the species.[40]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cougar
Oral.22:
Transmission and Pathogenesis of Chronic Wasting Disease in Cervid and Non-Cervid Species
Edward Hoover,† Candace K. Mathiason, Nicholas J. Haley, Timothy D. Kurt, Davis M. Seelig, Amy V. Nalls, Mark D. Zabel, Glenn C. Telling Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology; Colorado State University; Fort Collins, CO; Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics and Neurology; University of Kentucky Medical Center; Lexington, KY USA †Presenting author
Now recognized in 18 states in the US, two Canadian provinces, and one Asian country, efficient horizontal transmission is a signature trait of chronic wasting disease (CWD) of cervids. The facile spread of CWD appears linked to the prion/host relationship facilitating efficient mucosal uptake, peripheral lymphoreticular amplification, and horizontal dissemination exploiting excretory tissues and their products. In addition, recent studies suggest the likelihood of early life mother to offspring transmission. Growing evidence from studies of cervid CWD exposure by natural routes indicate that the incubation period for overt infection detection and disease onset (if any) may be much longer than originally thought. Whether non-cervid species (including humans) may be susceptible to CWD infection and/or act as reservoirs for infection in nature remains unknown. In vitro and in vivo studies of the CWD species barrier indicate the potential for a host range extending beyond cervid species, although no evidence for this has thus far been detected in nature. Interestingly, rodent and mustelid species sympatric with free ranging cervids have been shown susceptible to CWD prions and such trans-species infection broadens the host range/strain characteristics of CWD prions. While the origins of CWD remain unknown, the relationship between sheep scrapie and CWD and the existence of multiple CWD prion strains/quasispecies remain interesting and merit further investigation.
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Monday, August 8, 2011
Susceptibility of Domestic Cats to CWD Infection
http://felinespongiformencephalopathyfse.blogspot.com/2011/08/susceptibility-of-domestic-cats-to-cwd.html
UPDATED DATA ON 2ND CWD
STRAIN
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
CWD PRION CONGRESS SEPTEMBER 8-11 2010
http://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2010/09/cwd-prion-2010.html
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
CWD PRION CONGRESS SEPTEMBER 8-11 2010
http://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2010/09/cwd-prion-2010.html
Sunday, November 01,
2009
American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) and potential spreading of CWD through feces of digested infectious carcases
http://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2009/11/american-crows-corvus-brachyrhynchos.html
American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) and potential spreading of CWD through feces of digested infectious carcases
http://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2009/11/american-crows-corvus-brachyrhynchos.html
Monday, July 13, 2009
Deer Carcass Decomposition and Potential Scavenger Exposure to Chronic Wasting Disease
http://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2009/07/deer-carcass-decomposition-and.html
Deer Carcass Decomposition and Potential Scavenger Exposure to Chronic Wasting Disease
http://chronic-wasting-disease.blogspot.com/2009/07/deer-carcass-decomposition-and.html
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