Perspectives
Jesús R. Requenaa*, Krister Kristenssonb, Carsten Korthc, Chiara Zurzolod, Marion Simmonse, Patricia Aguilar-Calvof, Adriano Aguzzig, Olivier Andreolettih, Sylvie L. Benestadi, Reinhard Böhmj, Karen Brownk, Byron Calgual, José Antonio del Ríom, Juan Carlos Espinosaf, Rosina Gironesl, Sue Godsaven, Ludwig E. Hoelzlej, Michael R. Knittlero, Franziska Kuhnp, Giuseppe Legnameq, Paul Laevenr, Neil Mabbottk, Eva Mitrovas, Andreas Müller-Schiffmannc, Mario Nuvoloneg, Peter J. Peterst, Alex Raeberp, Klaus Rothu, Matthias Schmitzv, Björn Schroederp, Tiziana Sonatig, Lothar Stitzo, Albert Taraboulosw, Juan María Torresf, Zheng-Xin Yanu & Inga Zerrvx
Received: 5 Feb 2016
Accepted: 1 Apr 2016
Accepted author version posted online: 24 May 2016
Published online: 24 May 2016
Abstract
”Priority” Interim Position Paper
”PROTECTING THE FOOD CHAIN FROM PRIONS”
About twenty five years ago, the appearance in the UK of Bovine Spongiform
Encephalopathy (BSE), quickly brought the previously obscure “prion diseases” to
the spotlight. The ensuing health and food crises that spread throughout Europe
had devastating consequences. In the UK alone, there were more than 36,000 farms
directly affected by BSE and the transmission of BSE prions to humans via the
food chain has caused over 200 people in Europe to die from variant
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD)
In spite of this progress, prions are still a threat. Epidemiological
re-assessment indicates that the 10 year incubation period separating the peaks
of BSE and of the vCJD epidemics is probably too short. In addition, results
from a large number of human tonsil (and appendix) analyses in the UK suggest
that there may be a high number of asymptomatic individuals who are positive for
the disease-associated conformer prion protein PrPSc. A likely scenario is
therefore that all those with signs of infection in tissue could have infective
blood posing the risk for transmission via blood products (confirmed in several
cases). Altogether, these data clearly demonstrate the potential risk of a
second wave of vCJD.
Recently, several reports on cases of “atypical” BSE in cattle may lead to
a major new epidemic, particularly since we still do not understand all factors
determining the species barrier. Ovine scrapie is another concern, because it
could mask ovine BSE, presumably transmissible to humans. Scrapie is endemic and
not likely to be eradicated soon, although current control measures are
effective at greatly reducing disease incidence. Atypical forms, which may be
spontaneous, are not affected by these control measures and this form of disease
will persist in the global sheep population. The low prevalence of these disease
forms makes effective surveillance very challenging. However, there is a clear
risk attendant on ignoring these cases without an understanding of their
possible zoonotic potential, particularly when most forms of human disease have
no established aetiology.
In this “Interim position paper”, based on on-going research in the
EU-funded project PRIORITY, we will highlight the state-of-the-art knowledge and
point out scientific challenges and the major questions for research. Strategic
objectives and priorities in Europe in the future in the research that aims to
control, eliminate or eradicate the threat posed by prions to our food and
health are also indicated.
The PRIORITY project has focused on 4 themes, namely, the structure,
function, conversion and toxicity of prions; detection of prions; mechanisms of
prion transmission and spreading and epidemiology of prion diseases. This
interim paper summarizes the opinions/positions reached within these themes
after the first two years of the project.
1. Prion structure, function, conversion and toxicity
State of the art
The mechanisms for conversion of the normal, cellular PrPC to PrPSc as
well as strain diversity and transmission barriers are structurally enciphered.
Thus, it is essential to understand the structure of PrPSc in order to design
methods to interfere with prion propagation and spread, but it can also be of
diagnostic significance if alternative and/or earlier markers could be
identified - especially in vivo.
The PrPSc forms double amyloid fibers made up of two intertwined fibrils,
each 3-4 nm wide, with no regular pitch. Limited proteolysis studies indicate
that PrPSc monomers that make up these fibers contain stretches of high
resistance to PK (presumably -strands) interspersed with short stretches with a
higher proteolytic susceptibility, presumably loops and turns. The C-terminal
stretch (180-231) is the most PK resistant region.
Wild-type PrPC converts to PrPSc in the sporadic forms of the disorders
through an unknown mechanism. To unravel the early events in structural prion
formation is of major importance since the conversion of PrPC to PrPSc is the
central event in prion diseases. Hereditary prion diseases are associated with
about forty point mutations of the gene coding for the PrP denominated PRNP.
Most of the variants associated with these mutations are located in the globular
domain of the protein.
Opinions-Positions:
The basic tenet of the prion theory, i.e. that protein misfolding can be
faithfully propagated, is by now widely accepted. Moreover, novel data
increasingly implicate similar "prionoid" principles in the pathogenesis of
“proteinopathies” such as Alzheimer, Huntington and Parkinson disease. In sharp
contrast with this fundamental understanding, and despite the development of
many new tools for prion research, the most basic mechanistic details of how
prions function and how they cause disease have remained largely obscure. The
structural basis of prion strains and their interactions with the host cell,
remain mysterious.
Major questions and scientific challenges
Many aspects of prion replication can be demonstrated in vitro in systems
containing only PrPC and PrPSc. At first approximation, prion propagation can
thus be reduced to a biophysical problem dealing with alternative conformations,
amyloid structures, and conformational coercion. However, like other pathogens,
prions maintain a complex, two- way relationship with the host cell. It is clear
that prions propagate in their natural hosts much more efficiently that they do
in vitro.
The host cell provides both the molecular species (such as PrPC) and the
molecular mechanisms required for the prion propagation. Questions related to
(i) the uptake of prions by the host cell and relevance of intracellular
pathways for prion conversion, (ii) the influence of host cell signals and
factors on prion "replication", (iii) the normal function of the prion protein
and pathogenesis, i.e. mechanisms by which prions cause dysfunctions or damage
to the neurons, and (iv) the transfer of prions to neighboring cells, remain
vastly unsolved.
A major scientific challenge is also to better understand the existence of
different prion strains and mechanisms behind the transmission barriers between
animal species. Related to this is the question why some prions are more
dangerous than others for humans. In addition, since sporadic prion diseases
affect mainly aging people (average age of onset being around 65 years old) a
challenge will be to investigate age-related factors that promote the sporadic
diseases to develop. Another major effort to understand basic mechanisms of the
disease has to be undertaken in order to develop adequate and early therapies
for humans affected by the diseases. This input can only come from the
scientific community because there is a clear lack of industrial investment to
study and develop compounds for CJD affected individuals.
Strategic objectives and priorities in the future
More data of a higher resolution needed to understand the structural basis
of prion strain transmission barriers, e.g. by NMR-based, deuterium exchange
analyses of recombinant PrPSc.
Structural analysis of the various point mutations present in the globular
domain of PrPSc can unveil common folding traits that may allow to a better
understanding of the early conformational changes leading to the formation of
monomeric PrPSc.
Analyses combining high resolution imaging tools and neurophysiology that
leads to a better understanding of the function of the prion protein and its
pathological isoforms.
Analyses of the cause of prion toxicity and identification of host
cell-derived factors that are “partners in crime” can provide novel strategies
aiming at blocking prion propagation and toxicity.
Development of new treatment strategies for individuals affected by CJD.
2. Prion detection
State of the art
Advantages are taken of technical advances to improve prion detection in
body fluids as well as in soil and waste. Such tests are urgently needed to
prevent spread and transmission of prions.
Opinions – Positions:
The emergence of in vitro amplification technologies (such as PMCA and
QUIC) represents a real revolution for prion detection. These techniques display
sufficient theoretical sensitivity to allow prion detection in the body fluids
(such as blood) collected in affected individuals. However, at the moment they
remain of limited robustness and the mechanisms analytical conditions which
allow amplification of misfolded PrP remain largely unknown. Such issues are
similar to those encountered when PCR was developed in the 80’s . Despite those
initial difficulties PCR is now a basic lab technology.
Prions may be considered also as potential environmental contaminants and
their stability in the environment, wastewater and soils must be evaluated as a
requested parameter for developing risk assessment studies. Prions are extremely
resistant to inactivation and it has been described that prions can survive in
soil over years. In the last years, deposition of scrapie and chronic wasting
disease (CWD) prions in the environment through biological fluids and/or faeces
has been proved. Conversely, BSE can also be introduced anthropogenically by
transporting infectious prions via landfill leach or slaughterhouse wastewater.
Furthermore, there is the possibility of discharged contaminated urine, feces
and blood from CJD patients. All this information suggests strongly that
infectious prions enter to the environment, and could be transported via water
and expose humans and animals to infectious prion diseases. Therefore, it is
critical to evaluate the fate of infectious prions in the environment and the
potential sources of contamination.
Major questions and scientific challenges
A major scientific challenge is to develop better prion detection methods
that can have applications in pharma screening, consumables testing,
environmental monitoring (e. g. allowing re-population of previously affected
farms), and in vivo diagnostics.
The behavior and stability of prions in the environment and wastewater
have to be better defined and the efficiency of waste water treatments in the
removal of prions be assessed.
Strategic objectives and priorities in the future
Improving the performances and robustness of in vitro prion amplification
technology
Establishing a relationship between the presence of PrPSc as demonstrated
in an environmental matrix by in vitro amplification methodology and the risk of
prion transmission for an individual that would be exposed to such matrix.
Redefining the techniques available to optimize the detection of prions in
the divers environmental matrices with validated protocols.
Water samples impacted by infected animal excreta and waste water must be
analyzed for the potential role in the transmission of prion diseases, producing
data on the potential dissemination of prions in these areas.
State of the art
Insights on mechanisms by which prions enter the brain to induce a
neurodegenerative diseases and exit an organism through body fluids, as well as
on and how factors such as host age and inflammation affect these processes, are
essential for assessment of prion transmission and pathogenesis.
Major questions and scientific challenges
Are species barriers to prions “rigid/absolute” and related to the prion
strain, or can they at the individual host level be affected by host variables
such as other infections and inflammatory disorders, and age?
Another important question is whether milk presents a risk for spread of
prions.
Strategic objectives and priorities in the future
Identifying the organelle(s) and molecules involved in cell to cell prion spreading and release in the body fluids
Better understanding of when to target diagnostic/therapeutic strategies
based on age/species.
Development of host cell-directed interventions to prevent propagation and
spread of prions.
Which decontamination procedures should be implemented in clinical practice?
4. Prion epidemiology
State of the art
A better understanding on the way in which different strains of prions are
spreading between animals and human beings, and the environmental factors that
modulate such spreading is essential to design methods to prevent spread of
prions within the communities. Crucial to prevent spread of prions are also
improved methods for decontamination and disposal of animal waste as well as
assessment of prions in waste water and soils.
Considerable efforts have been made by the EU during recent years by
implementing a rigorous regimen to control prion infections in cattle, sheep and
goat. An array of regulations such as the introduction of the feed ban, an
effective surveillance and monitoring system, the destruction of SRM and
establishing culling strategies by member state authorities had a significant
impact on the decrease of numbers of incidences and the spread of the disease.
Undoubtedly, these measures have reduced the number of BSE cases detected in the
EU from 2,167 in 2001 (15 member states) to 65 cases in 2009 and 43 cases in
2010 and 11 cases (Sept. 2011) in 2011 in 27 member states.
Deposition of scrapie and CWD prions in the environment occurs through
biological fluids and/or faeces. Data depict a scenario where prions may
accumulate in the environment due to direct shedding from pre-clinical animals
and remain infectious in soil and water for periods of time long enough to
permit transmission to susceptible individuals. Although the scenario for BSE
could not be completely the same (BSE prions are hardly detectable in
extraneural tissues and are essentially restricted to the CNS), deposition of
BSE prions in the environment may occur due to burial of carcasses and
mortalities, and to a lesser extent, through biosolids generated in water
treatment plants processing infected animals, especially those being unaware of
it. Presumably this scenario occurred during the BSE epidemics. Furthermore,
there is the possibility of discharged contaminated urine, feces and blood from
CJD or vCJD patients. The potential presence CWD in Europe has not been
significantly investigated (EC report, Chronic Wasting Disease and tissues that
might carry a risk for human and animal feed chains, 2003). In humans, several
molecular defined disease subtypes have been described. However, the molecular
basis and epidemiological significance of these so called sporadic disease
subtypes are not understood.
Opinions -Positions:
Although still declining, BSE has not been eradicated so far and regarding
presumably sporadic cases of BSE one might question if eradication is generally
achievable.
Furthermore, sporadic cases of BSE appear to be significantly different
from orally acquired BSE in many aspects. The most obvious differences in such
atypical/sporadic BSE are the tendency for ages of diseased animals to be in the
last third of the life span for cattle and a different phenotype of the prion
protein. Most recently, two new case of non-classical BSE were diagnosed in
Switzerland, a country where BSE had been seen last in 2006. The overall picture
of atypical/sporadic BSE is even complicated by the fact that these two new
cases of BSE appear to be not equivalent to so far known atypical cases in
cattle. Cases of atypical scrapie in sheep and goats as well as BSE in sheep and
goats might even further complicate the picture. The fact that in the years 2010
and 2011 (Sept. 2011) atypical scrapie by far outnumbers the cases of classical
scrapie causes quite some concern.
A major point of concern is therefore the occurrence of atypical cases of
BSE, which in light of the new types of atypical BSE in Switzerland may remain
undetected. Especially the occurrence of atypical BSE in elderly cows with an
extended pre-clinical phase poses a particular challenge. Even in classical BSE,
depending on different testing scenarios, the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA)
has published an Opinion indicating the possibility of missing BSE cases in
healthy or at risk animals. In the consortium’s opinion the chance of spread of
BSE within the cattle population can be regarded as negligible as long as the
feed ban is still operative. Likewise, under the present regulatory regimens the
exposure risk for humans is very low.
Prion diseases cannot be eradicated, especially the spontaneous diseases,
and it is the opinion of the consortium that a continuous robust surveillance of
both animal and human populations is required.
Major questions and scientific challenges
Although the epidemiology of atypical cases supports the hypothesis of a
spontaneous origin, they can be experimentally transmitted and therefore present
a risk. Also stability of these prions upon passage is not yet known – they may
become more ‘infectious’ by passages. A major scientific challenge is therefore
to understand basic biology and key components determining susceptibility and
transmissibility.
More information about the survival of prions to inactivation treatments
in wastewater treatment plants and the stability to the environmental factors is
necessary. Results suggest that bacterial proteolysis of prions is strongly
related to the stability of the prions. Further analysis would, thus, be
necessary to understand if improvements to increase the biological inactivation
are a real solution for prions inactivation in wastewater treatment plant.
Data have indicated that the inactivation of infectious BSE in the
environment can not be estimated only by the detection of protease resistant
PrPSc levels. Improved PrP markers to be used as target parameter must be
defined considering infectivity.
Strategic objectives and priorities in the future
The existence of atypical prions, which were until now unknown, in cattle
and small ruminants, and the new concept of “prionopathies” in humans clearly
show that
appropriate prion agent surveillance should be maintained in animal and
human population, and that surveillance tools for field surveillance should be
developed according to the scientific progress.
Definition of suitable wastewater treatments that would reduce the
possibility of prion dissemination in the environment.
Implementation of a study of a potential presence of CWD in Europe,
included surveillance programs for the detection of CWD prions and studies of
their behavior in the environment, such as the stability to environmental factor
and to treatment in wastewater treatment plants.
Development of programmes for education and awareness within farming
communities and vets/medics, in particular, as a frontline surveillance
Establishing continuous- molecular strains defined- surveillance of all
forms of human prion diseases for early identification of atypical cases and
potential outbreaks in humans.
5. Proposed Recommendations
a. The question of re-introduction of ruminant protein into the food-chain
The opinion of the members of PRIORITY is that the sustainment of an
absolute feed ban for ruminant protein to ruminants is the essential
requirement, especially since the impact of non-classical forms of scrapie in
sheep and goats is not fully understood or cannot be fully estimated. Therefore,
the consortium strongly recommends prohibiting re-introduction of processed
ruminant protein into the feed-chain. Arguments in support of this opinion are:
the large (and still uncharacterized) diversity of prion agents that
circulate in animal populations;
the uncertainties related to prion epidemiology in animal populations;
the unknown efficacy of industrial processes applied to reduce
microbiological risk during processed animal protein (PAP) production on most
prion agents;
the intrinsic capacity of prions to cross interspecies transmission
barriers;
the lack of sensitive methodology for identifying cross contamination in
food.
The consortium is also hesitant to introduce processed ruminant proteins
into fish food considering the paucity of data on prion infections in fishes and
sea animals, and the risk of establishing an environmental contamination of the
oceans that cannot be controlled.
b. Atypical prion agents
Atypical prion agents will probably in the next future represent the
dominant form of prion diseases. Type L atypical BSE has clear zoonotic
potential. Similarly, there are now some data that seem to indicate that
atypical scrapie agent can cross various species barriers. Moreover, the current
EU policy for eradicating scrapie (genetic selection in affected flocks) is
inefficient to prevent atypical scrapie. In that context it would appear
valuable
to develop knowledge related to pathogenesis and inter-individual
transmission of atypical prion agents in ruminants (both intraspecies and
interspecies)
to investigate for potential PrP resistance allele to the infection by
atypical prion agents
to improve the sensitivity of detection assay that are applied in the
field towards this type of agent
to maintain a robust surveillance of both animal and human populations
Intensified search for a molecular signature of the species barrier is
recommended, since this barrier is a key for many important policy areas - risk
assessment, proportional policies, the need for screening of human products and
food.
d. Prion structure
Prion strain structural language will remain an important issue for public
health for the foreseeable future. Understanding the structural basis for
strains and the basis for adaptation of a strain to a new host will require
continued fundamental research.
e. Detection and therapy
Early detection of prion infection, ideally at preclinical stage, will
remain crucial for development of effective treatment strategies in humans
affected by the disease.
these links do NOT work properly i.e. malicious web attack from my Norton, so I have disabled them. this linked worked fine the other day. ...tss
www.
triangol.es/
prion-priority/web2/index.php/9-priority-interim-position-paper
www.
prionpriority.eu/Prioritypositionpaper
PRION 2016 TOKYO
Zoonotic Potential of CWD Prions: An Update
Ignazio Cali1, Liuting Qing1, Jue Yuan1, Shenghai Huang2, Diane Kofskey1,3,
Nicholas Maurer1, Debbie McKenzie4, Jiri Safar1,3,5, Wenquan Zou1,3,5,6,
Pierluigi Gambetti1, Qingzhong Kong1,5,6
1Department of Pathology, 3National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance
Center, 5Department of Neurology, 6National Center for Regenerative Medicine,
Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
4Department of Biological Sciences and Center for Prions and Protein
Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada,
2Encore Health Resources, 1331 Lamar St, Houston, TX 77010
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a widespread and highly transmissible
prion disease in free-ranging and captive cervid species in North America. The
zoonotic potential of CWD prions is a serious public health concern, but the
susceptibility of human CNS and peripheral organs to CWD prions remains largely
unresolved. We reported earlier that peripheral and CNS infections were detected
in transgenic mice expressing human PrP129M or PrP129V. Here we will present an
update on this project, including evidence for strain dependence and influence
of cervid PrP polymorphisms on CWD zoonosis as well as the characteristics of
experimental human CWD prions.
PRION 2016 TOKYO
In Conjunction with Asia Pacific Prion Symposium 2016
PRION 2016 Tokyo
Prion 2016
Prion 2016
Purchase options Price * Issue Purchase USD 198.00
IL-13 Transmission of prions to non human-primates: Implications for human
populations
Jean-Philippe Deslys, Emmanuel E. Comoy
CEW, Institute of Emerging Diseases and Innovative Therapies (iMETI),
Division of Prions and Related Diseases (SEPIA), Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
Prion diseases are the unique neurodegenerative proteinopathies reputed to
be transmissible under field conditions since decades. The transmission of
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) to humans evidenced that an animal prion
disease might be zoonotic under appropriate conditions. Contrarily, in the
absence of obvious (epidemiological or experimental) elements supporting a
transmission or genetic predispositions, prion diseases, like the other
proteinopathies, are reputed to occur spontaneously (atypical animal prion
strains, sporadic CJD summing 80 % of human prion cases).
Non-human primate models provided the first evidences supporting the
transmissibility of human prion strains and the zoonotic potential of BSE. Among
them, cynomolgus macaques brought major information for BSE risk assessment for
human health1, according to their phylogenetic proximity to humans and extended
lifetime. We used this model to assess the risk of primary (oral) and secondary
(transfusional) risk of BSE, and also the zoonotic potential of other animal
prion diseases from bovine, ovine and cervid origins even after very long silent
incubation periods.
We recently observed the direct transmission of a natural classical scrapie
isolate to macaque after a 10-year silent incubation period, with features
similar to some reported for human cases of sporadic CJD, albeit requiring
fourfold' . longer incubation than BSE2. Scrapie, as recently evoked in
humanized mice3, is the third potentially zoonotic prion disease (with BSE and
L-type BSE4), thus questioning the origin of human sporadic cases. We also
observed hidden prions transmitted by blood transfusion in primate which escape
to the classical diagnostic methods and extend the field of healthy carriers. We
will present an updated panorama of our different long-term transmission studies
and discuss the implications on risk assessment of animal prion diseases for
human health and of the status of healthy carrier5.
1. Chen, C. C. & Wang, Y. H. Estimation of the Exposure of the UK
Population to the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Agent through Dietary Intake
During the Period 1980 to 1996. PLoS One 9, e94020 (2014).
2. Comoy, E. E. et al. Transmission of scrapie prions to primate after an
extended silent incubation period. Sci Rep 5, 11573 (2015).
3. Cassard, H. et al. Evidence for zoonotic potential of ovine scrapie
prions. Nat Commun 5, 5821-5830 (2014).
4. Comoy, E. E. et al. Atypical BSE (BASE) transmitted from asymptomatic
aging cattle to a primate. PLoS One 3, e3017 (2008).
5. Gill O. N. et al. Prevalent abnormal prion protein in human appendixes
after bovine spongiform encephalopathy epizootic: large scale survey. BMJ. 347,
f5675 (2013).
Curriculum Vitae
Dr. Deslys co-authored more than one hundred publications in international
scientific journals on main aspects of applied prion research (diagnostic,
decontamination techniques, risk assessment, and therapeutic approaches in
different experimental models) and on underlying pathological mechanisms. He
studied the genetic of the first cases of iatrogenic CJD in France. His work has
led to several patents including the BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy)
diagnostic test most widely used worldwide. He also wrote a book on mad cow
disease which can be downloaded here for free (http://www.neuroprion.org/pdf_docs/documentation/madcow_deslys.pdf).
His research group is Associate Laboratory to National Reference Laboratory for
CJD in France and has high security level microbiological installations
(NeuroPrion research platform) with different experimental models (mouse,
hamster, macaque). The primate model of BSE developed by his group with
cynomolgus macaques turned out to mimick remarkably well the human situation and
allows to assess the primary (oral) and secondary (transfusional) risks linked
to animal and human prions even after very long silent incubation periods. For
several years, his interest has extended to the connections between PrP and
Alzheimer and the prion mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases. He is
coordinating the NeuroPrion international association (initially european
network of excellence now open to all prion researchers).
- 59-
P-088 Transmission of experimental CH1641-like scrapie to bovine PrP
overexpression mice
Kohtaro Miyazawa1, Kentaro Masujin1, Hiroyuki Okada1, Yuichi Matsuura1,
Takashi Yokoyama2
1Influenza and Prion Disease Research Center, National Institute of Animal
Health, NARO, Japan; 2Department of Planning and General Administration,
National Institute of Animal Health, NARO
Introduction: Scrapie is a prion disease in sheep and goats. CH1641-lke
scrapie is characterized by a lower molecular mass of the unglycosylated form of
abnormal prion protein (PrpSc) compared to that of classical scrapie. It is
worthy of attention because of the biochemical similarities of the Prpsc from
CH1641-like and BSE affected sheep. We have reported that experimental
CH1641-like scrapie is transmissible to bovine PrP overexpression (TgBoPrP) mice
(Yokoyama et al. 2010). We report here the further details of this transmission
study and compare the biological and biochemical properties to those of
classical scrapie affected TgBoPrP mice.
Methods: The details of sheep brain homogenates used in this study are
described in our previous report (Yokoyama et al. 2010). TgBoPrP mice were
intracerebrally inoculated with a 10% brain homogenate of each scrapie strain.
The brains of mice were subjected to histopathological and biochemical analyses.
Results: Prpsc banding pattern of CH1641-like scrapie affected TgBoPrP mice
was similar to that of classical scrapie affected mice. Mean survival period of
CH1641-like scrapie affected TgBoPrP mice was 170 days at the 3rd passage and it
was significantly shorter than that of classical scrapie affected mice (439
days). Lesion profiles and Prpsc distributions in the brains also differed
between CH1641-like and classical scrapie affected mice.
Conclusion: We succeeded in stable transmission of CH1641-like scrapie to
TgBoPrP mice. Our transmission study demonstrates that CH 1641-like scrapie is
likely to be more virulent than classical scrapie in cattle.
WS-02
Scrapie in swine: A diagnostic challenge
Justin J Greenlee1, Robert A Kunkle1, Jodi D Smith1, Heather W. Greenlee2
1National Animal Disease Center, US Dept. of Agriculture, Agricultural
Research Service, United States; 2Iowa State University College of Veterinary
Medicine
A naturally occurring prion disease has not been recognized in swine, but
the agent of bovine spongiform encephalopathy does transmit to swine by
experimental routes. Swine are thought to have a robust species barrier when
exposed to the naturally occurring prion diseases of other species, but the
susceptibility of swine to the agent of sheep scrapie has not been thoroughly
tested.
Since swine can be fed rations containing ruminant derived components in
the United States and many other countries, we conducted this experiment to test
the susceptibility of swine to U.S. scrapie isolates by intracranial and oral
inoculation. Scrapie inoculum was a pooled 10% (w/v) homogenate derived from the
brains of clinically ill sheep from the 4th passage of a serial passage study of
the U.S scrapie agent (No. 13-7) through susceptible sheep that were homozygous
ARQ at prion protein residues 136, 154, and 171, respectively. Pigs were
inoculated intracranially (n=19) with a single 0.75 ml dose or orally (n=24)
with 15 ml repeated on 4 consecutive days. Necropsies were done on a subset of
animals at approximately six months post inoculation (PI), at the time the pigs
were expected to reach market weight. Remaining pigs were maintained and
monitored for clinical signs of TSE until study termination at 80 months PI or
when removed due to intercurrent disease (primarily lameness). Brain samples
were examined by immunohistochemistry (IHC), western blot (WB), and
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Brain tissue from a subset of pigs in
each inoculation group was used for bioassay in mice expressing porcine PRNP.
At six-months PI, no evidence of scrapie infection was noted by any
diagnostic method. However, at 51 months of incubation or greater, 5 animals
were positive by one or more methods: IHC (n=4), WB (n=3), or ELISA (n=5).
Interestingly, positive bioassay results were obtained from all inoculated
groups (oral and intracranial; market weight and end of study).
Swine inoculated with the agent of scrapie by the intracranial and oral
routes do not accumulate abnormal prion protein (PrPSc) to a level detectable by
IHC or WB by the time they reach typical market age and weight. However, strong
support for the fact that swine are potential hosts for the agent of scrapie
comes from positive bioassay from both intracranially and orally inoculated pigs
and multiple diagnostic methods demonstrating abnormal prion protein in
intracranially inoculated pigs with long incubation times.
Curriculum Vitae
Dr. Greenlee is Research Veterinary Medical Officer in the Virus and Prion
Research Unit at the National Animal Disease Center, US Department of
Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. He applies his specialty in
veterinary anatomic pathology to focused research on the intra- and interspecies
transmission of prion diseases in livestock and the development of antemortem
diagnostic assays for prion diseases. In addition, knockout and transgenic mouse
models are used to complement ongoing experiments in livestock species. Dr.
Greenlee has publications in a number of topic areas including prion agent
decontamination, effects of PRNP genotype on susceptibility to the agent of
sheep scrapie, characterization of US scrapie strains, transmission of chronic
wasting disease to cervids and cattle, features of H-BSE associated with the
E211 K polymorphism, and the development of retinal assessment for antemortem
screening for prion diseases in sheep and cattle. Dr. Greenlee obtained his DVM
degree and completed the PhD/residency program in Veterinary Pathology at Iowa
State University. He is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary
Pathologists.
O.05: Transmission of prions to primates after extended silent incubation
periods: Implications for BSE and scrapie risk assessment in human populations
Emmanuel Comoy, Jacqueline Mikol, Valerie Durand, Sophie Luccantoni,
Evelyne Correia, Nathalie Lescoutra, Capucine Dehen, and Jean-Philippe Deslys
Atomic Energy Commission; Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
Prion diseases (PD) are the unique neurodegenerative proteinopathies
reputed to be transmissible under field conditions since decades. The
transmission of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) to humans evidenced that
an animal PD might be zoonotic under appropriate conditions. Contrarily, in the
absence of obvious (epidemiological or experimental) elements supporting a
transmission or genetic predispositions, PD, like the other proteinopathies, are
reputed to occur spontaneously (atpical animal prion strains, sporadic CJD
summing 80% of human prion cases). Non-human primate models provided the first
evidences supporting the transmissibiity of human prion strains and the zoonotic
potential of BSE. Among them, cynomolgus macaques brought major information for
BSE risk assessment for human health (Chen, 2014), according to their
phylogenetic proximity to humans and extended lifetime. We used this model to
assess the zoonotic potential of other animal PD from bovine, ovine and cervid
origins even after very long silent incubation periods.
*** We recently observed the direct transmission of a natural classical
scrapie isolate to macaque after a 10-year silent incubation period,
***with features similar to some reported for human cases of sporadic CJD,
albeit requiring fourfold longe incubation than BSE. Scrapie, as recently evoked
in humanized mice (Cassard, 2014),
***is the third potentially zoonotic PD (with BSE and L-type BSE),
***thus questioning the origin of human sporadic cases. We will present an
updated panorama of our different transmission studies and discuss the
implications of such extended incubation periods on risk assessment of animal PD
for human health.
===============
***thus questioning the origin of human sporadic cases***
===============
***This information will have a scientific impact since it is the first
study that demonstrates the transmission of scrapie to a non-human primate with
a close genetic relationship to humans. This information is especially useful to
regulatory officials and those involved with risk assessment of the potential
transmission of animal prion diseases to humans.
***This observation strengthens the questioning of the harmlessness of
scrapie to humans, at a time when protective measures for human and animal
health are being dismantled and reduced as c-BSE is considered controlled and
being eradicated. Our results underscore the importance of precautionary and
protective measures and the necessity for long-term experimental transmission
studies to assess the zoonotic potential of other animal prion strains.
Saturday, May 28, 2016
Infection and detection of PrPCWD in soil from CWD infected farm in Korea
Prion 2016 Tokyo
Friday, May 27, 2016
Canine Prions: A New Form of Prion Disease EP-021 PRION 2016 TOKYO
Saturday, May 28, 2016
TPWD gives in to Breeders again and postponed their decision regarding
proposed changes to state regulations for managing CWD allowing the TSE Prion to
spread further
Friday, April 22, 2016
*** Texas Scrapie Confirmed in a Hartley County Sheep where CWD was
detected in a Mule Deer ***
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
USDA APHIS National Scrapie TSE Prion Eradication Program April 2016
Monthly Report Prion 2016 Tokyo Update
I strenuously once again urge the FDA and its industry constituents, to
make it MANDATORY that all ruminant feed be banned to all ruminants, and this
should include all cervids as soon as possible for the following reasons...
======
In the USA, under the Food and Drug Administrations BSE Feed Regulation (21
CFR 589.2000) most material (exceptions include milk, tallow, and gelatin) from
deer and elk is prohibited for use in feed for ruminant animals. With regards to
feed for non-ruminant animals, under FDA law, CWD positive deer may not be used
for any animal feed or feed ingredients. For elk and deer considered at high
risk for CWD, the FDA recommends that these animals do not enter the animal feed
system.
***However, this recommendation is guidance and not a requirement by law.
======
31 Jan 2015 at 20:14 GMT
*** Ruminant feed ban for cervids in the United States? ***
31 Jan 2015 at 20:14 GMT
see Singeltary comment ;
*** Singeltary reply ; Molecular, Biochemical and Genetic Characteristics
of BSE in Canada Singeltary reply ;
Monday, May 09, 2016
A comparison of classical and H-type bovine spongiform encephalopathy
associated with E211K prion protein polymorphism in wild type and EK211 cattle
following intracranial inoculation
*** Singeltary reply ; Molecular, Biochemical and Genetic
Characteristics of BSE in Canada Singeltary reply ;
*** It also suggests a similar cause or source for atypical BSE in these
countries. ***
Discussion: The C, L and H type BSE cases in Canada exhibit molecular
characteristics similar to those described for classical and atypical BSE cases
from Europe and Japan.
*** This supports the theory that the importation of BSE contaminated
feedstuff is the source of C-type BSE in Canada.
*** It also suggests a similar cause or source for atypical BSE in these
countries. ***
see page 17 6 of 201 pages...tss
Docket No. FDA-2003-D-0432 (formerly 03D-0186) Use of Material from Deer
and Elk in Animal Feed Singeltary Submission
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
CERVID TO HUMAN PRION TRANSMISSION PRION 2016 TOKYO UPDATE
PL1
Using in vitro prion replication for high sensitive detection of prions and
prionlike proteins and for understanding mechanisms of transmission.
Claudio Soto
Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's diseases and related Brain disorders,
Department of Neurology, University of Texas Medical School at Houston.
Prion and prion-like proteins are misfolded protein aggregates with the
ability to selfpropagate to spread disease between cells, organs and in some
cases across individuals. I n T r a n s m i s s i b l e s p o n g i f o r m
encephalopathies (TSEs), prions are mostly composed by a misfolded form of the
prion protein (PrPSc), which propagates by transmitting its misfolding to the
normal prion protein (PrPC). The availability of a procedure to replicate prions
in the laboratory may be important to study the mechanism of prion and
prion-like spreading and to develop high sensitive detection of small quantities
of misfolded proteins in biological fluids, tissues and environmental samples.
Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification (PMCA) is a simple, fast and efficient
methodology to mimic prion replication in the test tube. PMCA is a platform
technology that may enable amplification of any prion-like misfolded protein
aggregating through a seeding/nucleation process. In TSEs, PMCA is able to
detect the equivalent of one single molecule of infectious PrPSc and propagate
prions that maintain high infectivity, strain properties and species
specificity. Using PMCA we have been able to detect PrPSc in blood and urine of
experimentally infected animals and humans affected by vCJD with high
sensitivity and specificity. Recently, we have expanded the principles of PMCA
to amplify amyloid-beta (Aβ) and alphasynuclein (α-syn) aggregates implicated in
Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, respectively. Experiments are ongoing to
study the utility of this technology to detect Aβ and α-syn aggregates in
samples of CSF and blood from patients affected by these diseases.
=========================
***Recently, we have been using PMCA to study the role of environmental
prion contamination on the horizontal spreading of TSEs. These experiments have
focused on the study of the interaction of prions with plants and
environmentally relevant surfaces. Our results show that plants (both leaves and
roots) bind tightly to prions present in brain extracts and excreta (urine and
feces) and retain even small quantities of PrPSc for long periods of time.
Strikingly, ingestion of prioncontaminated leaves and roots produced disease
with a 100% attack rate and an incubation period not substantially longer than
feeding animals directly with scrapie brain homogenate. Furthermore, plants can
uptake prions from contaminated soil and transport them to different parts of
the plant tissue (stem and leaves). Similarly, prions bind tightly to a variety
of environmentally relevant surfaces, including stones, wood, metals, plastic,
glass, cement, etc. Prion contaminated surfaces efficiently transmit prion
disease when these materials were directly injected into the brain of animals
and strikingly when the contaminated surfaces were just placed in the animal
cage. These findings demonstrate that environmental materials can efficiently
bind infectious prions and act as carriers of infectivity, suggesting that they
may play an important role in the horizontal transmission of the disease.
========================
Since its invention 13 years ago, PMCA has helped to answer fundamental
questions of prion propagation and has broad applications in research areas
including the food industry, blood bank safety and human and veterinary disease
diagnosis.
see ;
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Objects in contact with classical scrapie sheep act as a reservoir for
scrapie transmission
Objects in contact with classical scrapie sheep act as a reservoir for
scrapie transmission
Timm Konold1*, Stephen A. C. Hawkins2, Lisa C. Thurston3, Ben C. Maddison4,
Kevin C. Gough5, Anthony Duarte1 and Hugh A. Simmons1
1 Animal Sciences Unit, Animal and Plant Health Agency Weybridge,
Addlestone, UK, 2 Pathology Department, Animal and Plant Health Agency
Weybridge, Addlestone, UK, 3 Surveillance and Laboratory Services, Animal and
Plant Health Agency Penrith, Penrith, UK, 4 ADAS UK, School of Veterinary
Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, UK, 5 School
of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington,
UK
Classical scrapie is an environmentally transmissible prion disease of
sheep and goats. Prions can persist and remain potentially infectious in the
environment for many years and thus pose a risk of infecting animals after
re-stocking. In vitro studies using serial protein misfolding cyclic
amplification (sPMCA) have suggested that objects on a scrapie affected sheep
farm could contribute to disease transmission. This in vivo study aimed to
determine the role of field furniture (water troughs, feeding troughs, fencing,
and other objects that sheep may rub against) used by a scrapie-infected sheep
flock as a vector for disease transmission to scrapie-free lambs with the prion
protein genotype VRQ/VRQ, which is associated with high susceptibility to
classical scrapie. When the field furniture was placed in clean accommodation,
sheep became infected when exposed to either a water trough (four out of five)
or to objects used for rubbing (four out of seven). This field furniture had
been used by the scrapie-infected flock 8 weeks earlier and had previously been
shown to harbor scrapie prions by sPMCA. Sheep also became infected (20 out of
23) through exposure to contaminated field furniture placed within pasture not
used by scrapie-infected sheep for 40 months, even though swabs from this
furniture tested negative by PMCA. This infection rate decreased (1 out of 12)
on the same paddock after replacement with clean field furniture. Twelve grazing
sheep exposed to field furniture not in contact with scrapie-infected sheep for
18 months remained scrapie free. The findings of this study highlight the role
of field furniture used by scrapie-infected sheep to act as a reservoir for
disease re-introduction although infectivity declines considerably if the field
furniture has not been in contact with scrapie-infected sheep for several
months. PMCA may not be as sensitive as VRQ/VRQ sheep to test for environmental
contamination.
snip...
Discussion
Classical scrapie is an environmentally transmissible disease because it
has been reported in naïve, supposedly previously unexposed sheep placed in
pastures formerly occupied by scrapie-infected sheep (4, 19, 20). Although the
vector for disease transmission is not known, soil is likely to be an important
reservoir for prions (2) where – based on studies in rodents – prions can adhere
to minerals as a biologically active form (21) and remain infectious for more
than 2 years (22). Similarly, chronic wasting disease (CWD) has re-occurred in
mule deer housed in paddocks used by infected deer 2 years earlier, which was
assumed to be through foraging and soil consumption (23).
Our study suggested that the risk of acquiring scrapie infection was
greater through exposure to contaminated wooden, plastic, and metal surfaces via
water or food troughs, fencing, and hurdles than through grazing. Drinking from
a water trough used by the scrapie flock was sufficient to cause infection in
sheep in a clean building. Exposure to fences and other objects used for rubbing
also led to infection, which supported the hypothesis that skin may be a vector
for disease transmission (9). The risk of these objects to cause infection was
further demonstrated when 87% of 23 sheep presented with PrPSc in lymphoid
tissue after grazing on one of the paddocks, which contained metal hurdles, a
metal lamb creep and a water trough in contact with the scrapie flock up to 8
weeks earlier, whereas no infection had been demonstrated previously in sheep
grazing on this paddock, when equipped with new fencing and field furniture.
When the contaminated furniture and fencing were removed, the infection rate
dropped significantly to 8% of 12 sheep, with soil of the paddock as the most
likely source of infection caused by shedding of prions from the
scrapie-infected sheep in this paddock up to a week earlier.
This study also indicated that the level of contamination of field
furniture sufficient to cause infection was dependent on two factors: stage of
incubation period and time of last use by scrapie-infected sheep. Drinking from
a water trough that had been used by scrapie sheep in the predominantly
pre-clinical phase did not appear to cause infection, whereas infection was
shown in sheep drinking from the water trough used by scrapie sheep in the later
stage of the disease. It is possible that contamination occurred through
shedding of prions in saliva, which may have contaminated the surface of the
water trough and subsequently the water when it was refilled. Contamination
appeared to be sufficient to cause infection only if the trough was in contact
with sheep that included clinical cases. Indeed, there is an increased risk of
bodily fluid infectivity with disease progression in scrapie (24) and CWD (25)
based on PrPSc detection by sPMCA. Although ultraviolet light and heat under
natural conditions do not inactivate prions (26), furniture in contact with the
scrapie flock, which was assumed to be sufficiently contaminated to cause
infection, did not act as vector for disease if not used for 18 months, which
suggest that the weathering process alone was sufficient to inactivate prions.
PrPSc detection by sPMCA is increasingly used as a surrogate for
infectivity measurements by bioassay in sheep or mice. In this reported study,
however, the levels of PrPSc present in the environment were below the limit of
detection of the sPMCA method, yet were still sufficient to cause infection of
in-contact animals. In the present study, the outdoor objects were removed from
the infected flock 8 weeks prior to sampling and were positive by sPMCA at very
low levels (2 out of 37 reactions). As this sPMCA assay also yielded 2 positive
reactions out of 139 in samples from the scrapie-free farm, the sPMCA assay
could not detect PrPSc on any of the objects above the background of the assay.
False positive reactions with sPMCA at a low frequency associated with de novo
formation of infectious prions have been reported (27, 28). This is in contrast
to our previous study where we demonstrated that outdoor objects that had been
in contact with the scrapie-infected flock up to 20 days prior to sampling
harbored PrPSc that was detectable by sPMCA analysis [4 out of 15 reactions
(12)] and was significantly more positive by the assay compared to analogous
samples from the scrapie-free farm. This discrepancy could be due to the use of
a different sPMCA substrate between the studies that may alter the efficiency of
amplification of the environmental PrPSc. In addition, the present study had a
longer timeframe between the objects being in contact with the infected flock
and sampling, which may affect the levels of extractable PrPSc. Alternatively,
there may be potentially patchy contamination of this furniture with PrPSc,
which may have been missed by swabbing. The failure of sPMCA to detect
CWD-associated PrP in saliva from clinically affected deer despite confirmation
of infectivity in saliva-inoculated transgenic mice was associated with as yet
unidentified inhibitors in saliva (29), and it is possible that the sensitivity
of sPMCA is affected by other substances in the tested material. In addition,
sampling of amplifiable PrPSc and subsequent detection by sPMCA may be more
difficult from furniture exposed to weather, which is supported by the
observation that PrPSc was detected by sPMCA more frequently in indoor than
outdoor furniture (12). A recent experimental study has demonstrated that
repeated cycles of drying and wetting of prion-contaminated soil, equivalent to
what is expected under natural weathering conditions, could reduce PMCA
amplification efficiency and extend the incubation period in hamsters inoculated
with soil samples (30). This seems to apply also to this study even though the
reduction in infectivity was more dramatic in the sPMCA assays than in the sheep
model. Sheep were not kept until clinical end-point, which would have enabled us
to compare incubation periods, but the lack of infection in sheep exposed to
furniture that had not been in contact with scrapie sheep for a longer time
period supports the hypothesis that prion degradation and subsequent loss of
infectivity occurs even under natural conditions.
In conclusion, the results in the current study indicate that removal of
furniture that had been in contact with scrapie-infected animals should be
recommended, particularly since cleaning and decontamination may not effectively
remove scrapie infectivity (31), even though infectivity declines considerably
if the pasture and the field furniture have not been in contact with
scrapie-infected sheep for several months. As sPMCA failed to detect PrPSc in
furniture that was subjected to weathering, even though exposure led to
infection in sheep, this method may not always be reliable in predicting the
risk of scrapie infection through environmental contamination. These results
suggest that the VRQ/VRQ sheep model may be more sensitive than sPMCA for the
detection of environmentally associated scrapie, and suggest that extremely low
levels of scrapie contamination are able to cause infection in susceptible sheep
genotypes.
Keywords: classical scrapie, prion, transmissible spongiform
encephalopathy, sheep, field furniture, reservoir, serial protein misfolding
cyclic amplification
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
*** Objects in contact with classical scrapie sheep act as a reservoir for
scrapie transmission ***
Circulation of prions within dust on a scrapie affected farm
Kevin C Gough1, Claire A Baker2, Hugh A Simmons3, Steve A Hawkins3 and Ben
C Maddison2*
Abstract
Prion diseases are fatal neurological disorders that affect humans and
animals. Scrapie of sheep/goats and Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) of deer/elk
are contagious prion diseases where environmental reservoirs have a direct link
to the transmission of disease. Using protein misfolding cyclic amplification we
demonstrate that scrapie PrPSc can be detected within circulating dusts that are
present on a farm that is naturally contaminated with sheep scrapie. The
presence of infectious scrapie within airborne dusts may represent a possible
route of infection and illustrates the difficulties that may be associated with
the effective decontamination of such scrapie affected premises.
snip...
Discussion
We present biochemical data illustrating the airborne movement of scrapie
containing material within a contaminated farm environment. We were able to
detect scrapie PrPSc within extracts from dusts collected over a 70 day period,
in the absence of any sheep activity. We were also able to detect scrapie PrPSc
within dusts collected within pasture at 30 m but not at 60 m distance away from
the scrapie contaminated buildings, suggesting that the chance of contamination
of pasture by scrapie contaminated dusts decreases with distance from
contaminated farm buildings. PrPSc amplification by sPMCA has been shown to
correlate with infectivity and amplified products have been shown to be
infectious [14,15]. These experiments illustrate the potential for low dose
scrapie infectivity to be present within such samples. We estimate low ng levels
of scrapie positive brain equivalent were deposited per m2 over 70 days, in a
barn previously occupied by sheep affected with scrapie. This movement of dusts
and the accumulation of low levels of scrapie infectivity within this
environment may in part explain previous observations where despite stringent
pen decontamination regimens healthy lambs still became scrapie infected after
apparent exposure from their environment alone [16]. The presence of sPMCA
seeding activity and by inference, infectious prions within dusts, and their
potential for airborne dissemination is highly novel and may have implications
for the spread of scrapie within infected premises. The low level circulation
and accumulation of scrapie prion containing dust material within the farm
environment will likely impede the efficient decontamination of such scrapie
contaminated buildings unless all possible reservoirs of dust are removed.
Scrapie containing dusts could possibly infect animals during feeding and
drinking, and respiratory and conjunctival routes may also be involved. It has
been demonstrated that scrapie can be efficiently transmitted via the nasal
route in sheep [17], as is also the case for CWD in both murine models and in
white tailed deer [18-20].
The sources of dust borne prions are unknown but it seems reasonable to
assume that faecal, urine, skin, parturient material and saliva-derived prions
may contribute to this mobile environmental reservoir of infectivity. This work
highlights a possible transmission route for scrapie within the farm
environment, and this is likely to be paralleled in CWD which shows strong
similarities with scrapie in terms of prion dissemination and disease
transmission. The data indicate that the presence of scrapie prions in dust is
likely to make the control of these diseases a considerable challenge.
Research Project: TRANSMISSION, DIFFERENTIATION, AND PATHOBIOLOGY OF
TRANSMISSIBLE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHIES
Title: Scrapie transmits to white-tailed deer by the oral route and has a
molecular profile similar to chronic wasting disease
Authors
item Greenlee, Justin item Moore, S - item Smith, Jodi - item Kunkle,
Robert item West Greenlee, M -
Submitted to: American College of Veterinary Pathologists Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: August 12, 2015
Publication Date: N/A Technical Abstract: The purpose of this work was to
determine susceptibility of white-tailed deer (WTD) to the agent of sheep
scrapie and to compare the resultant PrPSc to that of the original inoculum and
chronic wasting disease (CWD). We inoculated WTD by a natural route of exposure
(concurrent oral and intranasal (IN); n=5) with a US scrapie isolate. All
scrapie-inoculated deer had evidence of PrPSc accumulation. PrPSc was detected
in lymphoid tissues at preclinical time points, and deer necropsied after 28
months post-inoculation had clinical signs, spongiform encephalopathy, and
widespread distribution of PrPSc in neural and lymphoid tissues. Western
blotting (WB) revealed PrPSc with 2 distinct molecular profiles. WB on cerebral
cortex had a profile similar to the original scrapie inoculum, whereas WB of
brainstem, cerebellum, or lymph nodes revealed PrPSc with a higher profile
resembling CWD. Homogenates with the 2 distinct profiles from WTD with clinical
scrapie were further passaged to mice expressing cervid prion protein and
intranasally to sheep and WTD. In cervidized mice, the two inocula have distinct
incubation times. Sheep inoculated intranasally with WTD derived scrapie
developed disease, but only after inoculation with the inoculum that had a
scrapie-like profile. The WTD study is ongoing, but deer in both inoculation
groups are positive for PrPSc by rectal mucosal biopsy. In summary, this work
demonstrates that WTD are susceptible to the agent of scrapie, two distinct
molecular profiles of PrPSc are present in the tissues of affected deer, and
inoculum of either profile readily passes to deer.
White-tailed Deer are Susceptible to Scrapie by Natural Route of Infection
Jodi D. Smith, Justin J. Greenlee, and Robert A. Kunkle; Virus and Prion
Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA-ARS
Interspecies transmission studies afford the opportunity to better
understand the potential host range and origins of prion diseases. Previous
experiments demonstrated that white-tailed deer are susceptible to sheep-derived
scrapie by intracranial inoculation. The purpose of this study was to determine
susceptibility of white-tailed deer to scrapie after a natural route of
exposure. Deer (n=5) were inoculated by concurrent oral (30 ml) and intranasal
(1 ml) instillation of a 10% (wt/vol) brain homogenate derived from a sheep
clinically affected with scrapie. Non-inoculated deer were maintained as
negative controls. All deer were observed daily for clinical signs. Deer were
euthanized and necropsied when neurologic disease was evident, and tissues were
examined for abnormal prion protein (PrPSc) by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and
western blot (WB). One animal was euthanized 15 months post-inoculation (MPI)
due to an injury. At that time, examination of obex and lymphoid tissues by IHC
was positive, but WB of obex and colliculus were negative. Remaining deer
developed clinical signs of wasting and mental depression and were necropsied
from 28 to 33 MPI. Tissues from these deer were positive for scrapie by IHC and
WB. Tissues with PrPSc immunoreactivity included brain, tonsil, retropharyngeal
and mesenteric lymph nodes, hemal node, Peyer’s patches, and spleen. This work
demonstrates for the first time that white-tailed deer are susceptible to sheep
scrapie by potential natural routes of inoculation. In-depth analysis of tissues
will be done to determine similarities between scrapie in deer after
intracranial and oral/intranasal inoculation and chronic wasting disease
resulting from similar routes of inoculation.
see full text ;
PO-039: A comparison of scrapie and chronic wasting disease in white-tailed
deer
Justin Greenlee, Jodi Smith, Eric Nicholson US Dept. Agriculture;
Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center; Ames, IA USA
White-tailed deer are susceptible to the agent of sheep scrapie by
intracerebral inoculation
snip...
It is unlikely that CWD will be eradicated from free-ranging cervids, and
the disease is likely to continue to spread geographically [10]. However, the
potential that white-tailed deer may be susceptible to sheep scrapie by a
natural route presents an additional confounding factor to halting the spread of
CWD. This leads to the additional speculations that
1) infected deer could serve as a reservoir to infect sheep with scrapie
offering challenges to scrapie eradication efforts and
2) CWD spread need not remain geographically confined to current endemic
areas, but could occur anywhere that sheep with scrapie and susceptible cervids
cohabitate.
This work demonstrates for the first time that white-tailed deer are
susceptible to sheep scrapie by intracerebral inoculation with a high attack
rate and that the disease that results has similarities to CWD. These
experiments will be repeated with a more natural route of inoculation to
determine the likelihood of the potential transmission of sheep scrapie to
white-tailed deer. If scrapie were to occur in white-tailed deer, results of
this study indicate that it would be detected as a TSE, but may be difficult to
differentiate from CWD without in-depth biochemical analysis.
2012
PO-039: A comparison of scrapie and chronic wasting disease in white-tailed
deer
Justin Greenlee, Jodi Smith, Eric Nicholson US Dept. Agriculture;
Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center; Ames, IA USA
snip...
The results of this study suggest that there are many similarities in the
manifestation of CWD and scrapie in WTD after IC inoculation including early and
widespread presence of PrPSc in lymphoid tissues, clinical signs of depression
and weight loss progressing to wasting, and an incubation time of 21-23 months.
Moreover, western blots (WB) done on brain material from the obex region have a
molecular profile similar to CWD and distinct from tissues of the cerebrum or
the scrapie inoculum. However, results of microscopic and IHC examination
indicate that there are differences between the lesions expected in CWD and
those that occur in deer with scrapie: amyloid plaques were not noted in any
sections of brain examined from these deer and the pattern of immunoreactivity
by IHC was diffuse rather than plaque-like.
*** After a natural route of exposure, 100% of WTD were susceptible to
scrapie.
Deer developed clinical signs of wasting and mental depression and were
necropsied from 28 to 33 months PI. Tissues from these deer were positive for
PrPSc by IHC and WB. Similar to IC inoculated deer, samples from these deer
exhibited two different molecular profiles: samples from obex resembled CWD
whereas those from cerebrum were similar to the original scrapie inoculum. On
further examination by WB using a panel of antibodies, the tissues from deer
with scrapie exhibit properties differing from tissues either from sheep with
scrapie or WTD with CWD. Samples from WTD with CWD or sheep with scrapie are
strongly immunoreactive when probed with mAb P4, however, samples from WTD with
scrapie are only weakly immunoreactive. In contrast, when probed with mAb’s 6H4
or SAF 84, samples from sheep with scrapie and WTD with CWD are weakly
immunoreactive and samples from WTD with scrapie are strongly positive. This
work demonstrates that WTD are highly susceptible to sheep scrapie, but on first
passage, scrapie in WTD is differentiable from CWD.
2011
*** After a natural route of exposure, 100% of white-tailed deer were
susceptible to scrapie.
White-tailed Deer are Susceptible to Scrapie by Natural Route of Infection
Jodi D. Smith, Justin J. Greenlee, and Robert A. Kunkle; Virus and Prion
Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA-ARS
Interspecies transmission studies afford the opportunity to better
understand the potential host range and origins of prion diseases. Previous
experiments demonstrated that white-tailed deer are susceptible to sheep-derived
scrapie by intracranial inoculation. The purpose of this study was to determine
susceptibility of white-tailed deer to scrapie after a natural route of
exposure. Deer (n=5) were inoculated by concurrent oral (30 ml) and intranasal
(1 ml) instillation of a 10% (wt/vol) brain homogenate derived from a sheep
clinically affected with scrapie. Non-inoculated deer were maintained as
negative controls. All deer were observed daily for clinical signs. Deer were
euthanized and necropsied when neurologic disease was evident, and tissues were
examined for abnormal prion protein (PrPSc) by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and
western blot (WB). One animal was euthanized 15 months post-inoculation (MPI)
due to an injury. At that time, examination of obex and lymphoid tissues by IHC
was positive, but WB of obex and colliculus were negative. Remaining deer
developed clinical signs of wasting and mental depression and were necropsied
from 28 to 33 MPI. Tissues from these deer were positive for scrapie by IHC and
WB. Tissues with PrPSc immunoreactivity included brain, tonsil, retropharyngeal
and mesenteric lymph nodes, hemal node, Peyer’s patches, and spleen. This work
demonstrates for the first time that white-tailed deer are susceptible to sheep
scrapie by potential natural routes of inoculation. In-depth analysis of tissues
will be done to determine similarities between scrapie in deer after
intracranial and oral/intranasal inoculation and chronic wasting disease
resulting from similar routes of inoculation.
see full text ;
Monday, November 3, 2014
Persistence of ovine scrapie infectivity in a farm environment following
cleaning and decontamination
PPo3-22:
Detection of Environmentally Associated PrPSc on a Farm with Endemic
Scrapie
Ben C. Maddison,1 Claire A. Baker,1 Helen C. Rees,1 Linda A. Terry,2 Leigh
Thorne,2 Susan J. Belworthy2 and Kevin C. Gough3 1ADAS-UK LTD; Department of
Biology; University of Leicester; Leicester, UK; 2Veterinary Laboratories
Agency; Surry, KT UK; 3Department of Veterinary Medicine and Science; University
of Nottingham; Sutton Bonington, Loughborough UK
Key words: scrapie, evironmental persistence, sPMCA
Ovine scrapie shows considerable horizontal transmission, yet the routes of
transmission and specifically the role of fomites in transmission remain poorly
defined. Here we present biochemical data demonstrating that on a
scrapie-affected sheep farm, scrapie prion contamination is widespread. It was
anticipated at the outset that if prions contaminate the environment that they
would be there at extremely low levels, as such the most sensitive method
available for the detection of PrPSc, serial Protein Misfolding Cyclic
Amplification (sPMCA), was used in this study. We investigated the distribution
of environmental scrapie prions by applying ovine sPMCA to samples taken from a
range of surfaces that were accessible to animals and could be collected by use
of a wetted foam swab. Prion was amplified by sPMCA from a number of these
environmental swab samples including those taken from metal, plastic and wooden
surfaces, both in the indoor and outdoor environment. At the time of sampling
there had been no sheep contact with these areas for at least 20 days prior to
sampling indicating that prions persist for at least this duration in the
environment. These data implicate inanimate objects as environmental reservoirs
of prion infectivity which are likely to contribute to disease transmission.
Atypical BSE...Spontaneous...LOL
BSE identified in France
Posted May 2, 2016
A cow in northern France has been confirmed to have bovine spongiform
encephalopathy, according to the World Organisation for Animal Health
(OIE).
The cow had developed partial paralysis and was euthanized March 1, a March
25 OIE report states.
BSE is a fatal neurologic prion disease with a typical incubation period of
four to five years. The cow in France was almost 5 years old.
The affected cow had the classic form of BSE, which is most often
associated with feed containing neurologic tissue from infected animals. It is
distinct from atypical BSE, which may develop spontaneously, according to
information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Investigators were trying to identify the source of infection and other
animals at risk for BSE at the time the report was published.
The affected bovine, a Salers female born on April, 8th 2011, showed
paresis and was euthanized on March, 1st 2016. Samples made on March, 4th 2016
during rendering were analyzed at the Department Laboratory of La Somme. The
rapid test proved positive on March, 8th 2016 and the samples were then sent for
further analysis to the National Reference Laboratory, ANSES, which confirmed a
case of classical BSE on March, 21st 2016. The European Union Reference
Laboratory confirmed those results on the basis of documentation on March, 23rd
2016.
>>> It is distinct from atypical BSE, which may develop
spontaneously, according to information from the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
THIS IS A MYTH $$$
***atypical spontaneous BSE in France LOL***
FRANCE STOPS TESTING FOR MAD COW DISEASE BSE, and here’s why, to many
spontaneous events of mad cow disease $$$
***so 20 cases of atypical BSE in France, compared to the remaining 40
cases in the remaining 12 Countries, divided by the remaining 12 Countries,
about 3+ cases per country, besides Frances 20 cases. you cannot explain this
away with any spontaneous BSe. ...TSS
Sunday, October 5, 2014
France stops BSE testing for Mad Cow Disease
Thursday, March 24, 2016
FRANCE CONFIRMS BOVINE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY BSE MAD COW (ESB) chez une
vache dans les Ardennes
***atypical spontaneous BSE in France LOL***
FRANCE STOPS TESTING FOR MAD COW DISEASE BSE, and here’s why, to many
spontaneous events of mad cow disease $$$
If you Compare France to other Countries with atypical BSE, in my opinion,
you cannot explain this with ‘spontaneous’.
Table 1: Number of Atypical BSE cases reported by EU Member States in the
period 2001–2014 by country and by type (L- and H-BSE) (extracted from EU BSE
databases on 1 July 2014). By 2015, these data might be more comprehensive
following a request from the European Commission to Member States for re-testing
and retrospective classification of all positive bovine isolates in the EU in
the years 2003–2009
BSE type
Country 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013(a)
2014(a) Total
H-BSE Austria 1 1
France(b) 1 2 3 1 2 2 2 2 15
Germany 1 1 2
Ireland 1 1 2 1 5
The Netherlands 1 1
Poland 1 1 2
Portugal 1 1
Spain 1 1 2
Sweden 1 1
United Kingdom 1 1 1 1 1 5
Total 2 3 3 1 1 2 2 2 4 4 5 1 4 1 35
L-BSE Austria 1 1 2
Denmark 1 1
France(b) 1 1 1 1 2 1 3 2 1 1 14
Germany 1 1 2
Italy 1 1 1 1 1 5
The Netherlands 1 1 1 3
Poland 1 2 2 1 2 1 2 1 12
Spain 2 2
United Kingdom 1 1 1 1 4
Total 0 5 3 4 3 3 6 3 3 4 3 6 1 1 45
Total Atypical cases (H + L)
2 8 6 5 4 5 8 5 7 8 8 7 5 2 80
(a): Data for 2013-2014 are incomplete and may not include all
cases/countries reported.
(b): France has performed extensive retrospective testing to classify BSE
cases, which is probably the explanation for the higher number of Atypical BSE
cases reported in this country.
The number of Atypical BSE cases detected in countries that have already
identified them seems to be similar from year to year. In France, a
retrospective study of all TSE-positive cattle identified through the compulsory
EU surveillance between 2001 and 2007 indicated that the prevalence of H-BSE and
L-BSE was 0.35 and 0.41 cases per million adult cattle tested, respectively,
which increased to 1.9 and 1.7 cases per million, respectively, in tested
animals over eight years old (Biacabe et al., 2008). No comprehensive study on
the prevalence of Atypical BSE cases has yet been carried out in other EU Member
States. All cases of Atypical BSE reported in the EU BSE databases have been
identified by active surveillance testing (59 % in fallen stock, 38 % in healthy
slaughtered cattle and 4 % in emergency slaughtered cattle). Cases were reported
in animals over eight years of age, with the exception of two cases (one H-BSE
and one L-BSE) detected in Spain in 2011/2012. One additional case of H-BSE was
detected in Switzerland in 2012 in a cow born in Germany in 2005 (Guldimann et
al., 2012).
SPONTANEOUS TRANSMISSIBLE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY TSE PRION AKA MAD COW
TYPE DISEASE ???
*** We describe the transmission of spongiform encephalopathy in a
non-human primate inoculated 10 years earlier with a strain of sheep c-scrapie.
Because of this extended incubation period in a facility in which other prion
diseases are under study, we are obliged to consider two alternative
possibilities that might explain its occurrence. We first considered the
possibility of a sporadic origin (like CJD in humans). Such an event is
extremely improbable because the inoculated animal was 14 years old when the
clinical signs appeared, i.e. about 40% through the expected natural lifetime of
this species, compared to a peak age incidence of 60–65 years in human sporadic
CJD, or about 80% through their expected lifetimes.
***Moreover, sporadic disease has never been observed in breeding colonies
or primate research laboratories, most notably among hundreds of animals over
several decades of study at the National Institutes of Health25, and in nearly
twenty older animals continuously housed in our own facility.***
>>> Moreover, sporadic disease has never been observed in breeding
colonies or primate research laboratories, most notably among hundreds of
animals over several decades of study at the National Institutes of Health25,
and in nearly twenty older animals continuously housed in our own facility.
<<<
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
*** Evidence for zoonotic potential of ovine scrapie prions
Hervé Cassard,1, n1 Juan-Maria Torres,2, n1 Caroline Lacroux,1, Jean-Yves
Douet,1, Sylvie L. Benestad,3, Frédéric Lantier,4, Séverine Lugan,1, Isabelle
Lantier,4, Pierrette Costes,1, Naima Aron,1, Fabienne Reine,5, Laetitia
Herzog,5, Juan-Carlos Espinosa,2, Vincent Beringue5, & Olivier Andréoletti1,
Affiliations Contributions Corresponding author Journal name: Nature
Communications Volume: 5, Article number: 5821 DOI: doi:10.1038/ncomms6821
Received 07 August 2014 Accepted 10 November 2014 Published 16 December 2014
Article tools Citation Reprints Rights & permissions Article metrics
Abstract
Although Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) is the cause of variant
Creutzfeldt Jakob disease (vCJD) in humans, the zoonotic potential of scrapie
prions remains unknown. Mice genetically engineered to overexpress the human
prion protein (tgHu) have emerged as highly relevant models for gauging the
capacity of prions to transmit to humans. These models can propagate human
prions without any apparent transmission barrier and have been used used to
confirm the zoonotic ability of BSE. Here we show that a panel of sheep scrapie
prions transmit to several tgHu mice models with an efficiency comparable to
that of cattle BSE. ***The serial transmission of different scrapie isolates in
these mice led to the propagation of prions that are phenotypically identical to
those causing sporadic CJD (sCJD) in humans. ***These results demonstrate that
scrapie prions have a zoonotic potential and raise new questions about the
possible link between animal and human prions.
see more here ;
***The serial transmission of different scrapie isolates in these mice led
to the propagation of prions that are phenotypically identical to those causing
sporadic CJD (sCJD) in humans.***
***These results demonstrate that scrapie prions have a zoonotic potential
and raise new questions about the possible link between animal and human
prions.***
why do we not want to do TSE transmission studies on chimpanzees $
5. A positive result from a chimpanzee challenged severely would likely
create alarm in some circles even if the result could not be interpreted for
man. I have a view that all these agents could be transmitted provided a large
enough dose by appropriate routes was given and the animals kept long enough.
Until the mechanisms of the species barrier are more clearly understood it might
be best to retain that hypothesis.
snip...
R. BRADLEY
In Confidence - Perceptions of unconventional slow virus diseases of
animals in the USA - APRIL-MAY 1989 - G A H Wells
3. Prof. A. Robertson gave a brief account of BSE. The US approach was to
accord it a very low profile indeed. Dr. A Thiermann showed the picture in the
''Independent'' with cattle being incinerated and thought this was a fanatical
incident to be avoided in the US at all costs. ...
Evidence That Transmissible Mink Encephalopathy Results from Feeding
Infected Cattle
Over the next 8-10 weeks, approximately 40% of all the adult mink on the
farm died from TME.
snip...
The rancher was a ''dead stock'' feeder using mostly (>95%) downer or
dead dairy cattle...
In Confidence - Perceptions of unconventional slow virus diseases of
animals in the USA - APRIL-MAY 1989 - G A H Wells
3. Prof. A. Robertson gave a brief account of BSE. The US approach was to
accord it a very low profile indeed. Dr. A Thiermann showed the picture in the
''Independent'' with cattle being incinerated and thought this was a fanatical
incident to be avoided in the US at all costs. ...
10 years post mad cow feed ban August 1997
10,000,000+ LBS. of PROHIBITED BANNED MAD COW FEED I.E. BLOOD LACED MBM IN
COMMERCE USA 2007
Date: March 21, 2007 at 2:27 pm PST
RECALLS AND FIELD CORRECTIONS: VETERINARY MEDICINES -- CLASS II
PRODUCT
Bulk cattle feed made with recalled Darling's 85% Blood Meal, Flash Dried,
Recall # V-024-2007
CODE
Cattle feed delivered between 01/12/2007 and 01/26/2007
RECALLING FIRM/MANUFACTURER
Pfeiffer, Arno, Inc, Greenbush, WI. by conversation on February 5, 2007.
Firm initiated recall is ongoing.
REASON
Blood meal used to make cattle feed was recalled because it was cross-
contaminated with prohibited bovine meat and bone meal that had been
manufactured on common equipment and labeling did not bear cautionary BSE
statement.
VOLUME OF PRODUCT IN COMMERCE
42,090 lbs.
DISTRIBUTION
WI
___________________________________
PRODUCT
Custom dairy premix products: MNM ALL PURPOSE Pellet, HILLSIDE/CDL Prot-
Buffer Meal, LEE, M.-CLOSE UP PX Pellet, HIGH DESERT/ GHC LACT Meal, TATARKA, M
CUST PROT Meal, SUNRIDGE/CDL PROTEIN Blend, LOURENZO, K PVM DAIRY Meal, DOUBLE B
DAIRY/GHC LAC Mineral, WEST PIONT/GHC CLOSEUP Mineral, WEST POINT/GHC LACT Meal,
JENKS, J/COMPASS PROTEIN Meal, COPPINI - 8# SPECIAL DAIRY Mix, GULICK, L-LACT
Meal (Bulk), TRIPLE J - PROTEIN/LACTATION, ROCK CREEK/GHC MILK Mineral,
BETTENCOURT/GHC S.SIDE MK-MN, BETTENCOURT #1/GHC MILK MINR, V&C DAIRY/GHC
LACT Meal, VEENSTRA, F/GHC LACT Meal, SMUTNY, A- BYPASS ML W/SMARTA, Recall #
V-025-2007
CODE
The firm does not utilize a code - only shipping documentation with
commodity and weights identified.
RECALLING FIRM/MANUFACTURER
Rangen, Inc, Buhl, ID, by letters on February 13 and 14, 2007. Firm
initiated recall is complete.
REASON
Products manufactured from bulk feed containing blood meal that was cross
contaminated with prohibited meat and bone meal and the labeling did not bear
cautionary BSE statement.
VOLUME OF PRODUCT IN COMMERCE
9,997,976 lbs.
DISTRIBUTION
ID and NV
END OF ENFORCEMENT REPORT FOR MARCH 21, 2007
16 years post mad cow feed ban August 1997
2013
Sunday, December 15, 2013
FDA PART 589 -- SUBSTANCES PROHIBITED FROM USE IN ANIMAL FOOD OR FEED
VIOLATIONS OFFICIAL ACTION INDICATED OIA UPDATE DECEMBER 2013 UPDATE
17 years post mad cow feed ban August 1997
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
FDA PART 589 -- SUBSTANCES PROHIBITED FROM USE IN ANIMAL FOOD OR FEED
VIOLATIONS OFFICIAL ACTION INDICATED OAI UPDATE DECEMBER 2014 BSE TSE PRION
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Larry’s Custom Meats Inc. Recalls Beef Tongue Products That May Contain
Specified Risk Materials BSE TSE Prion
*** Monday, October 26, 2015 ***
*** FDA PART 589 -- SUBSTANCES PROHIBITED FROM USE IN ANIMAL FOOD OR FEED
VIOLATIONS OFFICIAL ACTION INDICATED OIA UPDATE October 2015 ***
Saturday, April 16, 2016
*** APHIS [Docket No. APHIS-2016-0029] Secretary's Advisory Committee on
Animal Health; Meeting May 2, 2016, and June 16, 2016 Singeltary Submission
***
Sunday, May 1, 2016
*** Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research 25th Meeting of: The
Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies Advisory Committee June 1, 2015
Transcript ***
FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION
Monday, May 09, 2016
*** A comparison of classical and H-type bovine spongiform encephalopathy
associated with E211K prion protein polymorphism in wild type and EK211 cattle
following intracranial inoculation ***
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
FDA U.S. Measures to Protect Against BSE
Saturday, April 23, 2016
v-CJD prion distribution in the tissues of patients at preclinical and
clinical stage of the disease
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
2015 PDA Virus & TSE Safety Forum Meeting Report
>>>Recently transmission of prions from blood of patients with
sporadic CJD to humanized mice could be demonstrated.<<<
>>>Further-on, urine samples of a control population (normal and
neurological population) showed no signal in the study; *** however, in samples
from patients with sporadic CJD and vCJD, a signal was detected in both patient
populations.<<<
Meeting Report: 2015 PDA Virus & TSE Safety Forum
Thursday, April 14, 2016
Arizona 22 year old diagnosed with Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease CJD
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Of Grave Concern Heidenhain Variant Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease
Alzheimer-type brain pathology may be transmitted by grafts of dura mater
26/01/2016
Freas, William
From: Terry S. Singeltary Sr. [flounder@wt.net]
Sent: Monday, January 08,2001 3:03 PM
TO: freas@CBS5055530.CBER.FDA.GOV
Subject: CJD/BSE (aka madcow) Human/Animal TSE’s--U.S.--Submission To
Scientific Advisors and Consultants Staff January 2001 Meeting (short
version)
CJD/BSE (aka madcow) Human/Animal TSE’s--U.S.--Submission To Scientific
Advisors and Consultants Staff January 2001 Meeting (short version)
Greetings again Dr. Freas and Committee Members,
I wish to submit the following information to the Scientific Advisors and
Consultants Staff 2001 Advisory Committee (short version).
I understand the reason of having to shorten my submission, but only hope
that you add it to a copy of the long version, for members to take and read at
their pleasure, (if cost is problem, bill me, address below). So when they
realize some time in the near future of the 'real' risks i speak of from
human/animal TSEs and blood/surgical products. I cannot explain the 'real' risk
of this in 5 or 10 minutes at some meeting, or on 2 or 3 pages, but will attempt
here:
remember AIDS/HIV, 'no problem to heterosexuals in the U.S.? no need to go
into that, you know of this blunder:
DO NOT make these same stupid mistakes again with human/animal TSE's aka
MADCOW DISEASE. I lost my Mom to hvCJD, and my neighbor lost his Mother to sCJD
as well (both cases confirmed). I have seen many deaths, from many diseases. I
have never seen anything as CJD, I still see my Mom laying helpless, jerking
tremendously, and screaming "God, what's wrong with me, why can't I stop this".
I still see this, and will never forget. Approximately 10 weeks from 1st of
symptoms to death. This is what drives me. I have learned more in 3 years about
not only human/animal TSE's but the cattle/rendering/feeding industry/government
than i ever wished to.
I think you are all aware of CJD vs vCJD, but i don't think you all know
the facts of human/animal TSE's as a whole, they are all very very similar, and
are all tied to the same thing, GREED and MAN.
I am beginning to think that the endless attempt to track down and ban,
potential victims from known BSE Countries from giving blood will be futile. You
would have to ban everyone on the Globe eventually? AS well, I think we MUST ACT
SWIFTLY to find blood test for TSE's, whether it be blood test, urine test,
.eyelid test, anything at whatever cost, we need a test FAST.
DO NOT let the incubation time period of these TSEs fool you.
To think of Scrapie as the prime agent to compare CJD, but yet overlook the
Louping-ill vaccine event in 1930's of which 1000's of sheep where infected by
scrapie from a vaccine made of scrapie infected sheep brains, would be foolish.
I acquired this full text version of the event which was recorded in the Annual
Congress of 1946 National Vet. Med. Ass. of Great Britain and Ireland. from the
BVA and the URL is posted in my (long version).
U.S.A. should make all human/animal TSE's notifiable at all ages, with
requirements for a thorough surveillance and post-mortem examinations free of
charge, if you are serious about eradicating this horrible disease in man and
animal.
There is histopathology reports describing o florid plaques" in CJD victims
in the USA and some of these victims are getting younger. I have copies of such
autopsies, there has to be more. PLUS, sub-clinical human TSE's will most
definitely be a problem.
THEN think of vaccineCJD in children and the bovine tissues used in the
manufacturing process, think of the FACT that this agent surviving 6OO*C. PNAS
-- Brown et al. 97 (7): 3418 scrapie agent live at 600*C
Then think of the CONFIDENTIAL documents of what was known of human/animal
TSE and vaccines in the mid to late 80s, it was all about depletion of stock, to
hell with the kids, BUT yet they knew. To think of the recall and worry of TSE's
from the polio vaccine, (one taken orally i think?), but yet neglect to act on
the other potential TSE vaccines (inoculations, the most effective mode to
transmit TSEs) of which thousands of doses were kept and used, to deplete
stockpile, again would be foolish.
--Oral polio; up to 1988, foetal calf serum was used from UK and New
Zealand (pooled); since 1988 foetal calf serum only from New Zealand. Large
stocks are held.
--Rubella; bulk was made before 1979 from foetal calf serum from UK and New
Zealand. None has been made as there are some 15 years stock.
--Diphtheria; UK bovine beef muscle and ox heart is used but since the end
of 1988 this has been sourced from Eire. There are 1,250 litres of stock.
--Tetanus; this involves bovine material from the UK mainly Scottish. There
are 21,000 litres of stock.
--Pertussis; uses bovine material from the UK. There are 63,000 litres of
stock. --They consider that to switch to a non-UK source will take a minimum of
6-18 months and to switch to a non-bovine source will take a minimum of five
years.
3. XXXXXXXXXXX have measles, mumps, MMR, rubella vaccines. These are
sourced from the USA and the company believes that US material only is
used.
89/2.14/2.1
============
BSE3/1 0251
4. XXXXXXXXXXX have a measles vaccine using bovine serum from the UK. there
are 440,000 units of stock. They have also got MMR using bovine serum from the
UK.
5. XXXXXXXXXXX have influenza, rubella, measles,' MMR vaccines likely to be
used in children. Of those they think that only MMR contains bovine material
which is probably a French origin.
6. XXXXXXXXXXX have diphtheria/tetanus and potasses on clinical trial. hese
use veal material, some of which has come from the UK and has been ade by
XXXXXXXXXXX (see above).
I have documents of imports from known BSE Countries, of ferments, whole
blood, antiallergenic preparations,
2
human blood plasma, normal human blood sera, human immune blood sera, fetal
bovine serum, and other blood fractions not elsewhere specified or included,
imported glands, catgut, vaccines for both human/animal, as late as 1998. Let us
not forget about PITUITARY EXTRACT. This was used to help COWS super ovulate.
This tissue was considered to be of greatest risk of containing BSE and
consequently transmitting the disease.
ANNEX 6
MEETING HELD ON 8 JUNE 1988 TO DISCUSS THE IMPLICATIONS OF BSE TO
BIOLOGICAL PRODUCTS CONTAINING BOVINE - EXTRACTED MATERIAL
How much of this was used in the U.S.?
Please do not keep making the same mistakes; 'Absence of evidence is not
evidence of absence'.
What are the U.S. rules for importing and manufacturing vaccines, medicines
and medical devices?
Does the U.S.A. allow sourcing of raw material of ruminants from the
U.S.A.?
U.S. cattle, what kind of guarantee can you give for serum or tissue donor
herds? . The U.S. rendering system would easily amplify T.S.E.'s:
Have we increased the stability of the system (improved heat treatments)
since the EU SSC report on the U.S.A. was published in july 2000?
What is done to avoid cross-contaminations in the U.S.A.?
How can the U.S. control absence of cross-contaminations of animal TSE's
when pig and horse MBM and even deer and elk are allowed in ruminant feed, as
well as bovine blood? I sadly think of the rendering and feeding policy before
the Aug. 4, 1997 'partial' feed ban, where anything went, from the city police
horse, to the circus elephant, i will not mention all the scrapie infected
sheep. I am surprised that we have not included man 'aka soyent green'. It is a
disgusting industry and nothing more than greed fuels it.
When will the U.S.. start real surveillance of the U.S. bovine population
(not passive, this will not work)?
When will U.S. start removing SRMs?
Have they stopped the use of pneumatic stunners in the U.S.?
If so, will we stop it in all U.S. abattoirs or only in those abattoirs
exporting to Europe?
If not, WHY NOT?
same questions for removal of SRM in the U.S.A., or just for export?
If not, WHY NOT?
How do we now sterilize surgical/dental instruments in the U.S.A.?
Where have we been sourcing surgical catgut?
(i have copies of imports to U.S., and it would floor you) hen will
re-usable surgical instruments be banned?
'Unregulated "foods" such as 'nutritional supplements' containing various
extracts from ruminants, whether imported or derived from
3
US cattle/sheep/cervids ("antler velvet" extracts!) should be forbidden or
at least very seriously regulated. (neighbors Mom, whom also died from CJD, had
been taking bovine based supplement, which contained brain, eye, and many other
bovine/ovine tissues for years, 'IPLEX').
What is the use of banning blood or tissue donors from Germany, France,
etc... when the U.S.A. continues exposing cattle, sheep and people to SRM,
refuses to have a serious feed ban, refuses to do systematic
BSE-surveillance?
The FDA should feel responsible for the safety of what people eat, prohibit
the most dangerous foods, not only prohibit a few more donors - the FDA should
be responsible for the safe sourcing of medical devices, not only rely on
banning donors "from Europe", The 'real' risks are here in the U.S. as well, and
nave been for some time.
We must not forget the studies that have proven infectivity in blood from
TSE's.
The Lancet, November 9, 1985
Sir, --Professor Manuelidis and his colleagues (Oct 19, p896) report
transmission to animals of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) from the buffy coat
from two patients. We also transmitted the disease from, whole blood samples of
a patient (and of mice) infected with CJD.l Brain, Cornea, and urine from this
patient were also infectious, and the clinicopathological findings2 are
summarised as follows.
snip...
Samples,were taken aseptically at necropsy. 10% crude homogenates of brain
and cornea in saline, whole blood (after crushing a clot), and untreated CSF and
urine were innoculated intracerebrally into CFl strain mice (20 ul per animal).
Some mice showed emaciation, bradykinesia, rigidity of the body and tail, and
sometimes tremor after long incubation periods. Tissues obtained after the
animal died (or was killed) were studied histologically (table). Animals
infected by various inocula showed common pathological changes, consisting of
severe spongiform changes, glial proliferation, and a moderate loss of nerve
cells. A few mice inoculated with brain tissue or urine had the same amyloid
plaques found in patients and animals with CJD.3
snip...
Department of Neuropathology,. Neurological Institute, Faculty of Medicine,
Kyushu University, Fukuoka812, Japan JUN TATEISHI
(full text-long version)
and
CWD and transmission to man will be no different than other TSE's.
"Clearly, it is premature to draw firm conclusions about CWD passing
naturally into humans, cattle and sheep, but the present results suggest that
CWD transmissions to humans would be as limited by PrP incompatibility as
transmissions of BSE or sheep scrapie to humans. Although there is no evidence
that sheep scrapie has affected humans, it is likely that BSE has
4
caused variant CJD in 74 people (definite and probable variant CJD cases to
date according to the UK CJD Surveillance Unit). Given the presumably large
number of people exposed to BSE infectivity, the susceptibility of humans may
still be very low compared with cattle, which would be consistent with the
relatively inefficient conversion of human PrP-sen by PrPBSE. Nonetheless, since
humans have apparently been infected by BSE, it would seem prudent to take
reasonable measures to limit exposure of humans (as well as sheep and cattle) to
CWD infectivity as has been recommended for other animal TSEs,"
G.J. Raymond1, A. Bossers2, L.D. Raymond1, K.I. O'Rourke3, L.E. McHolland4,
P.K. Bryant III4, M.W. Miller5, E.S. Williams6, M. Smits2 and B.
Caughey1,7
or more recently transmission of BSE to sheep via whole blood Research
letters Volume 356, Number 9234 16 September 2000
Transmission of BSE by blood transfusion in sheep
Lancet 2000; 356: 999 – 1000
F Houston, J D Foster, Angela Chong, N Hunter, C J Bostock
See Commentary
"We have shown that it is possible to transmit bovine spongiform
encephalopathy (BSE) to a sheep by transfusion with whole blood taken from
another sheep during the symptom-free phase of an experimental BSE infection.
BSE and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) in human beings are caused by
the same infectious agent, and the sheep-BSE experimental model has a similar
pathogenesis to that of human vCJD. Although UK blood transfusions are
leucodepleted--a possible protective measure against any risk from blood
transmission-- this report suggests that blood donated by symptom-free
vCJD-infected human beings may represent a risk of spread of vCJD infection
among the human population of the UK."
"The demonstration that the new variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD)
is caused by the same agent that causes bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)
in cattle1 has raised concerns that blood from human beings in the symptom-free
stages of vCJD could transmit infection to recipients of blood transfusions
(full text long version)"
and...
"The large number of cases (1040), temporal clustering of the outbreaks (15
in the first 6 months of 1997), the high in-flock incidence, and the exceptional
involvement of goats (390 cases), suggested an accidental infection. The source
of the epidemic might have been TSE-contaminated meat and bonemeal, but eight
flocks had never been fed any commercial feedstuff. Infection might have risen
from the use of a formol-inactivated vaccine against contagious agalactia
prepared by a single laboratory with brain and mammary gland homogenates of
sheep infected with Mycoplasma agalactiae. Although clinical signs of TSE in the
donor sheep have not been found, it is possible that one or more of them were
harbouring the
5
infectious agent. Between 1995 and 1996, this vaccine was given
subcutaneously to 15 of the affected flocks (to one flock in 1994) ; in these
animals the disease appeared between 23 and 35 months after vaccination. No
information is available for herd 13 because it was made up of stolen animals.
Sheep from the remaining three flocks (1-3, figure) did not receive the vaccine,
thus suggesting a naturally occurring disease.’’ (again, full text long
version).
IN SHORT, please do under estimate this data and or human/animal TSE's
including CWD in the U.S.A.
A few last words, please.
The cattle industry would love to have us turn our focus to CWD and forget
about our own home grown TSE in Bovines. This would be easy to do. Marsh's work
was from downer cattle feed, NOT downer deer/elk feed. This has been
proven.
DO NOT MAKE THAT MISTAKE.
There should be NO LESS THAN 1,000,000 tests for BSE/TSE ' in 2001 for
U.S.A. French are testing 20,000 a week. The tests are available. Why wait until
we stumble across a case from passive surveillance, by then it is to late. IF we
want the truth, this is a must???
United States Total ,Bovine Brain Submissions by State,
May 10 ,1990 thru October 31, 2000
Total 11,700
FROM 1.5 BILLION HEAD OF CATTLE since 1990 ???
with same feeding and rendering practices as that of U.K. for years and
years, same scrapie infected sheep used in feed, for years and years, 950
scrapie infect FLOCKS in the U.S. and over 20 different strains of scrapie known
to date. (hmmm, i am thinking why there is not a variant scrapie, that is
totally different than all the rest)? just being sarcastic.
with only PARTIAL FEED BAN implemented on Aug. 4, 1997??? (you really need
to reconsider that blood meal etc. 'TOTAL BAN')
AND PLEASE FOR GODS SAKE, STOP saying vCJD victims are the only ones tied
to this environmental death sentence. "PROVE IT". It's just not true. The
'CHOSEN ONES' are not the only ones dying because of this man-made death
sentence. When making regulations for human health from human/animal TSEs, you
had better include ALL human TSE's, not just vCJD. Do NOT underestimate sporadic
CJD with the 'prehistoric' testing available to date. This could be a deadly
mistake. Remember, sCJD kills much faster from 1st onset of symptoms to death,
and hvCJD is the fastest. Could it just be a higher titre of infectivity, or
route or source, or all three?
Last, but not least. The illegal/legal harvesting of body parts and tissues
will come back to haunt you. Maybe not morally, but due to NO background checks
and human TSEs, again it will continue to spread.
Stupidity, Ignorance and Greed is what fuels this disease. You must stop
all of this, and ACT AT ONCE...
Sent: Monday, January 08,2001 3:03 PM
TO: freas@CBS5055530.CBER.FDA.GOV
FDA CJD BSE TSE Prion Scientific Advisors and Consultants Staff January
2001 Meeting Singeltary Submission
2001 FDA CJD TSE Prion Singeltary Submission
Terry S. Singeltary Sr. Bacliff, Texas USA 77518 flounder9@verizon.net
