MRJ wrote:
reader, and flounder, I respectfully and empathetically suggest that the two of you who believe your relatives died of diseases related to, or caused by BSE just cannot be unbiased on the subject.
BTW, the USA has tested more than 605,000 of the highest risk animals, and that study planned to span 18 months was extended and is ongoing. They also have tested more than 21,000 healthy, older animals in a separate study. The program exceeds by 10 TIMES the number the OIE suggested be tested based on our cattle population.
=======================
:lol: :lol: :lol:
that was the biggest farce this side of agent orange and asbestos, you got to be kidding me. the june 2004 enhanced bse surveillance program was nothing more than a program to cover up BSE, and they could not even get that right. you don't really believe that crap do you? the protocol was bungled from the start. those 650,000 test have no merit what so ever.
and nobody around the world believes it except the USDA, and a few on this board :???:
hell, 9,200 of the were without any rapid test or wb, only ihc, the least likely to find it. johanns tried to cover up one, then did cover up another if you figure on how that tissue sample was handled, who knows how many more. they just have no credibitlity anymore, sorry.
and as far as my mothers' death, i have stated before i do not know route and source of agent. i have suspected surgery as well, but do not know, could have been any number of ways, but the scientific evidence out there now is over whelming as to the sCJD just being another friendly fire of the beef industry either directly from consuming and or friendly fire again via surgery, dental, etc, but those are indirectly related, someone was tainted way back from a source, could be cattle, deer, elk, sheep. i use mad cow as a term to wake the dead, to include all potential animal TSE. the evidence is overwhelming about sCJD, but some here just continue running there mouth without knowing what they are saying and without reading scientific evidence that is out there old and new. the new data especially about the diagnostic criteria for the human TSE. it's been wrong from day one, since the UKBSEnvCJD ONLY theory put on the table. ...
i have proposed that;
HUMAN and ANIMAL TSE Classifications i.e. mad cow
disease and the UKBSEnvCJD only theory
TSEs have been rampant in the USA for decades in many
species, and they all have been rendered and fed back
to animals for human/animal consumption. I propose that
the current diagnostic criteria for human TSEs only
enhances and helps the spreading of human TSE from the
continued belief of the UKBSEnvCJD only theory in 2005.
With all the science to date refuting it, to continue
to validate this myth, will only spread this TSE agent
through a multitude of potential routes and sources
i.e. consumption, surgical, blood, medical, cosmetics
etc. I propose as with Aguzzi, Asante, Collinge,
Caughey, Deslys, Dormont, Gibbs, Ironside, Manuelidis,
Marsh, et al and many more, that the world of TSE
Tranmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy is far from an
exact science, but there is enough proven science to
date that this myth should be put to rest once and for
all, and that we move forward with a new classification
for human and animal TSE that would properly identify
the infected species, the source species, and then the
route. This would further have to be broken down to
strain of species and then the route of transmission
would further have to be broken down. Accumulation and
Transmission are key to the threshold from subclinical
to clinical disease, and of that, I even believe that
physical and or blunt trauma may play a role of onset
of clinical symptoms in some cases, but key to all
this, is to stop the amplification and transmission of
this agent, the spreading of, no matter what strain.
BUT, to continue with this myth that the U.K. strain of
BSE one strain in cows, and the nv/v CJD, one strain in
humans, and that all the rest of human TSE is one
single strain i.e. sporadic CJD (when to date there are
6 different phenotypes of sCJD), and that no other
animal TSE transmits to humans, to continue with this
masquerade will only continue to spread, expose, and
kill, who knows how many more in the years and decades
to come. ONE was enough for me, My Mom, hvCJD, DOD
12/14/97 confirmed, which is nothing more than another
mans name added to CJD, like CJD itself, Jakob and
Creutzfeldt, or Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker
syndrome, just another CJD or human TSE, named after
another human. WE are only kidding ourselves with the
current diagnostic criteria for human and animal TSE,
especially differentiating between the nvCJD vs the
sporadic CJD strains and then the GSS strains and also
the FFI fatal familial insomnia strains or the ones
that mimics one or the other of those TSE? Tissue
infectivity and strain typing of the many variants of
the human and animal TSEs are paramount in all variants
of all TSE. There must be a proper classification that
will differentiate between all these human TSE in order
to do this. With the CDI and other more sensitive
testing coming about, I only hope that my proposal will
some day be taken seriously.
SOURCES
Full Text
Diagnosis and Reporting of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
Singeltary, Sr et al.
JAMA.2001; 285: 733-734
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/285/6/733?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=dignosing+and+reporting+creutzfeldt+jakob+disease&searchid=1048865596978_1528&stored_search=&FIRSTINDEX=0&journalcode=jama
Coexistence of multiple PrPSc types in individuals with
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
Magdalini Polymenidou, Katharina Stoeck, Markus
Glatzel, Martin Vey, Anne Bellon, and Adriano Aguzzi
Summary
Background The molecular typing of sporadic
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is based on the size
and glycoform
ratio of protease-resistant prion protein (PrPSc), and
on PRNP haplotype. On digestion with proteinase K, type
1 and
type 2 PrPSc display unglycosylated core fragments of
21 kDa and 19 kDa, resulting from cleavage around amino
acids 82 and 97, respectively.
Methods We generated anti-PrP monoclonal antibodies to
epitopes immediately preceding the differential proteinase
K cleavage sites. These antibodies, which were
designated POM2 and POM12, recognise type 1, but not
type 2, PrPSc.
Findings We studied 114 brain samples from 70 patients
with sporadic CJD and three patients with variant CJD.
Every patient classified as CJD type 2, and all variant
CJD patients, showed POM2/POM12 reactivity in the
cerebellum and other PrPSc-rich brain areas, with a
typical PrPSc type 1 migration pattern.
Interpretation The regular coexistence of multiple
PrPSc types in patients with CJD casts doubts on the
validity of
electrophoretic PrPSc mobilities as surrogates for
prion strains, and questions the rational basis of
current CJD
classifications.
snip...
The above results set the existing CJD classifications
into debate and introduce interesting questions about
human CJD types. For example, do human prion types
exist in a dynamic equilibrium in the brains of affected
individuals? Do they coexist in most or even all CJD
cases? Is the biochemically identified PrPSc type simply
the dominant type, and not the only PrPSc species?
Published online October 31, 2005
http://neurology.thelancet.com
Detection of Type 1 Prion Protein in Variant
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
Helen M. Yull,* Diane L. Ritchie,*
Jan P.M. Langeveld,? Fred G. van Zijderveld,?
Moira E. Bruce,? James W. Ironside,* and
Mark W. Head*
From the National CJD Surveillance Unit,* School of
Molecular
and Clinical Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh,
United Kingdom; Central Institute for Animal Disease
Control
(CIDC)-Lelystad, ? Lelystad, The Netherlands; Institute
for Animal
Health, Neuropathogenesis Unit, ? Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Molecular typing of the abnormal form of the prion
protein (PrPSc) has come to be regarded as a powerful
tool in the investigation of the prion diseases. All
evidence
thus far presented indicates a single PrPSc molecular
type in variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (termed
type 2B), presumably resulting from infection with a
single strain of the agent (bovine spongiform
encephalopathy).
Here we show for the first time that the PrPSc
that accumulates in the brain in variant Creutzfeldt-
Jakob disease also contains a minority type 1 component.
This minority type 1 PrPSc was found in all 21
cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease tested,
irrespective
of brain region examined, and was also
present in the variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease tonsil.
The quantitative balance between PrPSc types was maintained
when variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease was
transmitted to wild-type mice and was also found in
bovine spongiform encephalopathy cattle brain, indicating
that the agent rather than the host specifies their
relative representation. These results indicate that PrPSc
molecular typing is based on quantitative rather than
qualitative phenomena and point to a complex relationship
between prion protein biochemistry, disease phenotype
and agent strain. (Am J Pathol 2006, 168:151-157;
DOI: 10.2353/ajpath.2006.050766)
snip...
Discussion
In the apparent absence of a foreign nucleic acid genome
associated with the agents responsible for transmissible
spongiform encephalopathies or prion diseases,
efforts to provide a molecular definition of agent strain
have focused on biochemical differences in the abnormal,
disease-associated form of the prion protein, termed
PrPSc. Differences in PrPSc conformation and glycosylation
have been proposed to underlie disease phenotype
and form the biochemical basis of agent strain. This
proposal has found support in the observation that the
major phenotypic subtypes of sCJD appear to correlate
with the presence of either type 1 or type 2 PrPSc in
combination with the presence of either methionine or
valine at codon 129 of the prion protein gene.2 Similarly,
the PrPSc type associated with vCJD correlates with the
presence of type 2 PrPSc and is distinct from that found in
sCJD because of a characteristically high occupancy of
both N-linked glycosylation sites (type 2B).6,11 The
means by which such conformational difference is detected
is somewhat indirect; relying on the action of proteases,
primarily proteinase K, to degrade the normal
Figure 6. Type 1 PrPSc is a stable minority component
of PrPSc from the vCJD
brain. Western blot analysis of PrP in a sample of
cerebral cortex from a
case
of vCJD during digestion with proteinase K is shown.
Time points assayed
are indicated in minutes (T0, 5, 10, 30, 60, 120, 180).
Duplicate blots were
probed with 3F4, which detects both type 1 and type 2
PrPSc, and with 12B2,
which detects type 1. The insert shows a shorter
exposure of the same time
course study from a separate experiment also probed
with 3F4. Both blots
included samples of cerebral cortex from a case of
sporadic CJD MM1 (Type
1) and molecular weight markers (Markers) indicate
weights in kd.
Figure 7. A minority type 1-like PrPSc is found in vCJD
tonsil, vCJD
transmitted
to mice and in BSE. Western blot analysis of PrPSc in a
concentrated
sample of tonsil from a case of vCJD (Tonsil), in a
concentrated brain
sample
of a wild-type mouse (C57BL) infected with vCJD and in
a sample of cattle
BSE brain (BSE) is shown. Tissue extracts were digested
with proteinase K.
Duplicate blots were probed with either 3F4 or 6H4,
both of which detect
type 1 and type 2 PrPSc, and with 12B2, which detects
type 1. The blots
included samples of cerebral cortex from a case of
sporadic CJD MM1 (Type
1) and molecular weight markers (Markers) indicate
weights in kd.
Type 1 PrPSc in Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease 155
AJP January 2006, Vol. 168, No. 1
cellular form of PrP and produce a protease-resistant
core fragment of PrPSc that differs in the extent of its
N-terminal truncation according to the original
conformation.
A complication has recently arisen with the finding that
both type 1 and type 2 can co-exist in the brains of
patients with sCJD.2,5-8 More recently this same phenomenon
has been demonstrated in patients with iatrogenically
acquired and familial forms of human prion disease.
9,10 The existence of this phenomenon is now
beyond doubt but its prevalence and its biological
significance
remain a matter of debate.
Conventional Western blot analysis using antibodies
that detect type 1 and type 2 PrPSc has severe quantitative
limitations for the co-detection of type 1 and type 2
PrPSc in individual samples, suggesting that the prevalence
of co-occurrence of the two types might be underestimated.
We have sought to circumvent this problem by
using an antibody that is type 1-specific and applied this
to the sole remaining human prion disease where the
phenomenon of mixed PrPSc types has not yet been
shown, namely vCJD.
These results show that even in vCJD where susceptible
individuals have been infected supposedly by a
single strain of agent, both PrPSc types co-exist: a
situation
reminiscent of that seen when similarly discriminant
antibodies were used to analyze experimental BSE in
sheep.14,17 In sporadic and familial CJD, individual
brains can show a wide range of relative amounts of the
two types in samples from different regions, but where
brains have been thoroughly investigated a predominant
type is usually evident.2,6,10 This differs from this
report
on vCJD, where type 1 is present in all samples
investigated
but always as a minor component that never
reaches a level at which it is detectable without a type
1-specific antibody. It would appear that the relative
balance
between type 1 and type 2 is controlled within
certain limits in the vCJD brain. A minority type-1-like
band is also detected by 12B2 in vCJD tonsil, in BSE
brain and in the brains of mice experimentally infected
with vCJD, suggesting that this balance of types is agent,
rather than host or tissue, specific. Interestingly the
"glycoform
signature" of the type 2 PrPSc found in vCJD (type
2B) is also seen in the type 1 PrPSc components, suggesting
that it could legitimately be termed type 1B.
PrPSc isotype analysis has proven to be extremely
useful in the differential diagnosis of CJD and is
likely to
continue to have a major role in the investigation of human
prion diseases. However, it is clear, on the basis of
these findings, that molecular typing has quantitative
limitations
and that any mechanistic explanation of prion
replication and the molecular basis of agent strain
variation
must accommodate the co-existence of multiple
prion protein conformers. Whether or not the different
conformers we describe here correlate in a simple and
direct way with agent strain remains to be determined. In
principle two interpretations present themselves: either
the two conformers can be produced by a single strain of
agent or vCJD (and, therefore, presumably BSE) results
from a mixture of strains, one of which generally
predominates.
Evidence for the isolation in mice of more than one
strain from individual isolates of BSE has been presented
previously.18,19
One practical consequence of our findings is that the
correct interpretation of transmission studies will depend
on a full examination of the balance of molecular types
present in the inoculum used to transmit disease, in
addition
to a thorough analysis of the molecular types that
arise in the recipients. Another consequence relates to
the diagnostic certainty of relying on PrPSc molecular
type alone when considering the possibility of BSE
infection
or secondary transmission in humans who have a
genotype other than methionine at codon 129 of the
PRNP gene. In this context it is interesting to note
that this
minority type 1B component resembles the type 5 PrPSc
described previously to characterize vCJD transmission
into certain humanized PRNP129VV transgenic mouse
models.12,20 This apparently abrupt change in molecular
phenotype might represent a selection process imposed
by this particular transgenic mouse model. Irrespective of
whether this proves to be the case, the results shown
here point to further complexities in the relationship
between
the physico-chemical properties of the prion protein,
human disease phenotype, and prion agent strain.
Acknowledgments
snip...
Type 1 PrPSc in Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease 157
AJP January 2006, Vol. 168, No. 1 ...TSS
http://ajp.amjpathol.org/cgi/content/abstract/168/1/151maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=prion&searchid=1136646133963_237&FIRSTINDEX=0&volume=168&issue=1&journalcode=amjpathol
Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology
(2005),
31
, 565-579 doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2990.2005.00697.x
© 2005 Blackwell Publishing Ltd
565
Blackwell Science, LtdOxford, UKNANNeuropathology and
Applied Neurobiology0305-1846Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2005
316565579
Review article
Phenotypic variability in human prion diseases
J. W. Ironside, D. L. Ritchie and M. W. Head
National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance Unit,
Division of Pathology, University of Edinburgh,
Edinburgh, UK
J. W. Ironside, D. L. Ritchie and M. W. Head (2005)
Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology
31,
565-579
Phenotypic variability in human prion diseases
Human prion diseases are rare neurodegenerative disorders
that can occur as sporadic, familial or acquired disorders.
Within each of these categories there is a wide range
of phenotypic variation that is not encountered in other
neurodegenerative disorders. The identification of the
prion protein and its key role in the pathogenesis of this
diverse group of diseases has allowed a fuller
understanding
of factors that influence disease phenotype. In particular,
the naturally occurring polymorphism at codon 129
in the prion protein gene has a major influence on the
disease
phenotype in sporadic, familial and acquired prion
diseases, although the underlying mechanisms remain
unclear. Recent technical advances have improved our
ability to study the isoforms of the abnormal prion protein
in the brain and in other tissues. This has lead to the
concept
of molecular strain typing, in which different isoforms
of the prion protein are proposed to correspond to
individual strains of the transmissible agent, each with
specific biological properties. In sporadic
Creutzfeldt-Jakob
disease there are at least six major combinations of codon
129 genotype and prion protein isotype, which appear to
relate to distinctive clinical subgroups of this disease.
However, these relationships are proving to be more complex
than first considered, particularly in cases with more
than a single prion protein isotype in the brain. Further
work is required to clarify these relationships and to
explain the mechanism of neuropathological targeting of
specific brain regions, which accounts for the diversity of
clinical features within human prion diseases.
© 2005 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Neuropathology and
Applied Neurobiology, 31, 565-579
BSE prions propagate as either variant CJD-like or
sporadic CJD-like prion strains in transgenic mice
expressing human prion protein
The EMBO Journal Vol. 21 No. 23 pp. 6358±6366, 2002
Emmanuel A.Asante, Jacqueline M.Linehan,
Melanie Desbruslais, Susan Joiner,
Ian Gowland, Andrew L.Wood, Julie Welch,
Andrew F.Hill, Sarah E.Lloyd,
Jonathan D.F.Wadsworth and
John Collinge1
MRC Prion Unit and Department of Neurodegenerative Disease,
Institute of Neurology, University College, Queen Square,
London WC1N 3BG, UK
1Corresponding author
e-mail: j.collinge@prion.ucl.ac.uk.
Variant Creutzfeldt±Jakob disease (vCJD) has been
recognized to date only in individuals homozygous for
methionine at PRNP codon 129. Here we show that
transgenic mice expressing human PrP methionine
129, inoculated with either bovine spongiform
encephalopathy (BSE) or variant CJD prions, may
develop the neuropathological and molecular phenotype
of vCJD, consistent with these diseases being
caused by the same prion strain. Surprisingly, however,
BSE transmission to these transgenic mice, in
addition to producing a vCJD-like phenotype, can also
result in a distinct molecular phenotype that is
indistinguishable
from that of sporadic CJD with PrPSc
type 2. These data suggest that more than one BSEderived
prion strain might infect humans; it is therefore
possible that some patients with a phenotype consistent
with sporadic CJD may have a disease arising
from BSE exposure.
snip...
These studies further strengthen the evidence that vCJD
is caused by a BSE-like prion strain. Also, remarkably, the
key neuropathological hallmark of vCJD, the presence of
abundant ¯orid PrP plaques, can be recapitulated on BSE
or vCJD transmission to these mice. However, the most
surprising aspect of the studies was the ®nding that an
alternate pattern of disease can be induced in 129MM
Tg35 mice from primary transmission of BSE, with a
molecular phenotype indistinguishable from that of a
subtype
of sporadic CJD. This ®nding has important potential
implications as it raises the possibility that some humans
infected with BSE prions may develop a clinical disease
indistinguishable from classical CJD associated with type 2
PrPSc. This is, in our experience, the commonest molecular
sub-type of sporadic CJD. In this regard, it is of interest
that the reported incidence of sporadic CJD has risen
in the
UK since the 1970s (Cousens et al., 1997). This has been
attributed to improved case ascertainment, particularly as
much of the rise is reported from elderly patients and
similar rises in incidence were noted in other European
countries without reported BSE (Will et al., 1998).
However, it is now clear that BSE is present in many
European countries, albeit at a much lower incidence than
was seen in the UK. While improved ascertainment is
likely to be a major factor in this rise, that some of
these
additional cases may be related to BSE exposure cannot be
ruled out. It is of interest in this regard that a 2-fold
increase in the reported incidence of sporadic CJD in 2001
has recently been reported for Switzerland, a country that
had the highest incidence of cattle BSE in continental
Europe between 1990 and 2002 (Glatzel et al., 2002). No
epidemiological case±control studies with strati®cation of
CJD cases by molecular sub-type have yet been reported.
It will be important to review the incidence of sporadic
CJD associated with PrPSc type 2 and other molecular
subtypes
in both BSE-affected and unaffected countries in the
light of these ®ndings. If human BSE prion infection can
result in propagation of type 2 PrPSc, it would be expected
that such cases would be indistinguishable on clinical,
pathological and molecular criteria from classical CJD. It
may also be expected that such prions would behave
biologically like those isolated from humans with sporadic
CJD with type 2 PrPSc. The transmission properties of
prions associated with type 2 PrPSc from BSE-inoculated
129MM Tg35 mice are being investigated by serial
passage.
We consider these data inconsistent with contamination
of some of the 129MM Tg35 mice with sporadic CJD
prions. These transmission studies were performed according
to rigorous biosafety protocols for preparation of
inocula and both the inoculation and care of mice, which
are all uniquely identi®ed by sub-cutaneous transponders.
However, crucially, the same BSE inocula have been used
on 129VV Tg152 and 129MM Tg45 mice, which are
highly sensitive to sporadic CJD but in which such
transmissions producing type 2 PrPSc were not observed.
Furthermore, in an independent experiment, separate
inbred lines of wild-type mice, which are highly resistant
to sporadic CJD prions, also propagated two distinctive
PrPSc types on challenge with either BSE or vCJD. No
evidence of spontaneous prion disease or PrPSc has been
seen in groups of uninoculated or mock-inoculated aged
129MM Tg35 mice.
While distinctive prion isolates have been derived from
BSE passage in mice previously (designated 301C and
301V), these, in contrast to the data presented here, are
propagated in mice expressing different prion proteins
(Bruce et al., 1994). It is unclear whether our ®ndings
indicate the existence of more than one prion strain in
individual cattle with BSE, with selection and preferential
replication of distinct strains by different hosts, or that
`mutation' of a unitary BSE strain occurs in some types of
host. Western blot analysis of single BSE isolates has not
shown evidence of the presence of a proportion of
monoglycosylated dominant PrPSc type in addition to the
diglycosylated dominant pattern (data not shown).
Extensive strain typing of large numbers of individual
BSE-infected cattle either by biological or molecular
methods has not been reported.
Presumably, the different genetic background of the
different inbred mouse lines is crucial in determining
which prion strain propagates on BSE inoculation. The
transgenic mice described here have a mixed genetic
background with contributions from FVB/N, C57BL/6 and
129Sv inbred lines; each mouse will therefore have a
different genetic background. This may explain the
differing response of individual 129MM Tg35 mice, and
the difference between 129MM Tg35 and 129MM Tg45
mice, which are, like all transgenic lines, populations
derived from single founders. Indeed, the consistent
distinctive strain propagation in FVB and C57BL/6 versus
SJL and RIIIS lines may allow mapping of genes relevant
to strain selection and propagation, and these studies
are in
progress.
That different prion strains can be consistently isolated
in different inbred mouse lines challenged with BSE
prions argues that other species exposed to BSE may
develop prion diseases that are not recognizable as being
caused by the BSE strain by either biological or molecular
strain typing methods. As with 129MM Tg35 mice, the
prions replicating in such transmissions may be
indistinguishable
from naturally occurring prion strains. It
remains of considerable concern whether BSE has transmitted
to, and is being maintained in, European sheep
¯ocks. Given the diversity of sheep breeds affected by
scrapie, it has to be considered that some sheep might have
become infected with BSE, but propagated a distinctive
strain type indistinguishable from those of natural sheep
scrapie. ...
The EMBO Journal Vol. 21 No. 23 pp. 6358±6366, 2002
6358 ãEuropean Molecular Biology Organization
http://embojournal.npgjournals.com/cgi/reprint/21/23/6358
J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci 17:489-495, November 2005
doi: 10.1176/appi.neuropsych.17.4.489
© 2005 American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.
Psychiatric Manifestations of Creutzfeldt-Jakob
Disease: A 25-Year Analysis
Christopher A. Wall, M.D., Teresa A. Rummans, M.D.,
Allen J. Aksamit, M.D.,
Lois E. Krahn, M.D. and V. Shane Pankratz, Ph.D.
Received April 20, 2004; revised September 9, 2004;
accepted September 13,
2004. From the Mayo Clinic, Department of Psychiatry
and Psychology,
Rochester, Minnesota; Mayo Clinic, Department of
Neurology, Rochester,
Minnesota. Address correspondence to Dr. Wall, Mayo
Clinic, Department of
Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Building-W11A, 200
First St., SW, Rochester,
MN 55905; wall.chris@mayo.edu. (E-mail).
This study characterizes the type and timing of
psychiatric manifestations
in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD).
Historically, sCJD has been
characterized by prominent neurological symptoms, while
the variant form
(vCJD) is described as primarily psychiatric in
presentation and course: A
retrospective review of 126 sCJD patients evaluated at
the Mayo Clinic from
1976-2001 was conducted. Cases were reviewed for
symptoms of depression,
anxiety, psychosis, behavior dyscontrol, sleep
disturbances, and
neurological signs during the disease course. Eighty
percent of the cases
demonstrated psychiatric symptoms within the first 100
days of illness, with
26% occurring at presentation. The most commonly
reported symptoms in this
population included sleep disturbances, psychotic
symptoms, and depression.
Psychiatric manifestations are an early and prominent
feature of sporadic
CJD, often occurring prior to formal diagnosis.
snip...
CONCLUSIONS
Historically, psychiatric manifestations have been
described as a relatively
infrequent occurrence in the sporadic form of
creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
However, our findings suggest otherwise. In this study,
a vast majority of
the cases were noted to have at least one psychiatric
symptom during the
course of illness, with nearly one-quarter occurring in
the prodromal or
presenting phase of the illness. After comparing the
frequency of
neuropsychiatric symptoms in sporadic CJD to studies
describing the variant
form of CJD, we found that there are fewer clinical
differences than
previously reported.5-7 While the age of patients
with vCJD presentation
is significantly younger and the course of illness is
longer, the type and
timing of psychiatric manifestations appear similar
between these two
diseases. ...snip...
http://neuro.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/17/4/489
Personal Communication
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: re-BSE prions propagate as
either variant CJD-like or sporadic CJD Date: Thu, 28
Nov 2002 10:23:43
-0000 From: "Asante, Emmanuel A" To:
"'flounder@wt.net'"
Dear Terry,
I have been asked by Professor Collinge to respond to
your request. I am
a Senior Scientist in the MRC Prion Unit and the lead
author on the
paper. I have attached a pdf copy of the paper for your
attention. Thank
you for your interest in the paper.
In respect of your first question, the simple answer
is, yes. As you
will find in the paper, we have managed to associate
the alternate
phenotype to type 2 PrPSc, the commonest sporadic CJD.
It is too early to be able to claim any further
sub-classification in
respect of Heidenhain variant CJD or Vicky Rimmer's
version. It will
take further studies, which are on-going, to establish
if there are
sub-types to our initial finding which we are now
reporting. The main
point of the paper is that, as well as leading to the
expected new
variant CJD phenotype, BSE transmission to the
129-methionine genotype
can lead to an alternate phenotype which is
indistinguishable from type
2 PrPSc.
I hope reading the paper will enlighten you more on the
subject. If I
can be of any further assistance please to not hesitate
to ask. Best wishes.
Emmanuel Asante
<> ____________________________________
Dr. Emmanuel A Asante MRC Prion Unit & Neurogenetics
Dept. Imperial
College School of Medicine (St. Mary's) Norfolk Place,
LONDON W2 1PG
Tel: +44 (0)20 7594 3794 Fax: +44 (0)20 7706 3272 email:
e.asante@ic.ac.uk. (until 9/12/02)
New e-mail: e.asante@prion.ucl.ac.uk. (active from now)
____________________________________
Human Prion Protein with
Valine 129 Prevents Expression
of Variant CJD Phenotype
Jonathan D. F. Wadsworth, Emmanuel A. Asante,
Melanie Desbruslais, Jacqueline M. Linehan, Susan Joiner,
Ian Gowland, Julie Welch, Lisa Stone, Sarah E. Lloyd,
Andrew F. Hill,* Sebastian Brandner, John Collinge.
Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) is a unique
and highly distinctive
clinicopathological and molecular phenotype of human
prion disease
associated with infection with bovine spongiform
encephalopathy (BSE)-like
prions. Here, we found that generation of this
phenotype in transgenic mice
required expression of human prion protein (PrP) with
methionine 129.
Expression of human PrP with valine 129 resulted in a
distinct phenotype and,
remarkably, persistence of a barrier to transmission of
BSE-derived prions on
subpassage. Polymorphic residue 129 of human PrP
dictated propagation of
distinct prion strains after BSE prion infection. Thus,
primary and secondary
human infection with BSE-derived prions may result in
sporadic CJD-like or
novel phenotypes in addition to vCJD, depending on the
genotype of the prion
source and the recipient.
snip...
3 DECEMBER 2004 VOL 306 SCIENCE
http://www.sciencemag.org
Characterization of two distinct prion strains
derived from bovine spongiform encephalopathy
transmissions to inbred mice
Sarah E. Lloyd, Jacqueline M. Linehan, Melanie Desbruslais,
Susan Joiner, Jennifer Buckell, Sebastian Brandner,
Jonathan D. F. Wadsworth and John Collinge
Correspondence
John Collinge
j.collinge@prion.ucl.ac.uk.
MRC Prion Unit and Department of Neurodegenerative
Disease, Institute of Neurology,
University College, London WC1N 3BG, UK
Received 9 December 2003
Accepted 27 April 2004
Distinct prion strains can be distinguished by
differences in incubation period, neuropathology
and biochemical properties of disease-associated prion
protein (PrPSc) in inoculated mice.
Reliable comparisons of mouse prion strain properties
can only be achieved after passage in
genetically identical mice, as host prion protein
sequence and genetic background are known
to modulate prion disease phenotypes. While multiple
prion strains have been identified in
sheep scrapie and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, bovine
spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is
thought to be caused by a single prion strain. Primary
passage of BSE prions to different lines
of inbred mice resulted in the propagation of two
distinct PrPSc types, suggesting that two
prion strains may have been isolated. To investigate
this further, these isolates were
subpassaged in a single line of inbred mice (SJL) and
it was confirmed that two distinct prion
strains had been identified. MRC1 was characterized by
a short incubation time (110±3 days),
a mono-glycosylated-dominant PrPSc type and a
generalized diffuse pattern of PrP-immunoreactive
deposits, while MRC2 displayed a much longer incubation
time (155±1 days),
a di-glycosylated-dominant PrPSc type and a distinct
pattern of PrP-immunoreactive deposits
and neuronal loss. These data indicate a crucial
involvement of the host genome in modulating
prion strain selection and propagation in mice. It is
possible that multiple disease phenotypes
may also be possible in BSE prion infection in humans
and other animals.
snip...
Journal of General Virology (2004), 85, 2471-2478 DOI
10.1099/vir.0.79889-0
http://vir.sgmjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/85/8/2471
Medical Sciences
Identification of a second bovine amyloidotic
spongiform encephalopathy: Molecular similarities with
sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
Cristina Casalone *, Gianluigi Zanusso , Pierluigi
Acutis *, Sergio Ferrari , Lorenzo Capucci , Fabrizio
Tagliavini ¶, Salvatore Monaco ||, and Maria Caramelli *
*Centro di Referenza Nazionale per le Encefalopatie
Animali, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del
Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Via Bologna, 148,
10195 Turin, Italy; Department of Neurological and
Visual Science, Section of Clinical Neurology,
Policlinico G.B. Rossi, Piazzale L.A. Scuro, 10, 37134
Verona, Italy; Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale
della Lombardia ed Emilia Romagna, Via Bianchi, 9,
25124 Brescia, Italy; and ¶Istituto Nazionale
Neurologico "Carlo Besta," Via Celoria 11, 20133 Milan,
Italy
Edited by Stanley B. Prusiner, University of
California, San Francisco, CA, and approved December
23, 2003 (received for review September 9, 2003)
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), or
prion diseases, are mammalian neurodegenerative
disorders characterized by a posttranslational
conversion and brain accumulation of an insoluble,
protease-resistant isoform (PrPSc) of the host-encoded
cellular prion protein (PrPC). Human and animal TSE
agents exist as different phenotypes that can be
biochemically differentiated on the basis of the
molecular mass of the protease-resistant PrPSc
fragments and the degree of glycosylation.
Epidemiological, molecular, and transmission studies
strongly suggest that the single strain of agent
responsible for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)
has infected humans, causing variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob
disease. The unprecedented biological properties of the
BSE agent, which circumvents the so-called "species
barrier" between cattle and humans and adapts to
different mammalian species, has raised considerable
concern for human health. To date, it is unknown
whether more than one strain might be responsible for
cattle TSE or whether the BSE agent undergoes
phenotypic variation after natural transmission. Here
we provide evidence of a second cattle TSE. The
disorder was pathologically characterized by the
presence of PrP-immunopositive amyloid plaques, as
opposed to the lack of amyloid deposition in typical
BSE cases, and by a different pattern of regional
distribution and topology of brain PrPSc accumulation.
In addition, Western blot analysis showed a PrPSc type
with predominance of the low molecular mass glycoform
and a protease-resistant fragment of lower molecular
mass than BSE-PrPSc. Strikingly, the molecular
signature of this previously undescribed bovine PrPSc
was similar to that encountered in a distinct subtype
of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
C.C. and G.Z. contributed equally to this work.
||To whom correspondence should be addressed.
E-mail: salvatore.monaco@mail.univr.it. .
www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.0305777101
snip...
Phenotypic Similarities Between BASE and sCJD. The
transmissibility
of CJD brains was initially demonstrated in primates
(27), and
classification of atypical cases as CJD was based on
this property
(28). To date, no systematic studies of strain typing
in sCJD have
been provided, and classification of different subtypes
is based
on clinical, neuropathological, and molecular features
(the polymorphic
PRNP codon 129 and the PrPSc glycotype) (8, 9, 15, 19).
The importance of molecular PrPSc characterization in
assessing
the identity of TSE strains is underscored by several
studies,
showing that the stability of given disease-specific
PrPSc types is
maintained upon experimental propagation of sCJD, familial
CJD, and vCJD isolates in transgenic PrP-humanized mice (8,
29). Similarly, biochemical properties of BSE- and
vCJDassociated
PrPSc molecules remain stable after passage to mice
expressing bovine PrP (30). Recently, however, it has been
reported that PrP-humanized mice inoculated with BSE
tissues
may also propagate a distinctive PrPSc type, with a
''monoglycosylated-
dominant'' pattern and electrophoretic mobility of the
unglycosylated fragment slower than that of vCJD and
BSE (31).
Strikingly, this PrPSc type shares its molecular
properties with the
a PrPSc molecule found in classical sCJD. This
observation is at
variance with the PrPSc type found in MV2 sCJD cases and in
cattle BASE, showing a monoglycosylated-dominant
pattern but
faster electrophoretic mobility of the
protease-resistant fragment
as compared with BSE. In addition to molecular properties
of PrPSc, BASE and MV2 sCJD share a distinctive pattern of
intracerebral PrP deposition, which occurs as
plaque-like and
amyloid-kuru plaques. Differences were, however,
observed in
the regional distribution of PrPSc. While inMV2 sCJD
cases the
largest amounts of PrPSc were detected in the cerebellum,
brainstem, and striatum, in cattle BASE these areas
were less
involved and the highest levels of PrPSc were recovered
from the
thalamus and olfactory regions.
In conclusion, decoding the biochemical PrPSc signature of
individual human and animal TSE strains may allow the
identification
of potential risk factors for human disorders with
unknown etiology, such as sCJD. However, although BASE and
sCJD share several characteristics, caution is dictated
in assessing
a link between conditions affecting two different mammalian
species, based on convergent biochemical properties of
diseaseassociated
PrPSc types. Strains of TSE agents may be better
characterized upon passage to transgenic mice. In the
interim
until this is accomplished, our present findings
suggest a strict
epidemiological surveillance of cattle TSE and sCJD
based on
molecular criteria.
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/reprint/0305777101v1
Published online before print March 20, 2001,
10.1073/pnas.041490898
Neurobiology
Adaptation of the bovine spongiform encephalopathy
agent to primates and comparison with Creutzfeldt-
Jakob disease: Implications for human health
Corinne Ida Lasmézas*,, Jean-Guy Fournier*, Virginie
Nouvel*, Hermann Boe*, Domíníque Marcé*, François
Lamoury*, Nicolas Kopp, Jean-Jacques Hauw§, James
Ironside¶, Moira Bruce, Dominique Dormont*, and
Jean-Philippe Deslys*
* Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique, Service de
Neurovirologie, Direction des Sciences du
Vivant/Département de Recherche Medicale, Centre de
Recherches du Service de Santé des Armées 60-68, Avenue
du Général Leclerc, BP 6, 92 265 Fontenay-aux-Roses
Cedex, France; Hôpital Neurologique Pierre Wertheimer,
59, Boulevard Pinel, 69003 Lyon, France; § Laboratoire
de Neuropathologie, Hôpital de la Salpêtrière, 83,
Boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75013 Paris, France; ¶
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance Unit, Western
General Hospital, Crewe Road, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, United
Kingdom; and Institute for Animal Health,
Neuropathogenesis Unit, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9
3JF, United Kingdom
Edited by D. Carleton Gajdusek, Centre National de la
Recherche Scientifique, Gif-sur-Yvette, France, and
approved December 7, 2000 (received for review October
16, 2000)
Abstract
There is substantial scientific evidence to support the
notion that bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) has
contaminated human beings, causing variant
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). This disease has
raised concerns about the possibility of an iatrogenic
secondary transmission to humans, because the
biological properties of the primate-adapted BSE agent
are unknown. We show that (i) BSE can be transmitted
from primate to primate by intravenous route in 25
months, and (ii) an iatrogenic transmission of vCJD to
humans could be readily recognized pathologically,
whether it occurs by the central or peripheral route.
Strain typing in mice demonstrates that the BSE agent
adapts to macaques in the same way as it does to humans
and confirms that the BSE agent is responsible for vCJD
not only in the United Kingdom but also in France. The
agent responsible for French iatrogenic growth
hormone-linked CJD taken as a control is very different
from vCJD but is similar to that found in one case of
sporadic CJD and one sheep scrapie isolate. These data
will be key in identifying the origin of human cases of
prion disease, including accidental vCJD transmission,
and could provide bases for vCJD risk assessment.
snip...
Characterization of the CJD and Scrapie Strains.
Controls were set up by transmitting one French and one
U.S. scrapie isolate from ruminants as well as French
sCJD and iCJD cases from humans. None of these revealed
a lesion profile or transmission characteristics
similar or close to those of BSE or vCJD, respectively,
thus extending to the present French scrapie isolate
the previous observation that the BSE agent was
different from all known natural scrapie strains (4, 24).
The lesion profiles of sCJD and iCJD differed only
slightly in severity of the lesions, but not in shape
of the profile, revealing the identity of the causative
agents. One of us reported the absence of similarity
between sCJD (six cases) and U.K. scrapie (eight cases)
in transmission characteristics in mice (4). Herein, we
made the striking observation that the French natural
scrapie strain (but not the U.S. scrapie strain) has
the same lesion profile and transmission times in
C57BL/6 mice as do the two human TSE strains studied.
This strain "affiliation" was confirmed biochemically.
There is no epidemiological evidence for a link between
sheep scrapie and the occurrence of CJD in humans (25).
However, such a link, if it is not a general rule,
would be extremely difficult to establish because of
the very low incidence of CJD as well as the existence
of different isolates in humans and multiple strains in
scrapie. Moreover, scrapie is transmissible to nonhuman
primates (26). Thus, there is still a possibility that
in some instances TSE strains infecting humans do share
a common origin with scrapie, as pointed out by our
findings.
snip...
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/041490898v1
1: J Infect Dis 1980 Aug;142(2):205-8
Oral transmission of kuru, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease,
and scrapie to nonhuman primates.
Gibbs CJ Jr, Amyx HL, Bacote A, Masters CL, Gajdusek DC.
Kuru and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease of humans and
scrapie disease of sheep and goats were transmitted to
squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) that were exposed
to the infectious agents only by their nonforced
consumption of known infectious tissues. The
asymptomatic incubation period in the one monkey
exposed to the virus of kuru was 36 months; that in the
two monkeys exposed to the virus of Creutzfeldt-Jakob
disease was 23 and 27 months, respectively; and that in
the two monkeys exposed to the virus of scrapie was 25
and 32 months, respectively. Careful physical
examination of the buccal cavities of all of the
monkeys failed to reveal signs or oral lesions. One
additional monkey similarly exposed to kuru has
remained asymptomatic during the 39 months that it has
been under observation.
PMID: 6997404
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=6997404&dopt=Abstract
NOTES
Interspecies Transmission of Chronic Wasting Disease
Prions to
Squirrel Monkeys (Saimiri sciureus)
Richard F. Marsh,1? Anthony E. Kincaid,2 Richard A.
Bessen,3 and Jason C. Bartz4*
Department of Animal Health and Biomedical Sciences,
University of Wisconsin, Madison 537061; Department of
Physical Therapy2 and Department of Medical
Microbiology and Immunology,4 Creighton University, Omaha,
Nebraska 68178; and Department of Veterinary Molecular
Biology, Montana
State University, Bozeman, Montana 597183
Received 3 May 2005/Accepted 10 August 2005
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is an emerging prion
disease of deer and elk. The risk of CWD transmission
to humans following exposure to CWD-infected tissues is
unknown. To assess the susceptibility of nonhuman
primates to CWD, two squirrel monkeys were inoculated
with brain tissue from a CWD-infected mule deer. The
CWD-inoculated squirrel monkeys developed a progressive
neurodegenerative disease and were euthanized at
31 and 34 months postinfection. Brain tissue from the
CWD-infected squirrel monkeys contained the abnormal
isoform of the prion protein, PrP-res, and displayed
spongiform degeneration. This is the first reported
transmission of CWD to primates.
snip...
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY, Nov. 2005, p. 13794-13796 Vol.
79, No. 21
0022-538X/05/$08.00!0
doi:10.1128/JVI.79.21.13794-13796.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology.
All Rights Reserved.
=============================================
The EMBO Journal, Vol. 19, No. 17 pp. 4425-4430, 2000
© European Molecular Biology Organization
Evidence of a molecular barrier limiting
susceptibility of humans, cattle and sheep to
chronic wasting disease
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
1NIAID/NIH Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Hamilton, MT
59840,
3USDA/ARS/ADRU, Pullman, WA 99164-7030, 4USDA/ARS/ABADRL,
Laramie, WY 82071, 5Colorado Division of Wildlife,
Wildlife Research
Center, Fort Collins, CO 80526-2097, 6Department of
Veterinary Sciences,
University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82070, USA and
2ID-Lelystad,
Institute for Animal Science and Health, Lelystad, The
Netherlands
7Corresponding author e-mail: bcaughey@nih.gov Received
June 7, 2000;
revised July 3, 2000; accepted July 5, 2000.
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible
spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) of deer and elk,
and little is known about its transmissibility to other
species. An important factor controlling
interspecies TSE susceptibility is prion protein (PrP)
homology between the source and recipient
species/genotypes. Furthermore, the efficiency with which
the protease-resistant PrP (PrP-res) of one
species induces the in vitro conversion of the normal PrP
(PrP-sen) of another species to the
protease-resistant state correlates with the cross-species
transmissibility of TSE agents. Here we
show that the CWD-associated PrP-res (PrPCWD) of cervids
readily induces the conversion of recombinant cervid
PrP-sen
molecules to the protease-resistant state in accordance
with the known transmissibility of CWD between cervids.
In contrast,
PrPCWD-induced conversions of human and bovine PrP-sen
were
much less efficient, and conversion of ovine PrP-sen was
intermediate. These results demonstrate a barrier at the
molecular level that should limit the susceptibility of
these non-cervid
species to CWD.
snip...
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
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.
snip...
http://www.emboj.org/current.shtml
Neurology 1999;52:1757
© 1999 American Academy of Neurology
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Expedited Publication
A subtype of sporadic prion disease mimicking fatal
familial insomnia
P. Parchi, MD, S. Capellari, MD, S. Chin, MD, PhD, H.
B. Schwarz, MD, N. P. Schecter, MD, J. D. Butts, MD, P.
Hudkins, MD, D. K. Burns MD, J. M. Powers, MD and P.
Gambetti, MD
http://www.neurology.org/cgi/content/abstract/52/9/1757
Gerald Wells: Report of the Visit to USA, April-May 1989
snip...
The general opinion of those present was that BSE, as an
overt disease phenomenon, _could exist in the USA, but if it did,
it was very rare. The need for improved and specific surveillance
methods to detect it as recognised...
snip...
It is clear that USDA have little information and _no_ regulatory
responsibility for rendering plants in the US...
snip...
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_...
snip...
http://www.bseinquiry.gov.uk/files/mb/m11b/tab01.pdf
To be published in the Proceedings of the
Fourth International Scientific Congress in
Fur Animal Production. Toronto, Canada,
August 21-28, 1988
Evidence That Transmissible Mink Encephalopathy
Results from Feeding Infected Cattle
R.F. Marsh* and G.R. Hartsough
.Department of Veterinary Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison,
Wisconsin 53706; and ^Emba/Creat Lakes Ranch Service, Thiensville, Wisconsin
53092
ABSTRACT
Epidemiologic investigation of a new incidence of
transmissible mink encephalopathy (TME) in Stetsonville, Wisconsin
suggests that the disease may have resulted from feeding infected
cattle to mink. This observation is supported by the transmission of
a TME-like disease to experimentally inoculated cattle, and by the
recent report of a new bovine spongiform encephalopathy in
England.
INTRODUCTION
Transmissible mink encephalopathy (TME) was first reported in 1965 by
Hartsough
and Burger who demonstrated that the disease was transmissible with a long
incubation
period, and that affected mink had a spongiform encephalopathy similar to
that found in
scrapie-affecied sheep (Hartsough and Burger, 1965; Burger and Hartsough,
1965).
Because of the similarity between TME and scrapie, and the subsequent
finding that the
two transmissible agents were indistinguishable (Marsh and Hanson, 1969), it
was
concluded that TME most likely resulted from feeding mink scrapie-infecied
sheep.
The experimental transmission of sheep scrapie to mink (Hanson et al., 1971)
confirmed the close association of TME and scrapie, but at the same time
provided
evidence that they may be different. Epidemiologic studies on previous
incidences of
TME indicated that the incubation periods in field cases were between six
months and
one year in length (Harxsough and Burger, 1965). Experimentally, scrapie
could not be
transmitted to mink in less than one year.
To investigate the possibility that TME may be caused by a (particular
strain of
scrapie which might be highly pathogenic for mink, 21 different strains of
the scrapie
agent, including their sheep or goat sources, were inoculated into a total
of 61 mink.
Only one mink developed a progressive neurologic disease after an incubation
period of
22 mon..s (Marsh and Hanson, 1979). These results indicated that TME was
either caused
by a strain of sheep scrapie not yet tested, or was due to exposure to a
scrapie-like agent
from an unidentified source.
OBSERVATIONS AND RESULTS
A New Incidence of TME. In April of 1985, a mink rancher in Stetsonville,
Wisconsin
reported that many of his mink were "acting funny", and some had died. At
this time, we
visited the farm and found that approximately 10% of all adult mink were
showing
typical signs of TME: insidious onset characterized by subtle behavioral
changes, loss of
normal habits of cleanliness, deposition of droppings throughout the pen
rather than in a
single area, hyperexcitability, difficulty in chewing and swallowing, and
tails arched over
their _backs like squirrels. These signs were followed by progressive
deterioration of
neurologic function beginning with locomoior incoordination, long periods of
somnolence
in which the affected mink would stand motionless with its head in the
corner of the
cage, complete debilitation, and death. Over the next 8-10 weeks,
approximately 40% of
all the adult mink on the farm died from TME.
Since previous incidences of TME were associated with common or shared
feeding
practices, we obtained a careful history of feed ingredients used over the
past 12-18
months. The rancher was a "dead stock" feeder using mostly (>95%) downer or
dead dairy
cattle and a few horses. Sheep had never been fed.
Experimental Transmission. The clinical diagnosis of TME was confirmed by
histopaihologic examination and by experimental transmission to mink after
incubation
periods of four months. To investigate the possible involvement of cattle in
this disease
cycle, two six-week old castrated Holstein bull calves were inoculated
intracerebrally
with a brain suspension from affected mink. Each developed a fatal
spongiform
encephalopathy after incubation periods of 18 and 19 months.
DISCUSSION
These findings suggest that TME may result from feeding mink infected cattle
and
we have alerted bovine practitioners that there may exist an as yet
unrecognized
scrapie-like disease of cattle in the United States (Marsh and Hartsough,
1986). A new
bovine spongiform encephalopathy has recently been reported in England
(Wells et al.,
1987), and investigators are presently studying its transmissibility and
possible
relationship to scrapie. Because this new bovine disease in England is
characterized by
behavioral changes, hyperexcitability, and agressiveness, it is very likely
it would be
confused with rabies in the United Stales and not be diagnosed. Presently,
brains from
cattle in the United States which are suspected of rabies infection are only
tested with
anti-rabies virus antibody and are not examined histopathologically for
lesions of
spongiform encephalopathy.
We are presently pursuing additional studies to further examine the possible
involvement of cattle in the epidemiology of TME. One of these is the
backpassage of
our experimental bovine encephalopathy to mink. Because (here are as yet no
agent-
specific proteins or nucleic acids identified for these transmissible
neuropathogens, one
means of distinguishing them is by animal passage and selection of the
biotype which
grows best in a particular host. This procedure has been used to separate
hamster-
adapted and mink-udapted TME agents (Marsh and Hanson, 1979). The
intracerebral
backpassage of the experimental bovine agent resulted in incubations of only
four months
indicating no de-adaptation of the Stetsonville agent for mink after bovine
passage.
Mink fed infected bovine brain remain normal after six months. It will be
essential to
demonstrate oral transmission fiom bovine to mink it this proposed
epidemiologic
association is to be confirmed.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
These studies were supported by the College of Agricultural and Life
Sciences,
University of Wisconsin-Madison and by a grant (85-CRCR-1-1812) from the
United
States Department of Agriculture. The authors also wish to acknowledge the
help and
encouragement of Robert Hanson who died during the course of these
investigations.
REFERENCES
Burger, D. and Hartsough, G.R. 1965. Encephalopathy of mink. II.
Experimental and
natural transmission. J. Infec. Dis. 115:393-399.
Hanson, R.P., Eckroade, R.3., Marsh, R.F., ZuRhein, C.M., Kanitz, C.L. and
Gustatson,
D.P. 1971. Susceptibility of mink to sheep scrapie. Science 172:859-861.
Hansough, G.R. and Burger, D. 1965. Encephalopathy of mink. I.
Epizoociologic and
clinical observations. 3. Infec. Dis. 115:387-392.
Marsh, R.F. and Hanson, R.P. 1969. Physical and chemical properties of
the
transmissible mink encephalopathy agent. 3. ViroL 3:176-180.
Marsh, R.F. and Hanson, R.P. 1979. On the origin of transmissible mink
encephalopathy. In Hadlow, W.J. and Prusiner, S.P. (eds.) Slow
transmissible
diseases of the nervous system. Vol. 1, Academic Press, New York, pp
451-460.
Marsh, R.F. and Hartsough, G.R. 1986. Is there a scrapie-like disease in
cattle?
Proceedings of the Seventh Annual Western Conference for Food Animal
Veterinary
Medicine. University of Arizona, pp 20.
Wells, G.A.H., Scott, A.C., Johnson, C.T., Cunning, R.F., Hancock, R.D.,
Jeffrey, M.,
Dawson, M. and Bradley, R. 1987. A novel progressive spongiform
encephalopathy
in cattle. Vet. Rec. 121:419-420.
MARSH
http://www.bseinquiry.gov.uk/files/mb/m09/tab05.pdf
[Docket No. 03-025IFA] FSIS Prohibition of the Use of Specified Risk
Materials for Human Food and Requirement for the Disposition of
Non-Ambulatory Disabled Cattle
03-025IFA
03-025IFA-2
Terry S. Singeltary
Page 1 of 17
From: Terry S. Singeltary Sr. [flounder9@verizon.net]
Sent: Thursday, September 08, 2005 6:17 PM
To: fsis.regulationscomments@fsis.usda.gov.
Subject: [Docket No. 03-025IFA] FSIS Prohibition of the Use of Specified
Risk Materials for Human Food and Requirements
for the Disposition of Non-Ambulatory Disabled Cattle
Greetings FSIS,
I would kindly like to submit the following to [Docket No. 03-025IFA] FSIS
Prohibition of the Use of Specified Risk Materials for Human Food and
Requirements for the Disposition of Non-Ambulatory Disabled Cattle
THE BSE/TSE SUB CLINICAL Non-Ambulatory Disabled Cattle
Broken bones and such may be the first signs of a sub clinical BSE/TSE
Non-Ambulatory Disabled Cattle ;
SUB CLINICAL PRION INFECTION
MRC-43-00
Issued: Monday, 28 August 2000
NEW EVIDENCE OF SUB-CLINICAL PRION INFECTION: IMPORTANT RESEARCH
FINDINGS RELEVANT TO CJD AND BSE
Terry S. Singeltary Sr.
P.O. Box 42
Bacliff, Texas USA 77518
9/13/2005
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/Comments/03-025IFA/03-025IFA-2.pdf
Docket No, 04-047-l Regulatory Identification No. (RIN) 091O-AF46 NEW BSE SAFEGUARDS (comment submission)
https://web01.aphis.usda.gov/regpublic.nsf/0/eff9eff1f7c5cf2b87256ecf000df08d?OpenDocument
Docket No. 03-080-1 -- USDA ISSUES PROPOSED RULE TO ALLOW LIVE ANIMAL
IMPORTS FROM CANADA
https://web01.aphis.usda.gov/BSEcom.nsf/0/b78ba677e2b0c12185256dd300649f9d?OpenDocument&AutoFramed
Full Text
Diagnosis and Reporting of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
Singeltary, Sr et al.
JAMA.2001; 285: 733-734.
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/285/6/733?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=dignosing+and+reporting+creutzfeldt+jakob+disease&searchid=1048865596978_1528&stored_search=&FIRSTINDEX=0&journalcode=jama
Re: RE-Monitoring the occurrence of emerging forms of Creutzfeldt-Jakob
disease in the United States
http://www.neurology.org/cgi/eletters/60/2/176#535
BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL
SOMETHING TO CHEW ON
BMJ
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/eletters/319/7220/1312/b#EL2
BMJ
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/eletters/320/7226/8/b#EL1
LANCET INFECTIOUS DISEASE JOURNAL
Volume 3, Number 8 01 August 2003
Newsdesk
Tracking spongiform encephalopathies in North America
Xavier Bosch
My name is Terry S Singeltary Sr, and I live in Bacliff, Texas. I lost
my mom to hvCJD (Heidenhain variant CJD) and have been searching for
answers ever since. What I have found is that we have not been told the
truth. CWD in deer and elk is a small portion of a much bigger problem. ...snip...end
full text;
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473309903007151/fulltext
EFSA Scientific Report on the Assessment of the Geographical BSE-Risk (GBR) of the United States of America (USA)
Last updated: 19 July 2005
Adopted July 2004 (Question N° EFSA-Q-2003-083)
Report
Summary
Summary of the Scientific Report
The European Food Safety Authority and its Scientific Expert Working Group on the Assessment of the Geographical Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) Risk (GBR) were asked by the European Commission (EC) to provide an up-to-date scientific report on the GBR in the United States of America, i.e. the likelihood of the presence of one or mo