Infectious prions in pre-clinical deer and transmission of chronic wasting disease solely by environmental exposure.
PLoS One
; 4(6): e5916, 2009 Jun 16.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-19529769
ABSTRACT
Key to understanding the epidemiology and pathogenesis of prion diseases, including chronic wasting disease (CWD) of cervids, is determining the mode of transmission from one individual to another. We have previously reported that saliva and blood from CWD-infected deer contain sufficient infectious prions to transmit disease upon passage into naïve deer. Here we again use bioassays in deer to show that blood and saliva of pre-symptomatic deer contain infectious prions capable of infecting naïve deer and that naïve deer exposed only to environmental fomites from the suites of CWD-infected deer acquired CWD infection after a period of 15 months post initial exposure. These results help to further explain the basis for the facile transmission of CWD, highlight the complexities associated with CWD transmission among cervids in their natural environment, emphasize the potential utility of blood-based testing to detect pre-clinical CWD infection, and could augur similar transmission dynamics in other prion infections.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Prions
/
Prion Diseases
/
Wasting Disease, Chronic
Type of study:
Etiology_studies
/
Incidence_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limits:
Animals
Language:
En
Journal:
PLoS One
Journal subject:
CIENCIA
/
MEDICINA
Year:
2009
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
United States