Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is an efficiently transmitted prion of cervids, now identified in 22 United States, 2 Canadian provinces and Korea. One hallmark CWD the shedding infectious prions saliva, as demonstrated by bioassay deer. It also clear that concentration blood, urine feces much lower than nervous system or lymphoid tissues. Rapid vitro detection (and other) body fluids excreta has been problematic due to sensitivity limits direct assays (western blotting, ELISA) presence...

The horizontal transmission of prion diseases has been well characterized in bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), chronic wasting disease (CWD) deer and elk scrapie sheep, regarded as the primary mode transmission. Few studies have monitored possibility vertical occurring within an infected mother during pregnancy. To study potential for pathway CWD native cervid species, we used a small model–the polyestrous breeding, indoor maintainable, Reeves' muntjac deer–and determined that...

Blood-borne transmission of infectious prions during the symptomatic and asymptomatic stages disease occurs for both human animal transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). The geographical distribution cervid TSE, chronic wasting (CWD), continues to spread across North America prospective number individuals harboring an infection variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) in United Kingdom has been projected be ~1 3000 residents. Thus, it is important monitor blood products ensure herd...

Domestic and nondomestic cats have been shown to be susceptible feline spongiform encephalopathy (FSE), almost certainly caused by consumption of bovine (BSE)-contaminated meat. Because domestic free-ranging felids scavenge cervid carcasses, including those in areas affected chronic wasting disease (CWD), we evaluated the susceptibility cat (Felis catus) CWD infection experimentally. Cohorts 5 each were inoculated intracerebrally (i.c.) or orally (p.o.) with CWD-infected deer brain. At 40 42...

Longitudinal studies of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in the native host have provided considerable understanding how this prion continues to efficiently spread among cervid species. These entail great cost animal, time and financial support. A variety methods emerged including transgenic mouse bioassay, western blot, enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA), immunohistochemistry (IHC), serial protein misfolding cyclic amplification (sPMCA) real quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC), that deepen our...

The presence of disease-associated prions in tissues and bodily fluids chronic wasting disease (CWD)-infected cervids has received much investigation, yet little is known about mother-to-offspring transmission CWD. Our previous work demonstrated that efficient an experimental setting. To address the question relevance a naturally exposed free-ranging population, we assessed maternal fetal derived from 19 elk dam-calf pairs collected Rocky Mountain north-central Colorado, CWD endemic region....

ABSTRACT Infectious prions traverse epithelial barriers to gain access the circulatory system, yet temporal parameters of transepithelial transport and persistence in blood over time remain unknown. We used whole-blood real-time quaking-induced conversion (wbRT-QuIC) analyze whole collected from transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE)-inoculated deer hamsters throughout incubation period for presence common prion protein-conversion competent amyloid (PrP C -CCA). observed PrP -CCA...

Understanding the molecular parameters governing prion propagation is crucial for controlling these lethal, proteinaceous, and infectious neurodegenerative diseases. To explore effects of protein (PrP) sequence structural variations on intra- interspecies transmission, we integrated studies in deer, a species naturally susceptible to chronic wasting disease (CWD), burgeoning, contagious epidemic uncertain origin zoonotic potential, with transgenic (Tg) mouse modeling cell-free amplification....

The minimum infectious dose required to induce CWD infection in cervids remains unknown, as does whether peripherally shed prions and/or multiple low exposures are important factors transmission. With the goal of better understand nature, we studied oral deer very doses and also examined frequency exposure or prion source may influence pathogenesis. We orally inoculated white-tailed with either single divided brain saliva origin monitored by serial longitudinal tissue biopsies spanning over...

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) affects cervids in North America, Asia, and Scandinavia. CWD is unique its efficient spread, partially because of contact with infectious prions shed secreta. To assess temporal profiles prion shedding, we collected saliva, urine, feces from white-tailed deer for 66 months after exposure to low oral doses CWD-positive brain tissue or saliva. We analyzed seeding activity by using modified amyloid amplification assays incorporating iron oxide bead extraction,...

The detection of prions is difficult due to the peculiarity pathogen, which a misfolded form normal protein. specificity and sensitivity methods are imperfect in complex samples, including excreta. Here, we combined optimized prion amplification procedures with statistical method that accounts for false-positive false-negative errors test deer saliva chronic wasting disease (CWD) prions. This approach enabled us discriminate shedding saliva-a distinction crucial understanding role...

Ample evidence exists for the presence of infectious agents at maternal-fetal interface, often with grave outcomes to developing fetus (i.e., Zika virus, brucella, cytomegalovirus, and toxoplasma). While less studied, pregnancy-related transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) have been implicated in several species, including humans. Our previous work has shown that prions can be transferred from mother offspring, resulting development clinical TSE disease offspring born muntjac dams...

Abstract The metazoan Hsp70 disaggregase protects neurons from proteotoxicity that arises the accumulation of misfolded protein aggregates. and its co-chaperones disassemble extract polypeptides aggregates for refolding or degradation. effectiveness chaperone system decreases with age leads to rather than removal neurotoxic Therapeutic enhancement disassembly machinery is proposed counter late-onset misfolding neurodegenerative disease may arise. In context prion disease, it not known...

Animal models are commonly used throughout research laboratories to accomplish what would normally be considered impractical in a pathogen's native host. Milk collection from animals allows scientists the opportunity study many aspects of reproduction including vertical transmission, passive immunity, mammary gland biology, and lactation. Obtaining adequate volumes milk for these studies is challenging task, especially small animal models. Here we illustrate an inexpensive facile method mice...

Infectivity associated with prion disease has been demonstrated in blood throughout the course of disease, yet ability to detect blood-borne prions by vitro methods remains challenging. We capitalized on longitudinal pathogenesis studies chronic wasting (CWD) conducted native host examine haematogenous load real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) and protein misfolding cyclic amplification. Our study detection amyloid seeding activity (prions) buffy-coat cells harvested from deer...

The transmission of chronic wasting disease (CWD) has largely been attributed to contact with infectious prions shed in excretions (saliva, urine, feces, blood) by direct animal-to-animal exposure or indirect the environment. Less-well studied role that mother-to-offspring may play facile CWD, and whether before birth contribute extensive spread CWD. We thereby focused on a population free-ranging white-tailed deer from West Virginia, USA, which CWD detected. Fetal tissues, ranging 113 158...

Bluetongue virus (BTV) is an economically important pathogen of ruminant species with worldwide prevalence. While many BTV infections are asymptomatic, animals symptomatic presentation deteriorate quickly the sickest succumbing to disease within one week. Animals that survive infection often require months recover. The immune response thought play a central role in controlling disease. Key understanding profiling vertebrate host immunological cellular and cytokine responses. Studies...

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is an efficiently transmitted, fatal, and progressive prion of cervids with as yet to be fully clarified host range. While outbred domestic cats ( Felis catus) have recently been shown susceptible experimental CWD infection, the neuropathologic features infection are lacking. Such information vital provide diagnostic power in event natural interspecies transmission insights into strain interactions infection. Using light microscopy immunohistochemistry, we...

Bluetongue virus (BTV) is a prevalent midge-borne pathogen that infects ruminant species worldwide. BTV infections range from asymptomatic to lethal, with mechanisms determine the severity of infection remaining largely undefined. Although it relatively poorly understood, immune response thought be critical for both propagation disease as well resolution infection. To bridge this gap in knowledge, we infected cohorts sheep and muntjac deer two serotypes (BTV10 BTV17) longitudinal analysis...

Animal models are commonly used throughout research laboratories to accomplish what would normally be considered impractical in a pathogen's native host. Milk collection from animals allows scientists the opportunity study many aspects of reproduction including vertical transmission, passive immunity, mammary gland biology, and lactation. Obtaining adequate volumes milk for these studies is challenging task, especially small animal models. Here we illustrate an inexpensive facile method mice...

The Davis Mountains cottontail, Sylvilagus robustus, is an endemic species of the Trans-Pecos area Texas. Although S. robustus previously was believed to be extirpated from Chisos Mountains, we confirmed existence a population. We examined intrapopulation and interpopulation variation in as well genetic relationship eastern cottontail (S. floridanus) using partial sequences mitochondrial cytochrome b control region genes. Six morphometric traits relating overall size six cranial characters...

Chronic wasting disease is a fatal prion condition of cervids such as deer, elk, moose and reindeer. Secretion excretion infectivity from North American with this causes environmental contamination subsequent efficient lateral transmission in free-ranging farmed cervids. Variants cervid PrP exist that affect host susceptibility to chronic disease. Cervid breeding programmes aimed at increasing the frequency variants associated resistance may reduce burden animals lower risk zoonotic This...

An infectious agent’s pathogenic and transmission potential is heavily influenced by early events during the asymptomatic or subclinical phase of disease. During this phase, presence agent may be relatively low. important example Zika virus (ZIKV), which can cross placenta infect foetus, even in mothers with infections. These infections represent roughly 80 % all human Initial ZIKV pathogenesis studies were performed type I interferon receptor (IFNAR) knockout mice. Blunting response...