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Mierkiewicz M, Dzikowski A, Anusz K. CWD as a New Health Threat in Europe and the Adequacy and Effectiveness of Instruments of Legal Response from a Comparative Legal Perspective. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:2027. [PMID: 39061487 PMCID: PMC11273877 DOI: 10.3390/ani14142027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2024] [Revised: 06/20/2024] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Prions cause infectious and fatal neurodegenerative diseases in mammals. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) affects wild and farmed cervids. The increasing number of cases in Europe, the resistance of prions to external conditions, and the persistence period threaten not only wild cervid populations but also the economy. The possible zoonotic potential of CWD is of growing concern. CWD is a relevant issue as far as the idea of "one health" is concerned, which is a fundamental principle of European veterinary law. Methods of legal text analysis and interpretation are used for this comparative legal study. Research reveals that countries struggling to tackle CWD employ different normative approaches to the problem and use different control and eradication schemes. The results of this study indicate that it is reasonable to issue uniform regulations in the European Union at the common, rather than national, level. The European legislation should creatively draw on the experience of North American countries that have been struggling with the discussed disease for a long time.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrzej Dzikowski
- Department of Food Hygiene and Public Health Protection, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 159 Nowoursynowska St., 02-787 Warsaw, Poland; (M.M.); (K.A.)
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2
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Long RA, MacKay P, Sauder JD, Sinclair M, Aubry KB, Raley CM. An overwinter protocol for detecting wolverines and other carnivores at camera traps paired with automated scent dispensers. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11290. [PMID: 38706935 PMCID: PMC11066567 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Camera traps deployed with olfactory attractants are used to survey rare and elusive carnivores. Study areas with deep snowpack and rugged terrain present challenges and risks to field personnel, who traditionally must revisit camera stations regularly to refresh attractants. In such locations, alternative overwinter survey protocols that include a persistent attractant would improve both the safety and efficiency of camera-trap surveys. We present a protocol for installing camera traps and automated scent dispensers on trees at above-average maximum snow depth to eliminate the need for interim service visits and to enable standardized surveys to be conducted throughout the year. Our protocol proved to be effective at attracting and detecting numerous and repeated visits by wolverines, fishers, and other carnivores in two montane regions of the western contiguous United States. The volume, timing, and composition of liquid scent lure released by automated scent dispensers can be varied to target multiple species of interest, and the dispenser can be used in situations where bait rewards may influence the behavior of target species and/or pose human safety concerns.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Mike Sinclair
- Microsoft Research, Microsoft CorporationRedmondWashingtonUSA
| | - Keith B. Aubry
- USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research StationOlympiaWashingtonUSA
| | - Catherine M. Raley
- USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research StationOlympiaWashingtonUSA
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3
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Walter WD, Fameli A, Russo‐Petrick K, Edson JE, Rosenberry CS, Schuler KL, Tonkovich MJ. Large-scale assessment of genetic structure to assess risk of populations of a large herbivore to disease. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11347. [PMID: 38774134 PMCID: PMC11106048 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Revised: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) can spread among cervids by direct and indirect transmission, the former being more likely in emerging areas. Identifying subpopulations allows the delineation of focal areas to target for intervention. We aimed to assess the population structure of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in the northeastern United States at a regional scale to inform managers regarding gene flow throughout the region. We genotyped 10 microsatellites in 5701 wild deer samples from Maryland, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. We evaluated the distribution of genetic variability through spatial principal component analysis and inferred genetic structure using non-spatial and spatial Bayesian clustering algorithms (BCAs). We simulated populations representing each inferred wild cluster, wild deer in each state and each physiographic province, total wild population, and a captive population. We conducted genetic assignment tests using these potential sources, calculating the probability of samples being correctly assigned to their origin. Non-spatial BCA identified two clusters across the region, while spatial BCA suggested a maximum of nine clusters. Assignment tests correctly placed deer into captive or wild origin in most cases (94%), as previously reported, but performance varied when assigning wild deer to more specific origins. Assignments to clusters inferred via non-spatial BCA performed well, but efficiency was greatly reduced when assigning samples to clusters inferred via spatial BCA. Differences between spatial BCA clusters are not strong enough to make assignment tests a reliable method for inferring the geographic origin of deer using 10 microsatellites. However, the genetic distinction between clusters may indicate natural and anthropogenic barriers of interest for management.
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Affiliation(s)
- W. David Walter
- U.S. Geological Survey, Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research UnitThe Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Alberto Fameli
- Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research UnitThe Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Kelly Russo‐Petrick
- Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research UnitThe Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Jessie E. Edson
- Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research UnitThe Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
| | | | - Krysten L. Schuler
- Cornell Wildlife Health Lab, New York State Wildlife Health ProgramIthacaNew YorkUSA
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4
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Davenport ES, Dziuba MK, Jacobson LE, Calhoun SK, Monell KJ, Duffy MA. How does parasite environmental transmission stage concentration change before, during, and after disease outbreaks? Ecology 2024; 105:e4235. [PMID: 38185479 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
Outbreaks of environmentally transmitted parasites require that susceptible hosts encounter transmission stages in the environment and become infected, but we also know that transmission stages can be in the environment without triggering disease outbreaks. One challenge in understanding the relationship between environmental transmission stages and disease outbreaks is that the distribution and abundance of transmission stages outside of their hosts have been difficult to quantify. Thus, we have limited data about how changes in transmission stage abundance influence disease dynamics; moreover, we do not know whether the relationship between transmission stages and outbreaks differs among parasite species. We used digital PCR to quantify the environmental transmission stages of five parasites in six lakes in southeastern Michigan every 2 weeks from June to November 2021. At the same time, we quantified infection prevalence in hosts and host density. Our study focused on eight zooplankton host species (Daphnia spp. and Ceriodaphnia dubia) and five of their parasites from diverse taxonomic groups (bacteria, yeast, microsporidia, and oomycete) with different infection mechanisms. We found that parasite transmission stage concentration increased prior to disease outbreaks for all parasites. However, parasites differed significantly in the relative timing of peaks in transmission stage concentration and infection outbreaks. The "continuous shedder" parasites had transmission stage peaks at the same time as or slightly after the outbreak peaks. In contrast, parasites relying on host death for transmission ("obligate killers") had transmission stage peaks before outbreak peaks. For most parasites, lakes with outbreaks had higher spore concentrations than those without outbreaks, especially once an outbreak began; the exception was for a parasite, Pasteuria ramosa, with very strong genotypic specificity of infection. Overall, our results show that disease outbreaks are tightly linked to transmission stage concentration; outbreaks were preceded by increases in transmission stage concentration in the environment and then were fueled by the production of more transmission stages during the outbreak itself, with concentrations decreasing to pre-outbreak levels as outbreaks waned. Thus, tracking transmission stages in the environment improves our understanding of the drivers of disease outbreaks and reveals how parasite traits may affect these dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth S Davenport
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Marcin K Dziuba
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Logan E Jacobson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Siobhan K Calhoun
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Kira J Monell
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Meghan A Duffy
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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Soto P, Bravo-Risi F, Kramm C, Gamez N, Benavente R, Bonilla DL, Reed JH, Lockwood M, Spraker TR, Nichols T, Morales R. Nasal bots carry relevant titers of CWD prions in naturally infected white-tailed deer. EMBO Rep 2024; 25:334-350. [PMID: 38191872 PMCID: PMC10883265 DOI: 10.1038/s44319-023-00003-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease affecting farmed and free-ranging cervids. CWD is rapidly expanding across North America and its mechanisms of transmission are not completely understood. Considering that cervids are commonly afflicted by nasal bot flies, we tested the potential of these parasites to transmit CWD. Parasites collected from naturally infected white-tailed deer were evaluated for their prion content using the protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) technology and bioassays. Here, we describe PMCA seeding activity in nasal bot larvae collected from naturally infected, nonclinical deer. These parasites efficiently infect CWD-susceptible mice in ways suggestive of high infectivity titers. To further mimic environmental transmission, bot larvae homogenates were mixed with soils, and plants were grown on them. We show that both soils and plants exposed to CWD-infected bot homogenates displayed seeding activity by PMCA. This is the first report describing prion infectivity in a naturally occurring deer parasite. Our data also demonstrate that CWD prions contained in nasal bots interact with environmental components and may be relevant for disease transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulina Soto
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
- Centro Integrativo de Biologia y Quimica Aplicada (CIBQA), Universidad Bernardo O'Higgins, Santiago, Chile
| | - Francisca Bravo-Risi
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
- Centro Integrativo de Biologia y Quimica Aplicada (CIBQA), Universidad Bernardo O'Higgins, Santiago, Chile
| | - Carlos Kramm
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Nazaret Gamez
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Rebeca Benavente
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Denise L Bonilla
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, Veterinary Services, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - J Hunter Reed
- Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Kerrville, TX, USA
| | | | - Terry R Spraker
- Colorado State University Diagnostic Medical Center, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Tracy Nichols
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, Veterinary Services, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Rodrigo Morales
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
- Centro Integrativo de Biologia y Quimica Aplicada (CIBQA), Universidad Bernardo O'Higgins, Santiago, Chile.
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6
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Vaske JJ, Miller CA. Changes in Illinois hunters' beliefs about chronic wasting disease management between 2012 and 2022. WILDLIFE SOC B 2023. [DOI: 10.1002/wsb.1434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
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Fameli AF, Edson J, Banfield JE, Rosenberry CS, Walter WD. Variability in prion protein genotypes by spatial unit to inform susceptibility to chronic wasting disease. Prion 2022; 16:254-264. [PMID: 36104983 PMCID: PMC9481152 DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2022.2117535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal encephalopathy affecting North American cervids. Certain alleles in a host's prion protein gene are responsible for reduced susceptibility to CWD. We assessed for the first time variability in the prion protein gene of elk (Cervus canadensis) present in Pennsylvania, United States of America, a reintroduced population for which CWD cases have never been reported. We sequenced the prion protein gene (PRNP) of 565 elk samples collected over 7 years (2014-2020) and found two polymorphic sites (codon 21 and codon 132). The allele associated with reduced susceptibility to CWD is present in the population, and there was no evidence of deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in any of our sampling years (p-values between 0.14 and 1), consistent with the lack of selective pressure on the PRNP. The less susceptible genotypes were found in a frequency similar to the ones reported for elk populations in the states of Wyoming and South Dakota before CWD was detected. We calculated the proportion of less susceptible genotypes in each hunt zone in Pennsylvania as a proxy for their vulnerability to the establishment of CWD, and interpolated these results to obtain a surface representing expected proportion of the less susceptible genotypes across the area. Based on this analysis, hunt zones located in the southern part of our study area have a low proportion of less susceptible genotypes, which is discouraging for elk persistence in Pennsylvania given that these hunt zones are adjacent to the deer Disease Management Area 3, where CWD has been present since 2014.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto F. Fameli
- Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA,CONTACT Alberto F. Fameli Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA16802, USA
| | - Jessie Edson
- Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Jeremiah E. Banfield
- Pennsylvania Game Commission, Bureau of Wildlife Management, 2001 Elmerton Avenue,Harrisburg, PA, USA
| | - Christopher S. Rosenberry
- Pennsylvania Game Commission, Bureau of Wildlife Management, 2001 Elmerton Avenue,Harrisburg, PA, USA
| | - W. David Walter
- U.S. Geological Survey, Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 403 Forest Resources Building, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
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Jack K, Jackson GS, Bieschke J. Essential Components of Synthetic Infectious Prion Formation De Novo. Biomolecules 2022; 12:1694. [PMID: 36421708 PMCID: PMC9687555 DOI: 10.3390/biom12111694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Revised: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 09/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are a class of neurodegenerative diseases that are uniquely infectious. Whilst their general replication mechanism is well understood, the components required for the formation and propagation of highly infectious prions are poorly characterized. The protein-only hypothesis posits that the prion protein (PrP) is the only component of the prion; however, additional co-factors are required for its assembly into infectious prions. These can be provided by brain homogenate, but synthetic lipids and non-coding RNA have also been used in vitro. Here, we review a range of experimental approaches, which generate PrP amyloid assemblies de novo. These synthetic PrP assemblies share some, but not necessarily all, properties of genuine infectious prions. We will discuss the different experimental approaches, how a prion is defined, the non-protein requirements of a prion, and provide an overview of the current state of prion amplification and generation in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jan Bieschke
- MRC Prion Unit at UCL, Institute of Prion Diseases, Courtauld Building, 33, Cleveland Street, London W1W 7FF, UK
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Perrin-Stowe TI, Ishida Y, Reed DM, Terrill EE, Ryder OA, Novakofski JE, Mateus-Pinilla NE, Pukazhenthi BS, Roca AL. Extrapolating the susceptibility of Eld’s deer (Rucervus eldii thamin) to chronic wasting disease from prion protein gene (PRNP) polymorphisms. FRONTIERS IN CONSERVATION SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fcosc.2022.1007100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease of North American cervids. The transmission of CWD to endangered cervid species is of concern for captive breeding programs. Trans-species transmission could occur via direct contact with infected wild deer, or via prion contaminated fomites. Variation in the prion protein gene, PRNP, is associated with differences in CWD susceptibility among cervids. We therefore sequenced PRNP in 36 endangered Eld’s deer (Rucervus eldii thamin), detecting five synonymous and two non-synonymous SNPs. Three haplotypes were inferred, suggesting that genetic management in captive breeding programs has been effective at maintaining PRNP diversity. The haplotypes encoded two PrP protein variants. The more common Eld’s deer PrP variant encodes methionine at codon 208 and glutamine at codon 226. Because this protein variant is identical to a common PrP variant in white-tailed deer and mule deer and is especially common in white-tailed deer positive for CWD, we recommend reducing the frequency of this variant in the breeding stock, while implementing strict management practices to avoid exposure to wild North American cervids. The frequency of the other PrP variant, which differs from variants present in these North American cervids, was low. It has the potential to reduce susceptibility to CWD and thus could be increased in frequency. While PRNP haplotype frequencies should be shifted, genetic diversity should be maintained. Ultimately protein diversity may be protective should CWD infect the species, and trans-species polymorphisms are suggestive of past balancing selection and a potential fitness advantage for PRNP diversity.
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Kjær LJ, Schauber EM. The effect of landscape, transmission mode and social behavior on disease transmission: Simulating the transmission of chronic wasting disease in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations using a spatially explicit agent-based model. Ecol Modell 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2022.110114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Cook JD, Williams DM, Porter WF, Christensen SA. Improved predictions and forecasts of chronic wasting disease occurrence using multiple mechanism dynamic occupancy modeling. J Wildl Manage 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.22296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan D. Cook
- Michigan State University 480 Wilson Road East Lansing MI 48823 USA
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Islam MR, Bulut U, Feria-Arroyo TP, Tyshenko MG, Oraby T. Modeling the Impact of Climate Change on Cervid Chronic Wasting Disease in Semi-Arid South Texas. FRONTIERS IN EPIDEMIOLOGY 2022; 2:889280. [PMID: 38455276 PMCID: PMC10910938 DOI: 10.3389/fepid.2022.889280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a spongiform encephalopathy disease caused by the transmission of infectious prion agents. CWD is a fatal disease that affects wild and farmed cervids in North America with few cases reported overseas. Social interaction of cervids, feeding practices by wildlife keepers and climate effects on the environmental carrying capacity all can affect CWD transmission in deer. Wildlife deer game hunting is economically important to the semi-arid South Texas region and is affected by climate change. In this paper, we model and investigate the effect of climate change on the spread of CWD using typical climate scenarios. We use a system of impulsive differential equations to depict the transmission of CWD between different age groups and gender of cervids. The carrying capacity and contact rates are assumed to depend on climate. Due to the polygamy of bucks, we use mating rates that depend on the number of bucks and does. We analyze the stability of the model and use simulations to study the effect of harvesting (culling) on eradicating the disease, given the climate of South Texas. We use typical climate change scenarios based on published data and our assumptions. For the climate indicator, we calculated and utilized the Standard Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI). We found that climate change might hinder the efforts to reduce and effectively manage CWD as it becomes endemic to South Texas. The model shows the extinction of the deer population from this region is a likely outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Rafiul Islam
- Department of Mathematics, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Ummugul Bulut
- Department of Mathematical, Physical, and Engineering Sciences, Texas A&M University-San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | | | | | - Tamer Oraby
- School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, TX, United States
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13
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Susceptibility of Beavers to Chronic Wasting Disease. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:biology11050667. [PMID: 35625395 PMCID: PMC9137852 DOI: 10.3390/biology11050667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Revised: 04/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a contagious, fatal, neurodegenerative prion disease of cervids. The expanding geographical range and rising prevalence of CWD are increasing the risk of pathogen transfer and spillover of CWD to non-cervid sympatric species. As beavers have close contact with environmental and food sources of CWD infectivity, we hypothesized that they may be susceptible to CWD prions. We evaluated the susceptibility of beavers to prion diseases by challenging transgenic mice expressing beaver prion protein (tgBeaver) with five strains of CWD, four isolates of rodent-adapted prions and one strain of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. All CWD strains transmitted to the tgBeaver mice, with attack rates highest from moose CWD and the 116AG and H95+ strains of deer CWD. Mouse-, rat-, and especially hamster-adapted prions were also transmitted with complete attack rates and short incubation periods. We conclude that the beaver prion protein is an excellent substrate for sustaining prion replication and that beavers are at risk for CWD pathogen transfer and spillover.
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Assessment of Real-Time Quaking-Induced Conversion (RT-QuIC) Assay, Immunohistochemistry and ELISA for Detection of Chronic Wasting Disease under Field Conditions in White-Tailed Deer: A Bayesian Approach. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11050489. [PMID: 35631010 PMCID: PMC9144059 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11050489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Revised: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible prion disease of the cervidae family. ELISA and IHC tests performed postmortem on the medial retropharyngeal lymph nodes (RPLN) or obex are considered diagnostic gold standards for prion detection. However, differences in CWD transmission, stage of infection, pathogenesis, and strain can limit performance. To overcome these uncertainties, we used Bayesian statistics to assess the accuracy of RT-QuIC, an increasingly used prion amplification assay, to diagnose CWD on tonsil (TLN), parotid (PLN) and submandibular lymph nodes (SMLN), and ELISA/IHC on RPLN of white-tailed deer (WTD) sampled from Minnesota. Dichotomous RT-QuIC and ELISA/IHC results from wild (n = 61) and captive (n = 46) WTD were analyzed with two-dependent-test, one-population models. RT-QuIC performed on TLN and SMLN of the wild WTD population had similar sensitivity (median range (MR): 92.2–95.1) to ELISA/IHC on RPLN (MR: 91.1–92.3). Slightly lower (4–7%) sensitivity estimates were obtained from farmed animal and PLN models. RT-QuIC specificity estimates were high (MR: 94.5–98.5%) and similar to ELISA/IHC estimates (MR: 95.7–97.6%) in all models. This study offers new insights on RT-QuIC and ELISA/IHC performance at the population level and under field conditions, an important step in CWD diagnosis and management.
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15
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Gilch S. Chronic wasting disease - A prion disease through a One Health lens. THE CANADIAN VETERINARY JOURNAL = LA REVUE VETERINAIRE CANADIENNE 2022; 63:431-433. [PMID: 35368398 PMCID: PMC8922376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Gilch
- Dr. Gilch is an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Prion Disease Research in the Department of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary
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16
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Nichols TA, Nicholson EM, Liu Y, Tao W, Spraker TR, Lavelle M, Fischer J, Kong Q, VerCauteren KC. Detection of two dissimilar chronic wasting disease isolates in two captive Rocky Mountain elk ( Cervus canadensis) herds. Prion 2021; 15:207-215. [PMID: 34913829 PMCID: PMC8682864 DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2021.1982333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) continues to spread in both wild and captive cervid herds in North America and has now been identified in wild reindeer and moose in Norway, Finland and Sweden. There is limited knowledge about the variety and characteristics of isolates or strains of CWD that exist in the landscape and their implications on wild and captive cervid herds. In this study, we evaluated brain samples from two captive elk herds that had differing prevalence, history and timelines of CWD incidence. Site 1 had a 16-year history of CWD with a consistently low prevalence between 5% and 10%. Twelve of fourteen naïve animals placed on the site remained CWD negative after 5 years of residence. Site 2 herd had a nearly 40-year known history of CWD with long-term environmental accrual of prion leading to nearly 100% of naïve animals developing clinical CWD within two to 12 years. Obex samples of several elk from each site were compared for CWD prion strain deposition, genotype in prion protein gene codon 132, and conformational stability of CWD prions. CWD prions in the obex from site 2 had a lower conformational stability than those from site 1, which was independent of prnp genotype at codon 132. These findings suggest the existence of different CWD isolates between the two sites and suggest potential differential disease attack rates for different CWD strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tracy A Nichols
- Veterinary Services Cervid Health Program, United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Eric M Nicholson
- Us Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, Iowa, USA
| | - Yihui Liu
- Departments of Pathology, Neurology, National Center for Regenerative Medicine, and National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Wanyun Tao
- Departments of Pathology, Neurology, National Center for Regenerative Medicine, and National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Terry R Spraker
- Prion Research Center and the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University Prion Research Center, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Michael Lavelle
- Wildlife Services National Wildlife Research Center, United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Justin Fischer
- Wildlife Services National Wildlife Research Center, United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Qingzhong Kong
- Departments of Pathology, Neurology, National Center for Regenerative Medicine, and National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Kurt C VerCauteren
- Wildlife Services National Wildlife Research Center, United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
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17
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Perrin-Stowe TIN, Ishida Y, Terrill EE, Beetem D, Ryder OA, Novakofski JE, Mateus-Pinilla NE, Roca AL. Variation in the PRNP gene of Pere David’s deer (Elaphurus davidianus) may impact genetic vulnerability to chronic wasting disease. CONSERV GENET 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10592-021-01419-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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18
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Smolko P, Seidel D, Pybus M, Hubbs A, Ball M, Merrill E. Spatio-temporal changes in chronic wasting disease risk in wild deer during 14 years of surveillance in Alberta, Canada. Prev Vet Med 2021; 197:105512. [PMID: 34740023 DOI: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2021.105512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Disease risk modeling is a key first step to understand the spatio-temporal dynamics of wildlife disease and to direct cost-effective surveillance and management. In Alberta, active surveillance for chronic wasting disease (CWD) in wild cervids began in 1998 with the first case detected in free-ranging cervids in 2005. Following the detection, a herd reduction program was implemented during 2005-2008 and in 2006 the ongoing hunter-based CWD Surveillance Program became mandatory in high-risk Wildlife Management Units (WMU). We used data collected during the CWD surveillance program to 1) document growth in sex-specific CWD prevalence (proportion of deer in sample that is CWD-positive) in hunter-harvest deer in 6 WMUs consistently monitored from 2006 to 2018, 2) document landscape features associated with where CWD-positive compared to CWD-negative deer were removed during hunter harvest and herd reduction in an early (2005-2012) and in a late period (2013-2017), and 3) to map the spatial risk of harvesting a deer infected with CWD in the prairie parklands of Alberta. In the 6 continuously monitored WMUs, risk of a harvested deer being CWD positive increased from 2006 to 2018 with CWD prevalence remaining highest in male mule deer whereas overall growth rate in CWD prevalence was greater in female mule deer, but similar to male white-tailed deer. We found no evidence that the 3-year herd reduction program conducted immediately after CWD was first detected affected the rate at which CWD grew over the course of the invasion. Risk of deer being CWD-positive was the highest in animals taken near small stream drainages and on soils with low organic carbon content in the early period, whereas risk became highest in areas of agriculture especially when far from large river drainages where deer often concentrate in isolated woody patches. The change in the influence of proximity to known CWD-positive cases suggested the disease was initially patchy but became more spatially homogeneous over time. Our results indicate that a targeted-removal program will remove more CWD positive animals compared to hunter harvest. However, the discontinuation of targeted removals during our research program, restricted our ability to assess its long term impact on CWD prevalence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Smolko
- University of Alberta, Department of Biological Sciences, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9, Canada; Technical University in Zvolen, Department of Applied Zoology and Wildlife Management, 960 01, Zvolen, Slovakia
| | - Dana Seidel
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, & Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Margo Pybus
- University of Alberta, Department of Biological Sciences, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9, Canada; Alberta Fish and Wildlife Division, Government of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6H 4P2, Canada
| | - Anne Hubbs
- Alberta Fish and Wildlife Division, Government of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6H 4P2, Canada
| | - Mark Ball
- Alberta Fish and Wildlife Division, Government of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6H 4P2, Canada
| | - Evelyn Merrill
- University of Alberta, Department of Biological Sciences, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9, Canada.
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19
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Landscape Features Fail to Explain Spatial Genetic Structure in White‐Tailed Deer Across Ohio, USA. J Wildl Manage 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.22120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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20
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Vaske JJ, Needham MD, Miller CA. Wildlife Agency Trust and Perceived Risks From Chronic Wasting Disease. WILDLIFE SOC B 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/wsb.1224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jerry J. Vaske
- Colorado State University, Human Dimensions of Natural Resources Department Fort Collins CO 80523 USA
| | - Mark D. Needham
- Oregon State University, Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society Corvallis OR 97331 USA
| | - Craig A. Miller
- University of Illinois, Illinois Natural History Survey Champaign IL 61820 USA
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21
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Shurson GC, Urriola PE, van de Ligt JLG. Can we effectively manage parasites, prions, and pathogens in the global feed industry to achieve One Health? Transbound Emerg Dis 2021; 69:4-30. [PMID: 34171167 DOI: 10.1111/tbed.14205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Prions and certain endoparasites, bacteria, and viruses are internationally recognized as types of disease-causing biological agents that can be transmitted from contaminated feed to animals. Historically, foodborne biological hazards such as prions (transmissible spongiform encephalopathy), endoparasites (Trichinella spiralis, Toxoplasma gondii), and pathogenic bacteria (Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157, Clostridium spp., and Campylobacter spp.) were major food safety concerns from feeding uncooked or improperly heated animal-derived food waste and by-products. However, implementation of validated thermal processing conditions along with verifiable quality control procedures has been effective in enabling safe use of these feed materials in animal diets. More recently, the occurrence of global Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus and African Swine Fever Virus epidemics, dependence on international feed ingredient supply chains, and the discovery that these viruses can survive in some feed ingredient matrices under environmental conditions of trans-oceanic shipments has created an urgent need to develop and implement rigorous biosecurity protocols that prevent and control animal viruses in feed ingredients. Implementation of verifiable risk-based preventive controls, traceability systems from origin to destination, and effective mitigation procedures is essential to minimize these food security, safety, and sustainability threats. Creating a new biosafety and biosecurity framework will enable convergence of the diverging One Health components involving low environmental impact and functional feed ingredients that are perceived as having elevated biosafety risks when used in animal feeds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerald C Shurson
- Department of Animal Science, College of Food Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Pedro E Urriola
- Department of Animal Science, College of Food Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Jennifer L G van de Ligt
- Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
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22
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Chronic Wasting Disease Diagnostic Discrepancies: The Importance of Testing Both Medial Retropharyngeal Lymph Nodes. J Wildl Dis 2021; 57:194-198. [PMID: 33635974 DOI: 10.7589/jwd-d-20-00007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2020] [Accepted: 06/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) is a fatal neurologic disease that is spreading across North America. A common surveillance protocol for CWD currently involves screening with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) followed by confirmatory testing with immunohistochemistry (IHC). Medial retropharyngeal lymph nodes (MRPLN) are the tissue of choice to diagnose CWD in free-ranging white-tailed deer. We examined left and right MRPLN from 101 ELISA-positive deer harvested from 2015 to 2019 to determine the prevalence of cases in which prion protein was not detected by IHC as well as differences in IHC labeling between contralateral lymph nodes. Prion protein was not detected using IHC in either MRPLN in 5.9% (6/101) of cases. There was a significant but weak positive relationship between the number of IHC-positive follicles and ELISA optical density values (R2=0.08, P=0.039). Mean optical density values in IHC-positive MRPLN were higher than in IHC-negative MRPLN; however, this was not statistically significant (P=0.260). Failure to confirm ELISA diagnoses with IHC may have been because the methods tested different areas of MRPLN, or that there were differences in test sensitivity or antibody affinity. An additional 5.9% (6/101) of cases had one IHC-positive MRPLN, whereas the contralateral MRPLN was IHC negative. Therefore, testing a single MRPLN for CWD may lead to false-negative results, regardless of methodology, which highlights the importance of collecting and testing both MRPLN.
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23
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Edson J, Brown J, Miller WL, Walter WD. Comparison of sample types from white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) for DNA extraction and analyses. Sci Rep 2021; 11:10003. [PMID: 33976279 PMCID: PMC8113455 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-89390-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Collection of biological samples for DNA is necessary in a variety of disciplines including disease epidemiology, landscape genetics, and forensics. Quantity and quality of DNA varies depending on the method of collection or media available for collection (e.g., blood, tissue, fecal). Blood is the most common sample collected in vials or on Whatman Flinders Technology Associates (FTA) cards with short- and long-term storage providing adequate DNA for study objectives. The focus of this study was to determine if biological samples stored on Whatman FTA Elute cards were a reasonable alternative to traditional DNA sample collection, storage, and extraction. Tissue, nasal swabs, and ocular fluid were collected from white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Tissue samples and nasal swabs acted as a control to compare extraction and DNA suitability for microsatellite analysis for nasal swabs and ocular fluid extracted from FTA Elute cards. We determined that FTA Elute cards improved the extraction time and storage of samples and that nasal swabs and ocular fluid containing pigmented fluid were reasonable alternatives to traditional tissue DNA extractions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessie Edson
- Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, The Pennsylvania State University, 413 Forest Resources Building, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Justin Brown
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - William L Miller
- Department of Biology, Calvin University, 1726 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI, 49546, USA
| | - W David Walter
- U.S. Geological Survey, Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, The Pennsylvania State University, 403 Forest Resources Building, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
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24
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Maraud S, Roturier S. Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in Sami Reindeer Herding: The Socio-Political Dimension of an Epizootic in an Indigenous Context. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:297. [PMID: 33503846 PMCID: PMC7911299 DOI: 10.3390/ani11020297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Revised: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is the most transmissible of the prion diseases. In 2016, an unexpected case was found in Norway, the first in Europe. Since then, there have been 32 confirmed cases in Norway, Sweden, and Finland. This paper aims to examine the situation from a social and political perspective: considering the management of CWD in the Swedish part of Sápmi-the Sami ancestral land; identifying the place of the Sami people in the risk management-because of the threats to Sami reindeer herding that CWD presents; and understanding how the disease can modify the modalities of Indigenous reindeer husbandry, whether or not CWD is epizootic. Based on interviews with various stakeholders and by examining the social sciences literature, this paper shows that the health risk management is structured by a politico-scientific controversy about the recognition, or not, of atypical and classical CWD. The Sami herders are currently cooperating with the state authorities in the surveillance program to sample their herds. This involvement takes place in a situation where the balance of power between the Sami people and the state, or the European Union, is framed by its colonial context. This has consequences with respect to the definition of a common interest and to implementing sanitary measures. The particular features of reindeer herding are seen as a challenge to managing CWD risk, compared with European health standards. We argue that CWD will greatly modify the modalities of Indigenous reindeer herding, whether there are positive cases or not in the Sami reindeer. By implementing new health guidelines, the authorities will create a cascading effect in Sami land and its use. The CWD situation in Fennoscandia is full of uncertainty but may cause a major shift in the organization and the governance of Sápmi. In September 2020, the identification of a new CWD case in a wild reindeer in Norway started a new episode in the disease management in Fennoscandia. Our paper raises various questions linked to understanding this new step in this crisis which is not only epidemiological, but also socio-cultural and political.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Maraud
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Ecologie Systématique Evolution, 91405 Orsay, France;
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25
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Cullingham CI, Peery RM, Dao A, McKenzie DI, Coltman DW. Predicting the spread-risk potential of chronic wasting disease to sympatric ungulate species. Prion 2020; 14:56-66. [PMID: 32008428 PMCID: PMC7009333 DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2020.1720486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2019] [Revised: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/16/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Wildlife disease incidence is increasing, resulting in negative impacts on the economy, biodiversity, and potentially human health. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal, transmissible spongiform encephalopathy of cervids (wild and captive) which continues to spread geographically resulting in exposure to potential new host species. The disease agent (PrPCWD) is a misfolded conformer of the cellular prion protein (PrPC). In Canada, the disease is endemic in Alberta and Saskatchewan, affecting mule and white-tail deer, with lesser impact on elk and moose. As the disease continues to expand, additional wild ungulate species including bison, bighorn sheep, mountain goat, and pronghorn antelope may be exposed. To better understand the species-barrier, we reviewed the current literature on taxa naturally or experimentally exposed to CWD to identify susceptible and resistant species. We created a phylogeny of these taxa using cytochrome B and found that CWD susceptibility followed the species phylogeny. Using this phylogeny we estimated the probability of CWD susceptibility for wild ungulate species. We then compared PrPC amino acid polymorphisms among these species to identify which sites segregated between susceptible and resistant species. We identified sites that were significantly associated with susceptibility, but they were not fully discriminating. Finally, we sequenced Prnp from 578 wild ungulates to further evaluate their potential susceptibility. Together, these data suggest the host-range for CWD will potentially include pronghorn, mountain goat and bighorn sheep, but bison are likely to be more resistant. These findings highlight the need for monitoring potentially susceptible species as CWD continues to expand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine I. Cullingham
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
- Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Rhiannon M. Peery
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Anh Dao
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Debbie I. McKenzie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - David W. Coltman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
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26
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Barroso P, Acevedo P, Vicente J. The importance of long-term studies on wildlife diseases and their interfaces with humans and domestic animals: A review. Transbound Emerg Dis 2020; 68:1895-1909. [PMID: 33179417 DOI: 10.1111/tbed.13916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Revised: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/07/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Long-term wildlife disease research (LTWDR) and its interfaces with humans and domestic animals provide perspective to understand the diseases' main drivers and how they operate. In a systematic review, we analysed the temporal trend of the studies on LTWDR, their aims, and the hosts, pathogens and geographic areas studied. We also evaluated the added value that such studies provide. For analysis, we selected a total of 538 articles from 1993 to 2017 with a study period greater than or equal to 4 consecutive years. A marked increase in the number of studies published during the last 20 years was observed that reflects a growing awareness of the outstanding role of wildlife as a reservoir of diseases. The most studied pathogen agents were viruses (39.2%), bacteria (38.5%) and protozoans (15.8%). Concerning the hosts, mammals (84.9%), particularly ungulates (40%) and carnivores (30.9%), and birds (12.5%) were the most represented in these long-term studies. Most articles reached conclusions concerning the effect of the disease on the infection/host dynamics (98.7%) and over 40% considered the economic consequences or proposed management and control measures. The research was mainly located in the Northern Hemisphere. While the definition of LTWDR is not only determined by the duration of the monitoring, the study must be long enough to: (a) address ecological and epidemiological questions that cannot be resolved with short-term observations or experiments, and (b) clarify the effects of different drivers. This review demonstrates that LTWDR has provided information about the causes and consequences of disease change that otherwise could not have been obtained. It may be used to inform decisions related to the emergence of disease and might help to design early warning systems of disease based on retrospective investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Barroso
- Grupo Sanidad y Biotecnología (SaBio), Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC, CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Pelayo Acevedo
- Grupo Sanidad y Biotecnología (SaBio), Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC, CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Joaquin Vicente
- Grupo Sanidad y Biotecnología (SaBio), Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC, CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ciudad Real, Spain.,E.T.S. de Ingenieros Agrónomos de Ciudad Real, Ronda de Calatrava, Ciudad Real, Spain
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27
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Hedman HD, Varga C, Brown WM, Shelton P, Roca AL, Novakofski JE, Mateus-Pinilla NE. Spatial analysis of chronic wasting disease in free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in Illinois, 2008-2019. Transbound Emerg Dis 2020; 68:2376-2383. [PMID: 33112021 DOI: 10.1111/tbed.13901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Revised: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 10/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the geographic distribution and clustering of chronic wasting disease (CWD) among free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations can inform disease management practices. We used a retrospective analysis of surveillance data to evaluate CWD's spatial and temporal dynamics within 16 CWD-infected northern Illinois counties. Of 42,541 deer samples collected and tested for CWD from recreational hunter harvest between 2008 and 2019, we recorded 359 (0.84%) CWD-positive samples. We observed variability in CWD cases over time and space. By county, the median CWD-positive proportion was 0.84%, varying from a minimum of 0.14% in McHenry County to a maximum of 6.28% in Boone County. Across years, there were differences among CWD-positive proportions with a median of 0.90%, ranging from a minimum of 0.27% in 2012 to a maximum of 1.60% in 2019. We used a retrospective discrete Poisson scan statistic model to evaluate the space-time clustering of CWD-positive deer. We identified a statistically significant (p < .001) primary cluster C1 (area = 23.59 km2 ; RR = 10.48), occurring from 2010 to 2015 in the north-central part of the study area, and a secondary cluster C2, occurring from 2014 to 2019 (area = 9.27 km2 ; RR = 3.88) in the north-west of the study area. Detected CWD-positive space-time clusters suggest that the risk of CWD is not random. Space-time clusters of CWD can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the Illinois CWD management programme. The area surrounding the older C1 cluster has undergone longer and more intense CWD management compared with C2. Currently, the older C1 cluster is no longer as high risk compared with the newer cluster C2, suggesting that management efforts in C2 should be increased. However, all CWD clusters should be targeted with surveillance, prevention and management programmes, including reducing deer densities to limit further spread of CWD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hayden D Hedman
- Illinois Natural History Survey-Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA
| | - Csaba Varga
- Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - William M Brown
- Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Paul Shelton
- Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife Resources, Springfield, IL, USA
| | - Alfred L Roca
- Illinois Natural History Survey-Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA.,Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Jan E Novakofski
- Illinois Natural History Survey-Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA.,Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Nohra E Mateus-Pinilla
- Illinois Natural History Survey-Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA.,Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.,Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
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28
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Singh N, Chaudhary S, Ashok A, Lindner E. Prions and prion diseases: Insights from the eye. Exp Eye Res 2020; 199:108200. [PMID: 32858007 DOI: 10.1016/j.exer.2020.108200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2020] [Revised: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 08/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Prion diseases are invariably fatal neurodegenerative disorders that have gained much publicity due to their transmissible nature. Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) is the most common human prion disorder, with an incidence of 1 in a million. Inherited prion disorders are relatively rare, and associated with mutations in the prion protein gene. More than 50 different point mutations, deletions, and insertions have been identified so far. Most are autosomal dominant and fully penetrant. Prion disorders also occur in animals, and are of major concern because of the potential for spreading to humans. The principal pathogenic event underlying all prion disorders is a change in the conformation of prion protein (PrPC) from a mainly α-helical to a β-sheet rich isoform, PrP-scrapie (PrPSc). Accumulation of PrPSc in the brain parenchyma is the major cause of neuronal degeneration. The mechanism by which PrPSc is transmitted, propagates, and causes neurodegenerative changes has been investigated over the years, and several clues have emerged. Efforts are also ongoing for identifying specific and sensitive diagnostic tests for sCJD and animal prion disorders, but success has been limited. The eye is suitable for these evaluations because it shares several anatomical and physiological features with the brain, and can be observed in vivo during disease progression. The retina, considered an extension of the central nervous system, is involved extensively in prion disorders. Accordingly, Optical Coherence Tomography and electroretinogram have shown some promise as pre-mortem diagnostic tests for human and animal prion disorders. However, a complete understanding of the physiology of PrPC and pathobiology of PrPSc in the eye is essential for developing specific and sensitive tests. Below, we summarize recent progress in ocular physiology and pathology in prion disorders, and the eye as an anatomically accessible site to diagnose, monitor disease progression, and test therapeutic options.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neena Singh
- Departments of Pathology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
| | - Suman Chaudhary
- Departments of Pathology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Ajay Ashok
- Departments of Pathology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Ewald Lindner
- Department of Ophthalmology, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 4, 8036, Graz, Austria
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29
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Kondru N, Manne S, Kokemuller R, Greenlee J, Greenlee MHW, Nichols T, Kong Q, Anantharam V, Kanthasamy A, Halbur P, Kanthasamy AG. An Ex Vivo Brain Slice Culture Model of Chronic Wasting Disease: Implications for Disease Pathogenesis and Therapeutic Development. Sci Rep 2020; 10:7640. [PMID: 32376941 PMCID: PMC7203233 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-64456-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2019] [Accepted: 04/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a rapidly spreading prion disease of cervids, yet antemortem diagnosis, treatment, and control remain elusive. We recently developed an organotypic slice culture assay for sensitive detection of scrapie prions using ultrasensitive prion seeding. However, this model was not established for CWD prions due to their strong transmission barrier from deer (Odocoileus spp) to standard laboratory mice (Mus musculus). Therefore, we developed and characterized the ex vivo brain slice culture model for CWD, using a transgenic mouse model (Tg12) that expresses the elk (Cervus canadensis) prion protein gene (PRNP). We tested for CWD infectivity in cultured slices using sensitive seeding assays such as real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) and protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA). Slice cultures from Tg12, but not from prnp-/- mice, tested positive for CWD. Slice-generated CWD prions transmitted efficiently to Tg12 mice. Furthermore, we determined the activity of anti-prion compounds and optimized a screening protocol for the infectivity of biological samples in this CWD slice culture model. Our results demonstrate that this integrated brain slice model of CWD enables the study of pathogenic mechanisms with translational implications for controlling CWD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naveen Kondru
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Sireesha Manne
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Robyn Kokemuller
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Justin Greenlee
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, USA
| | - M Heather West Greenlee
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Tracy Nichols
- Surveillance, Preparedness and Response Services, Veterinary Services, United States Department of Agriculture, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Qingzhong Kong
- Departments of Pathology and Neurology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Vellareddy Anantharam
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Arthi Kanthasamy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Patrick Halbur
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
- Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Anumantha G Kanthasamy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA.
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Miller WL, Miller‐Butterworth CM, Diefenbach DR, Walter WD. Assessment of spatial genetic structure to identify populations at risk for infection of an emerging epizootic disease. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:3977-3990. [PMID: 32489625 PMCID: PMC7244803 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2019] [Revised: 01/04/2020] [Accepted: 01/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the geographic extent and connectivity of wildlife populations can provide important insights into the management of disease outbreaks but defining patterns of population structure is difficult for widely distributed species. Landscape genetic analyses are powerful methods for identifying cryptic structure and movement patterns that may be associated with spatial epizootic patterns in such cases.We characterized patterns of population substructure and connectivity using microsatellite genotypes from 2,222 white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, a region where chronic wasting disease was first detected in 2009. The goal of this study was to evaluate the juxtaposition between population structure, landscape features that influence gene flow, and current disease management units.Clustering analyses identified four to five subpopulations in this region, the edges of which corresponded to ecophysiographic provinces. Subpopulations were further partitioned into 11 clusters with subtle (F ST ≤ 0.041), but significant genetic differentiation. Genetic differentiation was lower and migration rates were higher among neighboring genetic clusters, indicating an underlying genetic cline. Genetic discontinuities were associated with topographic barriers, however.Resistance surface modeling indicated that gene flow was diffuse in homogenous landscapes, but the direction and extent of gene flow were influenced by forest cover, traffic volume, and elevational relief in subregions heterogeneous for these landscape features. Chronic wasting disease primarily occurred among genetic clusters within a single subpopulation and along corridors of high landscape connectivity.These results may suggest a possible correlation between population substructure, landscape connectivity, and the occurrence of diseases for widespread species. Considering these factors may be useful in delineating effective management units, although only the largest features produced appreciable differences in subpopulation structure. Disease mitigation strategies implemented at the scale of ecophysiographic provinces are likely to be more effective than those implemented at finer scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- William L. Miller
- Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research UnitDepartment of Ecosystem Science and ManagementIntercollege Graduate Degree Program in EcologyThe Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPAUSA
| | | | - Duane R. Diefenbach
- U.S. Geological SurveyPennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research UnitThe Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPAUSA
| | - W. David Walter
- U.S. Geological SurveyPennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research UnitThe Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPAUSA
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Bistaffa E, Vuong TT, Cazzaniga FA, Tran L, Salzano G, Legname G, Giaccone G, Benestad SL, Moda F. Use of different RT-QuIC substrates for detecting CWD prions in the brain of Norwegian cervids. Sci Rep 2019; 9:18595. [PMID: 31819115 PMCID: PMC6901582 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-55078-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a highly contagious prion disease affecting captive and free-ranging cervid populations. CWD has been detected in United States, Canada, South Korea and, most recently, in Europe (Norway, Finland and Sweden). Animals with CWD release infectious prions in the environment through saliva, urine and feces sustaining disease spreading between cervids but also potentially to other non-cervids ruminants (e.g. sheep, goats and cattle). In the light of these considerations and due to CWD unknown zoonotic potential, it is of utmost importance to follow specific surveillance programs useful to minimize disease spreading and transmission. The European community has already in place specific surveillance measures, but the traditional diagnostic tests performed on nervous or lymphoid tissues lack sensitivity. We have optimized a Real-Time Quaking-Induced Conversion (RT-QuIC) assay for detecting CWD prions with high sensitivity and specificity to try to overcome this problem. In this work, we show that bank vole prion protein (PrP) is an excellent substrate for RT-QuIC reactions, enabling the detection of trace-amounts of CWD prions, regardless of prion strain and cervid species. Beside supporting the traditional diagnostic tests, this technology could be exploited for detecting prions in peripheral tissues from live animals, possibly even at preclinical stages of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edoardo Bistaffa
- Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Division of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Milano, Italy
| | | | - Federico Angelo Cazzaniga
- Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Division of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Milano, Italy
| | - Linh Tran
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Oslo, Norway
| | - Giulia Salzano
- Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Laboratory of Prion Biology, Department of Neuroscience, Trieste, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Legname
- Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Laboratory of Prion Biology, Department of Neuroscience, Trieste, Italy
| | - Giorgio Giaccone
- Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Division of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Milano, Italy
| | | | - Fabio Moda
- Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Division of Neurology 5 and Neuropathology, Milano, Italy.
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Trone‐Launer EK, Wang J, Lu G, Mateus‐Pinilla NE, Zick PR, Lamer JT, Shelton PA, Jacques CN. Differential gene expression in chronic wasting disease-positive white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus). Ecol Evol 2019; 9:12600-12612. [PMID: 31788200 PMCID: PMC6875659 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2018] [Revised: 09/13/2019] [Accepted: 09/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) that affects cervid species throughout North America. We evaluated gene expression in white-tailed deer collected by Illinois Department of Natural Resource wildlife managers during annual population reduction (e.g., sharpshooting) and disease monitoring efforts throughout the CWD-endemic area of northcentral Illinois. We conducted comparative transcriptomic analysis of liver and retropharyngeal lymph node tissue samples between CWD-positive (n = 5) and CWD-not detected (n = 5) deer. A total of 74,479 transcripts were assembled, and 51,661 (69.36%) transcripts were found to have matched proteins in NCBI-NR and UniProt. Our analysis of functional categories showed 40,308 transcripts were assigned to at least one Gene Ontology term and 37,853 transcripts were involved in at least one pathway. We identified a total of 59 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in CWD-positive deer, of which 36 and 23 were associated with liver and retropharyngeal lymph node tissues, respectively. Functions of DEGs lend support to previous relationships between misfolded PrP and cellular membranes (e.g., STXBP5), and internal cellular components. We identified several genes that suggest a link between CWD and retroviruses and identified the gene ADIPOQ that acts as a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonist. This gene may lead to reduced production of TNF and impact disease progression and clinical symptoms associated with CWD (i.e., wasting syndrome). Use of candidate genes identified in this study suggests the activation of endogenous processes in CWD-positive deer, which in turn may enable earlier detection of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma K. Trone‐Launer
- Department of Biological SciencesWestern Illinois UniversityMacombILUSA
- Present address:
Illinois Department of Natural ResourcesCoffeenILUSA
| | - Jun Wang
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fisheries Germplasm ResourcesMinistry of AgricultureShanghai Ocean UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Guoqing Lu
- Department of Biology and School of Interdisciplinary InformaticsUniversity of Nebraska OmahaOmahaNEUSA
| | - Nohra E. Mateus‐Pinilla
- Illinois Natural History Survey—Prairie Research InstituteUniversity of Illinois Urbana‐ChampaignChampaignILUSA
| | - Paige R. Zick
- Department of Biological SciencesWestern Illinois UniversityMacombILUSA
| | - James T. Lamer
- Illinois River Biological StationIllinois Natural History SurveyHavanaILUSA
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Bowyer RT, Boyce MS, Goheen JR, Rachlow JL. Conservation of the world’s mammals: status, protected areas, community efforts, and hunting. J Mammal 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyy180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- R Terry Bowyer
- Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA
| | - Mark S Boyce
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Jacob R Goheen
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
| | - Janet L Rachlow
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA
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Blackburn JK, Ganz HH, Ponciano JM, Turner WC, Ryan SJ, Kamath P, Cizauskas C, Kausrud K, Holt RD, Stenseth NC, Getz WM. Modeling R₀ for Pathogens with Environmental Transmission: Animal Movements, Pathogen Populations, and Local Infectious Zones. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2019; 16:E954. [PMID: 30884913 PMCID: PMC6466347 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16060954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2018] [Revised: 03/04/2019] [Accepted: 03/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
How a disease is transmitted affects our ability to determine R₀, the average number of new cases caused by an infectious host at the onset of an epidemic. R₀ becomes progressively more difficult to compute as transmission varies from directly transmitted diseases to diseases that are vector-borne to environmentally transmitted diseases. Pathogens responsible for diseases with environmental transmission are typically maintained in environmental reservoirs that exhibit a complex spatial distribution of local infectious zones (LIZs). Understanding host encounters with LIZs and pathogen persistence within LIZs is required for an accurate R₀ and modeling these contacts requires an integrated geospatial and dynamical systems approach. Here we review how interactions between host and pathogen populations and environmental reservoirs are driven by landscape-level variables, and synthesize the quantitative framework needed to formulate outbreak response and disease control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason K Blackburn
- Spatial Epidemiology and Ecology Research Laboratory, Department of Geography, University of Florida, 3141 Turlington Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
- Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, 2055 Mowry Road, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
| | - Holly H Ganz
- Davis Genome Center, University of California, 451 Health Sciences Dr., Davis, CA 95616, USA.
| | | | - Wendy C Turner
- Department of Biological Sciences, State University of New York, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12222, USA.
| | - Sadie J Ryan
- Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, 2055 Mowry Road, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
- Quantitative Disease Ecology & Conservation Lab, Department of Geography, University of Florida, 3141 Turlington Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041, South Africa.
| | - Pauline Kamath
- School of Food and Agriculture, University of Maine, 5763 Rogers Hall, Room 210, Orono, ME 04469, USA.
| | - Carrie Cizauskas
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, 130 Mulford Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
| | - Kyrre Kausrud
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066 Blindern, 0361 Oslo, Norway.
| | - Robert D Holt
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
| | - Nils Chr Stenseth
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066 Blindern, 0361 Oslo, Norway.
| | - Wayne M Getz
- School of Food and Agriculture, University of Maine, 5763 Rogers Hall, Room 210, Orono, ME 04469, USA.
- School of Mathematical Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041, South Africa.
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35
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Somerville RA, Fernie K, Smith A, Bishop K, Maddison BC, Gough KC, Hunter N. BSE infectivity survives burial for five years with only limited spread. Arch Virol 2019; 164:1135-1145. [PMID: 30799509 PMCID: PMC6420460 DOI: 10.1007/s00705-019-04154-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2018] [Accepted: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The carcasses of animals infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), scrapie or chronic wasting disease (CWD) that remain in the environment (exposed or buried) may continue to act as reservoirs of infectivity. We conducted two experiments under near-field conditions to investigate the survival and dissemination of BSE infectivity after burial in a clay or sandy soil. BSE infectivity was either contained within a bovine skull or buried as an uncontained bolus of BSE-infected brain. Throughout the five-year period of the experiment, BSE infectivity was recovered in similar amounts from heads exhumed annually from both types of soil. Very low levels of infectivity were detected in the soil immediately surrounding the heads, but not in samples remote from them. Similarly, there was no evidence of significant lateral movement of infectivity from the buried bolus over 4 years although there was a little vertical movement in both directions. However, bioassay analysis of limited numbers of samples of rain water that had drained through the bolus clay lysimeter indicated that infectivity was present in filtrates. sPMCA analysis also detected low levels of PrPSc in the filtrates up to 25 months following burial, raising the concern that leakage of infectivity into ground water could occur. We conclude that transmissible spongiform encephalopathy infectivity is likely to survive burial for long periods of time, but not to migrate far from the site of burial unless a vector or rain water drainage transports it. Risk assessments of contaminated sites should take these findings into account.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert A Somerville
- The Roslin Institute and R(D)SVS, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, Scotland, UK
| | - Karen Fernie
- The Roslin Institute and R(D)SVS, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, Scotland, UK
| | - Allister Smith
- The Roslin Institute and R(D)SVS, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, Scotland, UK
| | - Keith Bishop
- ADAS Biotechnology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, The University of Nottingham, College Rd., Sutton Bonington, Leicestershire, LE12 5RD, UK
| | - Ben C Maddison
- ADAS Biotechnology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, The University of Nottingham, College Rd., Sutton Bonington, Leicestershire, LE12 5RD, UK
| | - Kevin C Gough
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, The University of Nottingham, College Rd., Sutton Bonington, Leicestershire, LE12 5RD, UK.
| | - Nora Hunter
- The Roslin Institute and R(D)SVS, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, Scotland, UK.
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36
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Race B, Williams K, Chesebro B. Transmission studies of chronic wasting disease to transgenic mice overexpressing human prion protein using the RT-QuIC assay. Vet Res 2019; 50:6. [PMID: 30670087 PMCID: PMC6341683 DOI: 10.1186/s13567-019-0626-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2018] [Accepted: 01/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal prion disease which infects deer, elk and moose. CWD was first described as a wasting syndrome in captive deer in Colorado and Wyoming wildlife facilities from 1967 to 1979. Currently, CWD has been reported in 26 states of the USA, three Canadian provinces, South Korea, Norway and Finland. Since human consumption of cervids is common, it is critical to determine if CWD can infect humans. Published research, including epidemiologic studies and transmission studies using animal models, including transgenic mice that express human prion protein, have suggested existence of a strong species barrier between cervid CWD and humans. In the current study, we tested CWD transmission into two additional strains of transgenic mice (tg66 and tgRM). These mice over-express human prion protein at high levels and are highly sensitive to infection by human-tropic prions. One hundred and eight mice were inoculated intracerebrally with three different sources of CWD. After long periods of observation, brain tissues from CWD-inoculated mice were screened for evidence of prion infection by RT-QuIC, immunohistochemistry (IHC) and immunoblot. No IHC or immunoblot evidence was found to suggest transmission had occurred, and most mice were negative by RT-QuIC assay. However, four mice with inconsistent positive RT-QuIC reactions were detected. The seeding activity detected in these mice may represent a low level of CWD agent, suggesting a possible transfer of CWD infection. Alternatively, these results might be due to false positive reactions or residual CWD inoculum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brent Race
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 903 South Fourth Street, Hamilton, MT, 59840, USA.
| | - Katie Williams
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 903 South Fourth Street, Hamilton, MT, 59840, USA
| | - Bruce Chesebro
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 903 South Fourth Street, Hamilton, MT, 59840, USA
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37
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Abdelaziz DH, Thapa S, Brandon J, Maybee J, Vankuppeveld L, McCorkell R, Schätzl HM. Recombinant prion protein vaccination of transgenic elk PrP mice and reindeer overcomes self-tolerance and protects mice against chronic wasting disease. J Biol Chem 2018; 293:19812-19822. [PMID: 30397182 PMCID: PMC6314114 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra118.004810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2018] [Revised: 10/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that affects cervids in North America and now Europe. No effective measures are available to control CWD. We hypothesized that active vaccination with homologous and aggregation-prone recombinant prion protein (PrP) could overcome self-tolerance and induce autoantibody production against the cellular isoform of PrP (PrPC), which would be protective against CWD infection from peripheral routes. Five groups of transgenic mice expressing elk PrP (TgElk) were vaccinated with either the adjuvant CpG alone or one of four recombinant PrP immunogens: deer dimer (Ddi); deer monomer (Dmo); mouse dimer (Mdi); and mouse monomer (Mmo). Mice were then challenged intraperitoneally with elk CWD prions. All vaccinated mice developed ELISA-detectable antibody titers against PrP. Importantly, all four vaccinated groups survived longer than the control group, with the Mmo-immunized group exhibiting 60% prolongation of mean survival time compared with the control group (183 versus 114 days post-inoculation). We tested for prion infection in brain and spleen of all clinically sick mice. Notably, the attack rate was 100% as revealed by positive CWD signals in all tested tissues when assessed with Western blotting, real-time quaking-induced conversion, and immunohistochemistry. Our pilot study in reindeer indicated appreciable humoral immune responses to Mdi and Ddi immunogens, and the post-immune sera from the Ddi-vaccinated reindeer mitigated CWD propagation in a cell culture model (CWD-RK13). Taken together, our study provides very promising vaccine candidates against CWD, but further studies in cervids are required to investigate vaccine efficacy in the natural CWD hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dalia H Abdelaziz
- From the Department of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine and.,the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Helwan University, Cairo 11795, Egypt.,the Calgary Prion Research Unit, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4Z6, Canada and
| | - Simrika Thapa
- From the Department of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine and.,the Calgary Prion Research Unit, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4Z6, Canada and
| | - Jenna Brandon
- From the Department of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine and
| | - Justine Maybee
- From the Department of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine and
| | | | - Robert McCorkell
- From the Department of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine and
| | - Hermann M Schätzl
- From the Department of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine and .,the Calgary Prion Research Unit, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4Z6, Canada and
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38
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Abstract
Prions diseases are uniformly fatal neurodegenerative diseases that occur in sporadic, genetic, and acquired forms. Acquired prion diseases, caused by infectious transmission, are least common. Most prion diseases are not infectious, but occur spontaneously through misfolding of normal prion proteins or genetic mutations in the prion protein gene. Although most prion diseases are not caused by infection, they can be transmitted accidentally. Certain infection control protocols should be applied when handling central nervous system and other high-risk tissues. New diagnostic methods are improving premortem and earlier diagnosis. Treatment trials have not shown improved survival, but therapies may be available soon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boon Lead Tee
- Global Brain Health Institute, University of California, San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, Suite 190, San Francisco, CA 94518, USA; Department of Neurology, Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital, No. 707, Section 3, Zhong Yang Road, Hualien City, Hualien County 97002, Taiwan
| | - Erika Mariana Longoria Ibarrola
- Global Brain Health Institute, University of California, San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, Suite 190, San Francisco, CA 94518, USA; Dementia Department, National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery Manuel Velasco Suarez, Av. Insurgentes Sur 3877, Col. La Fama, Del. Tlalpan, Ciudad de México. C.P. 14269, Mexico
| | - Michael D Geschwind
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, Suite 190, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
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39
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Eckland TE, Shikiya RA, Bartz JC. Independent amplification of co-infected long incubation period low conversion efficiency prion strains. PLoS Pathog 2018; 14:e1007323. [PMID: 30335854 PMCID: PMC6193734 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1007323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2018] [Accepted: 09/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are caused by a misfolded isoform of the prion protein, PrPSc. Prion strains are hypothesized to be encoded by strain-specific conformations of PrPSc and prions can interfere with each other when a long-incubation period strain (i.e. blocking strain) inhibits the conversion of a short-incubation period strain (i.e. non-blocking). Prion strain interference influences prion strain dynamics and the emergence of a strain from a mixture; however, it is unknown if two long-incubation period strains can interfere with each other. Here, we show that co-infection of animals with combinations of long-incubation period strains failed to identify evidence of strain interference. To exclude the possibility that this inability of strains to interfere in vivo was due to a failure to infect common populations of neurons we used protein misfolding cyclic amplification strain interference (PMCAsi). Consistent with the animal bioassay studies, PMCAsi indicated that both co-infecting strains were amplifying independently, suggesting that the lack of strain interference is not due to a failure to target the same cells but is an inherent property of the strains involved. Importantly PMCA reactions seeded with long incubation-period strains contained relatively higher levels of remaining PrPC compared to reactions seeded with a short-incubation period strain. Mechanistically, we hypothesize the abundance of PrPC is not limiting in vivo or in vitro resulting in prion strains with relatively low prion conversion efficiency to amplify independently. Overall, this observation changes the paradigm of the interactions of prion strains and has implications for interspecies transmission and emergence of prion strains from a mixture. This is the first example of prion strains that replicate independently in vitro and in vivo. This observation changes the paradigm of the interactions of prion strains and provides further evidence that strains are a dynamic mixture of substrains. Strain interference is influenced by the abundance of PrPC that is convertible by the strains involved. These observations have implications for interspecies transmission and emergence of prion strains from a mixture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas E. Eckland
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Ronald A. Shikiya
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Jason C. Bartz
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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40
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Benestad SL, Telling GC. Chronic wasting disease: an evolving prion disease of cervids. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2018; 153:135-151. [PMID: 29887133 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-444-63945-5.00008-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a relatively new and burgeoning prion epidemic of deer, elk, reindeer, and moose, which are members of the cervid family. While the disease was first described in captive deer, its subsequent discovery in various species of free-ranging animals makes it the only currently recognized prion disorder of both wild and farmed animals. In addition to its expanding range of host species, CWD continues to spread from North America to new geographic areas, including South Korea, and most recently Norway, marking the first time this disease was detected in Europe. Its unparalleled efficiency of contagious transmission, combined with high densities of deer in certain areas, complicates strategies for controlling CWD, raising concerns about its potential for spread to new species. Because there is a high prevalence of CWD in deer and elk, which are commonly hunted and consumed by humans, and since prions from cattle with bovine spongiform encephalopathy have been transmitted to humans causing variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the possibility of zoonotic transmission of CWD is particularly concerning. Here we review the clinical and pathologic features of CWD and its disturbing epidemiology, and discuss features that affect its transmission, including genetic susceptibility, pathogenesis, and agent strain variability. Finally, we discuss evidence that speaks to the potential for zoonotic transmission of this emerging disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Glenn C Telling
- Prion Research Center (PRC) and the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States.
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41
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Brandt AL, Green ML, Ishida Y, Roca AL, Novakofski J, Mateus-Pinilla NE. Influence of the geographic distribution of prion protein gene sequence variation on patterns of chronic wasting disease spread in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Prion 2018; 12:204-215. [PMID: 30041562 PMCID: PMC6277178 DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2018.1474671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Managing and controlling the spread of diseases in wild animal populations is challenging, especially for social and mobile species. Effective management benefits from information about disease susceptibility, allowing limited resources to be focused on areas or populations with a higher risk of infection. Chronic wasting disease (CWD), a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy that affects cervids, was detected in Colorado in the late 1960s. CWD was detected in Illinois and Wisconsin in 2002 and has since spread through many counties. Specific nucleotide variations in the prion protein gene (PRNP) sequence have been associated with reduced susceptibility to CWD in white-tailed deer. Though genetic resistance is incomplete, the frequency of deer possessing these mutations in a population is an important factor in disease spread (i.e. herd immunity). In this study we sequenced 625 bp of the PRNP gene from a sampling of 2433 deer from Illinois and Wisconsin. In north-central Illinois where CWD was first detected, counties had a low frequency of protective haplotypes (frequency <0.20); whereas in northwestern Illinois counties, where CWD cases have only more recently been detected, the frequency of protective haplotypes (frequency >0.30) was much higher (p < 0.05). Protective haplotype frequencies varied significantly among infected and uninfected geographic areas. The frequency of protective PRNP haplotypes may contribute to population level susceptibility and may shape the way CWD has spread through Illinois. Analysis of PRNP haplotype distribution could be a useful tool to assess CWD risk and allocate resources to contain and reduce the spread of infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam L Brandt
- a Illinois Natural History Survey-Prairie Research Institute , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana , IL , USA.,b Division of Natural Sciences , St. Norbert College , De Pere , Wisconsin , USA
| | - Michelle L Green
- a Illinois Natural History Survey-Prairie Research Institute , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana , IL , USA.,c Department of Animal Sciences , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana , IL , USA
| | - Yasuko Ishida
- c Department of Animal Sciences , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana , IL , USA
| | - Alfred L Roca
- a Illinois Natural History Survey-Prairie Research Institute , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana , IL , USA.,c Department of Animal Sciences , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana , IL , USA
| | - Jan Novakofski
- c Department of Animal Sciences , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana , IL , USA
| | - Nohra E Mateus-Pinilla
- a Illinois Natural History Survey-Prairie Research Institute , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana , IL , USA.,c Department of Animal Sciences , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana , IL , USA
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Lack of Transmission of Chronic Wasting Disease to Cynomolgus Macaques. J Virol 2018; 92:JVI.00550-18. [PMID: 29695429 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00550-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2018] [Accepted: 04/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal prion disease that can infect deer, elk, and moose. CWD was first recognized in captive deer kept in wildlife facilities in Colorado from 1967 to 1979. CWD has now been detected in 25 U.S. states, 2 Canadian provinces, South Korea, Norway, and Finland. It is currently unknown if humans are susceptible to CWD infection. Understanding the health risk from consuming meat and/or products from CWD-infected cervids is a critical human health concern. Previous research using transgenic mouse models and in vitro conversion assays suggests that a significant species barrier exists between CWD and humans. To date, reported epidemiologic studies of humans consuming cervids in areas where CWD is endemic have found no evidence to confirm CWD transmission to humans. Previously, we reported data from ongoing cross-species CWD transmission studies using two species of nonhuman primates as models. Squirrel monkeys (SM) and cynomolgus macaques (CM) were inoculated by either the intracerebral or oral route with brain homogenates from CWD-infected deer and elk containing high levels of infectivity. SM were highly susceptible to CWD infection, while CM were not. In the present study, we present new data for seven CWD-inoculated CM euthanized 11 to 13 years after CWD inoculation and eight additional uninoculated control CM. New and archival CM tissues were screened for prion infection by using the ultrasensitive real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) assay, immunohistochemistry, and immunoblotting. In this study, there was no clinical, pathological, or biochemical evidence suggesting that CWD was transmitted from cervids to CM.IMPORTANCE Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal prion disease found in deer, elk, and moose. Since it was first discovered in the late 1960s, CWD has now spread to at least 25 U.S. states, 2 Canadian provinces, South Korea, Norway, and Finland. Eradication of CWD from areas of endemicity is very unlikely, and additional spread will occur. As the range and prevalence of CWD increase, so will the potential for human exposure to CWD prions. It is currently unknown if CWD poses a risk to human health. However, determining this risk is critical to preventing a scenario similar to that which occurred when mad cow disease was found to be transmissible to humans. In the present study, we used cynomolgus macaque monkeys as a surrogate model for CWD transmission to humans. After 13 years, no evidence for CWD transmission to macaques was detected clinically or by using highly sensitive prion disease-screening assays.
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43
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Moreno JA, Telling GC. Molecular Mechanisms of Chronic Wasting Disease Prion Propagation. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med 2018; 8:cshperspect.a024448. [PMID: 28193766 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a024448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Prion disease epidemics, which have been unpredictable recurrences, are of significant concern for animal and human health. Examples include kuru, once the leading cause of death among the Fore people in Papua New Guinea and caused by mortuary feasting; bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and its subsequent transmission to humans in the form of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), and repeated examples of large-scale prion disease epidemics in animals caused by contaminated vaccines. The etiology of chronic wasting disease (CWD), a relatively new and burgeoning prion epidemic in deer, elk, and moose (members of the cervid family), is more enigmatic. The disease was first described in captive and later in wild mule deer and subsequently in free-ranging as well as captive Rocky Mountain elk, white-tailed deer, and most recently moose. It is therefore the only recognized prion disorder of both wild and captive animals. In addition to its expanding range of hosts, CWD continues to spread to new geographical areas, including recent cases in Norway. The unparalleled efficiency of the contagious transmission of the disease combined with high densities of deer in certain areas of North America complicates strategies for controlling CWD and raises concerns about its potential spread to new species. Because there is a high prevalence of CWD in deer and elk, which are commonly hunted and consumed by humans, the possibility of zoonotic transmission is particularly concerning. Here, we review the current status of naturally occurring CWD and describe advances in our understanding of its molecular pathogenesis, as shown by studies of CWD prions in novel in vivo and in vitro systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie A Moreno
- Prion Research Center (PRC) and the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80525
| | - Glenn C Telling
- Prion Research Center (PRC) and the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80525
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44
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Wickner RB, Edskes HK, Son M, Bezsonov EE, DeWilde M, Ducatez M. Yeast Prions Compared to Functional Prions and Amyloids. J Mol Biol 2018; 430:3707-3719. [PMID: 29698650 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2018.04.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2018] [Revised: 04/13/2018] [Accepted: 04/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an occasional host to an array of prions, most based on self-propagating, self-templating amyloid filaments of a normally soluble protein. [URE3] is a prion of Ure2p, a regulator of nitrogen catabolism, while [PSI+] is a prion of Sup35p, a subunit of the translation termination factor Sup35p. In contrast to the functional prions, [Het-s] of Podospora anserina and [BETA] of yeast, the amyloid-based yeast prions are rare in wild strains, arise sporadically, have an array of prion variants for a single prion protein sequence, have a folded in-register parallel β-sheet amyloid architecture, are detrimental to their hosts, arouse a stress response in the host, and are subject to curing by various host anti-prion systems. These characteristics allow a logical basis for distinction between functional amyloids/prions and prion diseases. These infectious yeast amyloidoses are outstanding models for the many common human amyloid-based diseases that are increasingly found to have some infectious characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reed B Wickner
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda 20892-0830, MD, USA.
| | - Herman K Edskes
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda 20892-0830, MD, USA
| | - Moonil Son
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda 20892-0830, MD, USA
| | - Evgeny E Bezsonov
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda 20892-0830, MD, USA
| | - Morgan DeWilde
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda 20892-0830, MD, USA
| | - Mathieu Ducatez
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda 20892-0830, MD, USA
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45
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Taschuk R, Scruten E, Woodbury M, Cashman N, Potter A, Griebel P, Tikoo SK, Napper S. Induction of PrP Sc-specific systemic and mucosal immune responses in white-tailed deer with an oral vaccine for chronic wasting disease. Prion 2018; 11:368-380. [PMID: 28968152 PMCID: PMC5639826 DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2017.1367083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The ongoing epidemic of chronic wasting disease (CWD) within cervid populations indicates the need for novel approaches for disease management. A vaccine that either reduces susceptibility to infection or reduces shedding of prions by infected animals, or a combination of both, could be of benefit for disease control. The development of such a vaccine is challenged by the unique nature of prion diseases and the requirement for formulation and delivery in an oral format for application in wildlife settings. To address the unique nature of prions, our group targets epitopes, termed disease specific epitopes (DSEs), whose exposure for antibody binding depends on disease-associated misfolding of PrPC into PrPSc. Here, a DSE corresponding to the rigid loop (RL) region, which was immunogenic following parenteral vaccination, was translated into an oral vaccine. This vaccine consists of a replication-incompetent human adenovirus expressing a truncated rabies glycoprotein G recombinant fusion with the RL epitope (hAd5:tgG-RL). Oral immunization of white-tailed deer with hAd5:tgG-RL induced PrPSc-specific systemic and mucosal antibody responses with an encouraging safety profile in terms of no adverse health effects nor prolonged vector shedding. By building upon proven strategies of formulation for wildlife vaccines, these efforts generate a particular PrPSc-specific oral vaccine for CWD as well as providing a versatile platform, in terms of carrier protein and biological vector, for generation of other oral, peptide-based CWD vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan Taschuk
- a Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, University of Saskatchewan , Saskatoon , Saskatchewan , Canada.,b School of Public Health, University of Saskatchewan , Saskatoon, Saskatchewan , Canada
| | - Erin Scruten
- a Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, University of Saskatchewan , Saskatoon , Saskatchewan , Canada
| | - Murray Woodbury
- c Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan , Saskatoon , Saskatchewan , Canada
| | - Neil Cashman
- d Department of Neurology , University of British Columbia , Vancouver , BC , Canada
| | - Andrew Potter
- a Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, University of Saskatchewan , Saskatoon , Saskatchewan , Canada
| | - Philip Griebel
- a Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, University of Saskatchewan , Saskatoon , Saskatchewan , Canada.,b School of Public Health, University of Saskatchewan , Saskatoon, Saskatchewan , Canada
| | - Suresh K Tikoo
- a Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, University of Saskatchewan , Saskatoon , Saskatchewan , Canada.,b School of Public Health, University of Saskatchewan , Saskatoon, Saskatchewan , Canada
| | - Scott Napper
- a Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, University of Saskatchewan , Saskatoon , Saskatchewan , Canada.,e Department of Biochemistry , University of Saskatchewan , Saskatoon , Saskatchewan , Canada
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Abstract
Currently all prion diseases are without effective treatment and are universally fatal. It is increasingly being recognized that the pathogenesis of many neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer disease (AD), includes "prion-like" properties. Hence, any effective therapeutic intervention for prion disease could have significant implications for other neurodegenerative diseases. Conversely, therapies that are effective in AD might also be therapeutically beneficial for prion disease. AD-like prion disease has no effective therapy. However, various vaccine and immunomodulatory approaches have shown great success in animal models of AD, with numerous ongoing clinical trials of these potential immunotherapies. More limited evidence suggests that immunotherapies may be effective in prion models and in naturally occurring prion disease. In particular, experimental data suggest that mucosal vaccination against prions can be effective for protection against orally acquired prion infection. Many prion diseases, including natural sheep scrapie, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, chronic wasting disease, and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, are thought to be acquired peripherally, mainly by oral exposure. Mucosal vaccination would be most applicable to this form of transmission. In this chapter we review various immunologically based strategies which are under development for prion infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Wisniewski
- Center for Cognitive Neurology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States; Department of Neurology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States; Department of Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States; Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States.
| | - Fernando Goñi
- Center for Cognitive Neurology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States; Department of Neurology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
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Nichols TA, Spraker TR, Gidlewski T, Cummings B, Hill D, Kong Q, Balachandran A, VerCauteren KC, Zabel MD. Dietary magnesium and copper affect survival time and neuroinflammation in chronic wasting disease. Prion 2017; 10:228-50. [PMID: 27216881 PMCID: PMC4981212 DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2016.1181249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD), the only known wildlife prion disease, affects deer, elk and moose. The disease is an ongoing and expanding problem in both wild and captive North American cervid populations and is difficult to control in part due to the extreme environmental persistence of prions, which can transmit disease years after initial contamination. The role of exogenous factors in CWD transmission and progression is largely unexplored. In an effort to understand the influence of environmental and dietary constituents on CWD, we collected and analyzed water and soil samples from CWD-negative and positive captive cervid facilities, as well as from wild CWD-endozootic areas. Our analysis revealed that, when compared with CWD-positive sites, CWD-negative sites had a significantly higher concentration of magnesium, and a higher magnesium/copper (Mg/Cu) ratio in the water than that from CWD-positive sites. When cevidized transgenic mice were fed a custom diet devoid of Mg and Cu and drinking water with varied Mg/Cu ratios, we found that higher Mg/Cu ratio resulted in significantly longer survival times after intracerebral CWD inoculation. We also detected reduced levels of inflammatory cytokine gene expression in mice fed a modified diet with a higher Mg/Cu ratio compared to those on a standard rodent diet. These findings indicate a role for dietary Mg and Cu in CWD pathogenesis through modulating inflammation in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tracy A Nichols
- a National Wildlife Research Center, US Department of Agriculture , Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services , Fort Collins , CO , USA
| | - Terry R Spraker
- b Colorado State University Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Colorado State University , Fort Collins , CO , USA;,c Department of Microbiology , Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University Prion Research Center , Fort Collins , CO , USA
| | - Thomas Gidlewski
- a National Wildlife Research Center, US Department of Agriculture , Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services , Fort Collins , CO , USA
| | - Bruce Cummings
- b Colorado State University Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Colorado State University , Fort Collins , CO , USA
| | - Dana Hill
- c Department of Microbiology , Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University Prion Research Center , Fort Collins , CO , USA
| | - Qingzhong Kong
- d Departments of Pathology and Neurology & National Center for Regenerative Medicine , Case Western Reserve University , Cleveland , OH , USA
| | - Aru Balachandran
- e National and OIE Reference Laboratory for Scrapie and CWD, Canadian Food Inspection Agency , Ottawa , Ontario , Canada
| | - Kurt C VerCauteren
- a National Wildlife Research Center, US Department of Agriculture , Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services , Fort Collins , CO , USA
| | - Mark D Zabel
- c Department of Microbiology , Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University Prion Research Center , Fort Collins , CO , USA
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DeVivo MT, Edmunds DR, Kauffman MJ, Schumaker BA, Binfet J, Kreeger TJ, Richards BJ, Schätzl HM, Cornish TE. Endemic chronic wasting disease causes mule deer population decline in Wyoming. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0186512. [PMID: 29049389 PMCID: PMC5648191 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0186512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2016] [Accepted: 10/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal transmissible spongiform encephalopathy affecting white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni), and moose (Alces alces shirasi) in North America. In southeastern Wyoming average annual CWD prevalence in mule deer exceeds 20% and appears to contribute to regional population declines. We determined the effect of CWD on mule deer demography using age-specific, female-only, CWD transition matrix models to estimate the population growth rate (λ). Mule deer were captured from 2010-2014 in southern Converse County Wyoming, USA. Captured adult (≥ 1.5 years old) deer were tested ante-mortem for CWD using tonsil biopsies and monitored using radio telemetry. Mean annual survival rates of CWD-negative and CWD-positive deer were 0.76 and 0.32, respectively. Pregnancy and fawn recruitment were not observed to be influenced by CWD. We estimated λ = 0.79, indicating an annual population decline of 21% under current CWD prevalence levels. A model derived from the demography of only CWD-negative individuals yielded; λ = 1.00, indicating a stable population if CWD were absent. These findings support CWD as a significant contributor to mule deer population decline. Chronic wasting disease is difficult or impossible to eradicate with current tools, given significant environmental contamination, and at present our best recommendation for control of this disease is to minimize spread to new areas and naïve cervid populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melia T. DeVivo
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - David R. Edmunds
- Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University/US Geological Survey, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Matthew J. Kauffman
- U.S. Geological Survey, Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, United States of America
| | - Brant A. Schumaker
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, United States of America
| | - Justin Binfet
- Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Casper, Wyoming, United States of America
| | - Terry J. Kreeger
- Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Wheatland, Wyoming, United States of America
| | - Bryan J. Richards
- U.S. Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Hermann M. Schätzl
- Department of Comparative Biology & Experimental Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Todd E. Cornish
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, United States of America
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Miller WL, Walter WD. CWDPRNP: a tool for cervid prion sequence analysis in program R. Bioinformatics 2017; 33:3096-3097. [PMID: 28549074 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btx333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2017] [Accepted: 05/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Summary Chronic wasting disease is a fatal, neurological disease caused by an infectious prion protein, which affects economically and ecologically important members of the family Cervidae. Single nucleotide polymorphisms within the prion protein gene have been linked to differential susceptibility to the disease in many species. Wildlife managers are seeking to determine the frequencies of disease-associated alleles and genotypes and delineate spatial genetic patterns. The CWDPRNP package, implemented in program R, provides a unified framework for analyzing prion protein gene variability and spatial structure. Availability and implementation The CWDPRNP package, manual and example data files are available at http://ecosystems.psu.edu/research/labs/walter-lab/additional-labs/population-genetics-lab. This package is available for all commonly used platforms. Contact wlm159psu@gmail.com.
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Affiliation(s)
- William L Miller
- Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - W David Walter
- U.S. Geological Survey, Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
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Mathiason CK. Scrapie, CWD, and Transmissible Mink Encephalopathy. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2017; 150:267-292. [PMID: 28838664 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2017.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), or prions, are neurodegenerative diseases that affect a variety of animal species, including humans. Cruetzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans, sheep and goat scrapie, chronic wasting disease (CWD) of cervids, and transmissible mink encephalopathy (TME) of mink are classified as TSEs. According to the "protein-only" hypothesis (Prusiner, 1982),1 prions are devoid of nucleic acids and consist of assemblies of misfolded host-encoded normal protein, the prion protein (PrPC). Prion propagation is thought to occur by a templating mechanism during which PrPC is recruited, converted to a disease-associated isoform (PrPD), and assembled onto the growing amyloid fibril. This fibular assembly is infectious, with ability to initiate disease processes similar to other pathogenic agents. Evidence indicates that scrapie, CWD, and TME disease processes follow this rule.
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