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Published on: November 6, 2013
Brain and buffy coat transmission of bovine spongiform encephalopathy to the primate Microcebus murinus
Nöelle Bons1, Sylvain Lehmann, Nadine Mestre-Francès
1Laboratory of Functional Neuropathology, School of Advanced Studies, University of Montpellier II, Montpellier, France.
Background:
More than 100 cases of variant CJD resulting from infections with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) have accumulated in the United Kingdom since 1995. Concern about the possibility of secondary transmissions via blood and blood components donated by infected individuals has prompted a variety of international donor deferral policies that will continue until laboratory and epidemiologic evidence provides a consensus about potential risk.
Study Design And Methods:
BSE was passaged through macaque monkeys and then adapted to the prosimian microcebe (Microcebus murinus). Brain homogenate and buffy coat from an affected microcebe were separately inoculated intracerebrally into three healthy microcebes (two animals received brain and one received buffy coat).
Results:
All three inoculated microcebes became ill after incubation periods of 16 to 18 months. Clinical, histopathologic, and immunocytologic features were similar in each of the recipients.
Conclusion:
Buffy coat from a symptomatic microcebe infected 17 months earlier with BSE contained the infectious agent. This observation represents the first documented transmission of BSE from the blood of an experimentally infected primate, which in view of rodent buffy coat infectivity precedents and the known host range of BSE is neither unexpected nor cause for alarm.
Insights
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) can be transmitted through the blood of infected primates. This study shows that blood, specifically buffy coat, from a BSE-infected microcebe transmitted the disease to other microcebes.
Area of Science:
- Prion disease research
- Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies
- Veterinary neurology
Background:
- Over 100 cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) linked to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) have been reported in the UK since 1995.
- Concerns exist regarding potential secondary transmission of BSE through blood donations from infected individuals.
- International policies defer blood donors due to the unknown risk of BSE transmission.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential for BSE transmission via blood components.
- To determine if the infectious agent of BSE is present in the blood of infected non-human primates.
Main Methods:
- Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was adapted to the prosimian microcebe (Microcebus murinus).
- Healthy microcebes were inoculated intracerebrally with either brain homogenate or buffy coat from an affected microcebe.
- Clinical, histopathological, and immunocytological features were analyzed in recipient animals.
Main Results:
- All three inoculated microcebes developed illness with incubation periods ranging from 16 to 18 months.
- The clinical and pathological findings were consistent across all infected recipients.
- Buffy coat from a BSE-infected microcebe transmitted the infectious agent.
Conclusions:
- The buffy coat of a symptomatic microcebe, infected 17 months prior with BSE, contained the infectious agent.
- This marks the first documented transmission of BSE via blood from an experimentally infected primate.
- While significant, this finding aligns with previous rodent studies and the known host range of BSE, and is not considered a cause for alarm.
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