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[Update on transmissible spongiform subacute encephalopathies (TSSE)].
Jeanne Brugère-Picoux1, Karim Adjou, Henri Brugère
1Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, 7 avenue du General de Gaulle, 94704 Maisons-Alfort, France.
Bulletin De L'Academie Nationale De Medecine
|August 24, 2005
Summary
Transmissible spongiform subacute encephalopathies (TSSE) updates show fewer human cases but potential iatrogenic spread. Surveillance in Europe confirms BSE control effectiveness and highlights scrapie risks in small ruminants.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Neurology
- Prion Disease Epidemiology
- Public Health
Context:
- Recent data on transmissible spongiform subacute encephalopathies (TSSE) in humans and ruminants.
- Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) cases are decreasing, but subclinical carriers pose an iatrogenic infection risk.
- Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) transmission and control measures in Europe.
Purpose:
- To provide an update on the current status of TSSE, focusing on human and ruminant forms.
- To assess the effectiveness of control measures for BSE and identify emerging concerns in other ruminants.
- To emphasize the importance of active surveillance for scrapie in small ruminants.
Summary:
- New variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) cases are less frequent than anticipated, though subclinical carriers remain a potential source of iatrogenic infection.
- Macaques serve as a viable model for oral transmission of BSE in humans. European BSE control measures implemented in 1996 and 2000 have proven effective.
- Emerging concerns include chronic wasting disease in North American Cervidae, a BSE-like agent in French goats, rapid maternal transmission of scrapie in sheep, and challenges in genetic resistance to ovine scrapie, particularly with the Nor 98 strain.
Impact:
- Highlights the ongoing need for vigilance regarding prion diseases, even with decreasing incidence of some forms.
- Underscores the effectiveness of public health interventions and surveillance in managing zoonotic diseases like BSE.
- Demonstrates the critical role of active surveillance in understanding and controlling prion diseases in animal populations, particularly small ruminants.