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Quantification of Autoreactive Antibodies in Mice upon Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis
Published on: December 1, 2023
Failure to demonstrate specific antibody in transmissible mink encephalopathy
R F Marsh1, I C Pan, R P Hanson
1Department of Veterinary Science, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706.
Infection and Immunity
|December 1, 1970
Summary
Researchers could not find specific antibodies or immune complexes in the brains of mink with transmissible mink encephalopathy using standard tests. This finding is significant given the disease
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Neurology
- Immunology
- Pathology
Background:
- Transmissible mink encephalopathy (TME) is a rare, fatal neurological disease affecting mink.
- The etiological agent of TME is poorly understood and shares properties with prions.
- Previous research has not definitively identified the host immune response in affected animals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the presence of specific antibodies or immune complexes in the brains of mink with TME.
- To explore the host immune system's involvement in the pathogenesis of TME.
Main Methods:
- Utilized serum neutralization assays to detect antibodies.
- Employed immunofluorescent procedures to identify immune complexes in brain tissue.
- Examined brain samples from mink diagnosed with TME.
Main Results:
- Attempts to demonstrate specific serum antibodies in affected mink brains were unsuccessful.
- Immunofluorescent procedures did not reveal the presence of immune complexes in the brain tissue.
- No evidence of a specific humoral immune response or immune complex deposition was found.
Conclusions:
- The study failed to detect a specific antibody or immune complex response in the brains of TME-affected mink.
- These negative findings highlight the unusual nature of TME and its etiological agent.
- Further research into the unique biochemical properties of the TME agent is warranted.
