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Clinical Examination Protocol to Detect Atypical and Classical Scrapie in Sheep
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Scrapie in Swine: a Diagnostic Challenge
Justin J Greenlee1, Robert A Kunkle1, Jodi D Smith1
1Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, ARS, USDA, Ames, Iowa, USA.
Food Safety (Tokyo, Japan)
|April 2, 2020
Summary
Swine are susceptible to sheep scrapie, challenging previous assumptions. Experimental inoculation showed pigs can contract scrapie, indicating a potential risk for prion disease transmission.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Medicine
- Neuroscience
- Prion Disease Research
Background:
- Swine have been considered resistant to naturally occurring prion diseases.
- The transmission of bovine spongiform encephalopathy to swine is known, but scrapie susceptibility is less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if swine are susceptible to the agent of sheep scrapie.
- To assess scrapie transmission via intracranial and oral routes in pigs.
Main Methods:
- Pigs were inoculated intracranially or orally with U.S. scrapie isolates.
- Animals were monitored for clinical signs of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs).
- Diagnostic methods included immunohistochemistry (IHC), western blot (WB), enzyme immunoassay (EIA), and mouse bioassays.
Main Results:
- No evidence of scrapie infection was found at six months post-inoculation.
- Infection was detected in 5 animals at 51 months or later by IHC, WB, and EIA.
- Mouse bioassays confirmed scrapie infection in all inoculated groups.
Conclusions:
- Swine are susceptible to the agent of sheep scrapie.
- Experimental evidence suggests swine can act as hosts for the scrapie agent.
- This finding has implications for prion disease surveillance and food safety.
