Related Experiment Videos
Susceptibility of mink to sheep scrapie
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|May 21, 1971
Abstract:
A progressive, fatal spongiform polioencephalopathy was induced in mink intracerebrally inoculated with a suspension of brain from a Suffolk sheep with naturally acquired scrapie. The clinical signs and pathological lesions of the experimental disease were indistinguishable from transmissible mink encephalopathy, a disease of undetermined origin that occurs in mink.
Insights
Researchers induced a fatal brain disease in mink using scrapie from sheep. The resulting illness mimicked transmissible mink encephalopathy, suggesting scrapie as a potential cause.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Neurology
- Prion Disease Research
- Comparative Pathology
Background:
- Transmissible mink encephalopathy (TME) is a fatal neurological disease affecting mink, with its origin remaining unknown.
- Scrapie is a naturally occurring prion disease affecting sheep and goats, characterized by progressive neurological signs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential role of scrapie in causing transmissible mink encephalopathy.
- To characterize the clinical and pathological features of a experimentally induced spongiform encephalopathy in mink.
Main Methods:
- Intracerebral inoculation of mink with brain homogenate from a Suffolk sheep with naturally acquired scrapie.
- Clinical observation and pathological examination of affected mink.
Main Results:
- A progressive, fatal spongiform polioencephalopathy was successfully induced in mink.
- The clinical signs and neuropathological lesions observed in the experimentally infected mink were indistinguishable from those of naturally occurring transmissible mink encephalopathy.
Conclusions:
- Naturally acquired scrapie in sheep can experimentally induce a disease in mink that is identical to transmissible mink encephalopathy.
- These findings strongly suggest that scrapie may be the underlying cause of transmissible mink encephalopathy.