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Failure to transmit disease from gray tremor mutant mice
1McLaughlin Research Institute, Great Falls, Montana 59405, USA. gac@po.mri.montana.edu
Journal of Virology
|March 1, 1997
Summary
Mice with the gray tremor mutation develop neurological disease. Previous studies suggested transmissibility, but this research found no evidence of disease transmission in inoculated mice.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Genetics
- Pathology
Background:
- Mice homozygous for the gray tremor (gt) mutation exhibit neurological deficits including tremors and central nervous system vacuolation.
- Neuropathological similarities to scrapie prompted investigations into the transmissibility of the gray tremor mutation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the transmissibility of the gray tremor mutation by inoculating wild-type mice with brain homogenates from affected mice.
Main Methods:
- Intracerebral inoculation of NFS/NCr mice with brain preparations from gray tremor (gt/gt) and wild-type (+/+) mice.
- Observation for clinical signs of disease and post-mortem neuropathological examination of the central nervous system.
Main Results:
- No signs of disease or pathological brain changes were observed in any inoculated NFS/NCr animals.
- This contrasts with previous reports suggesting transmission of spongiform encephalopathy and hind limb paralysis.
Conclusions:
- The results do not support the transmissibility of the gray tremor mutation under the experimental conditions used.
- Discrepancies with prior findings may be attributed to differences in the microbiological status of the mice used in various studies.