Technical Abstract: Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a naturally-occurring,
fatal neurodegenerative disease of North American cervids. Reindeer (Rangifer
tarandus tarandus) are susceptible to CWD following oral challenge, but CWD has
not been reported in free-ranging caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) or farmed
reindeer. Potential contact between CWD-affected cervids and Rangifer species
that are free-ranging or co-housed on farms presents a potential risk of CWD
transmission. The aims of this study were to 1) investigate the transmission of
CWD from white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus; CWD-wtd), mule deer
(Odocoileus hemionus; CWD-md), or elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni; CWD-elk) to
reindeer via the intracranial route, and 2) to assess for direct and indirect
horizontal transmission to non-inoculated sentinels. Three groups of 5 reindeer
fawns were challenged intracranially with CWD-wtd, CWD-md, or CWD-elk. Two years
after challenge of inoculated reindeer, non-inoculated control reindeer were
introduced into the same pen as the CWD-wtd inoculated reindeer (n=4) or into a
pen adjacent to the CWD-md inoculated reindeer (n=2). Reindeer were allowed to
develop clinical disease. At death/euthanasia a complete necropsy examination
was performed, including immunohistochemical testing of tissues for
disease-associated CWD prion protein (PrP-CWD). Intracranially challenged
reindeer developed clinical disease from 21 months post-inoculation (MPI).
***PrP-CWD was detected in 5/6 sentinel reindeer although only 2/6 developed
clinical disease during the study period (<57 and="" are="" both="" can="" cervid="" cwd="" directly="" div="" from="" have="" indirectly.="" mpi="" naive="" reindeer="" shown="" sources="" susceptible="" that="" to="" transmit="" various="" we="">
***PrP-CWD was detected in 5/6 sentinel reindeer although only 2/6
developed clinical disease during the study period (<57 and="" are="" both="" can="" cervid="" cwd="" directly="" div="" from="" have="" indirectly.="" mpi="" naive="" reindeer="" shown="" sources="" susceptible="" that="" to="" transmit="" various="" we="">
HIGHEST INFECTION RATE ON SEVERAL CWD CONFIRMED CAPTIVES
snip...see more here;
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
*** Transmission of chronic wasting disease to sentinel reindeer (Rangifer
tarandus tarandus) can transmit CWD to naive reindeer both directly and
indirectly
Research Project: TRANSMISSION, DIFFERENTIATION, AND PATHOBIOLOGY OF
TRANSMISSIBLE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHIES
*** Infectious agent of sheep scrapie may persist in the environment for at
least 16 years ***
Gudmundur Georgsson1, Sigurdur Sigurdarson2 and Paul Brown3
*** Spraker suggested an interesting explanation for the occurrence of CWD.
The deer pens at the Foot Hills Campus were built some 30-40 years ago by a Dr.
Bob Davis. At or abut that time, allegedly, some scrapie work was conducted at
this site. When deer were introduced to the pens they occupied ground that had
previously been occupied by sheep.
HIGHEST INFECTION RATE ON SEVERAL CWD CONFIRMED CAPTIVES
CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE CWD WISCONSIN Almond Deer (Buckhorn Flats) Farm
Update DECEMBER 2011
The CWD infection rate was nearly 80%, the highest ever in a North American
captive herd.
RECOMMENDATION: That the Board approve the purchase of 80 acres of land for
$465,000 for the Statewide Wildlife Habitat Program in Portage County and
approve the restrictions on public use of the site.
SUMMARY:
For Immediate Release Thursday, October 2, 2014
Dustin Vande Hoef 515/281-3375 or 515/326-1616 (cell) or
Dustin.VandeHoef@IowaAgriculture.gov
*** TEST RESULTS FROM CAPTIVE DEER HERD WITH CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE
RELEASED 79.8 percent of the deer tested positive for the disease
DES MOINES – The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship today
announced that the test results from the depopulation of a quarantined captive
deer herd in north-central Iowa showed that 284 of the 356 deer, or 79.8% of the
herd, tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).
*** see history of this CWD blunder here ;
On June 5, 2013, DNR conducted a fence inspection, after gaining approval
from surrounding landowners, and confirmed that the fenced had been cut or
removed in at least four separate locations; that the fence had degraded and was
failing to maintain the enclosure around the Quarantined Premises in at least
one area; that at least three gates had been opened;and that deer tracks were
visible in and around one of the open areas in the sand on both sides of the
fence, evidencing movement of deer into the Quarantined Premises.
The overall incidence of clinical CWD in white-tailed deer was 82%
Species (cohort) CWD (cases/total) Incidence (%) Age at CWD death (mo)
”The occurrence of CWD must be viewed against the contest of the locations
in which it occurred. It was an incidental and unwelcome complication of the
respective wildlife research programmes. Despite it’s subsequent recognition as
a new disease of cervids, therefore justifying direct investigation, no specific
research funding was forthcoming. The USDA veiwed it as a wildlife problem and
consequently not their province!” page 26.
Sunday, January 06, 2013
USDA TO PGC ONCE CAPTIVES ESCAPE
*** "it‘s no longer its business.”
CWD, spreading it around...
for the game farm industry, and their constituents, to continue to believe
that they are _NOT_, and or insinuate that they have _NEVER_ been part of the
problem, will only continue to help spread cwd. the game farming industry, from
the shooting pens, to the urine mills, the antler mills, the sperm mills, velvet
mills, shooting pens, to large ranches, are not the only problem, but it is
painfully obvious that they have been part of the problem for decades and
decades, just spreading it around, as with transportation and or exportation and
or importation of cervids from game farming industry, and have been proven to
spread cwd. no one need to look any further than South Korea blunder ;
===========================================
spreading cwd around...
Between 1996 and 2002, chronic wasting disease was diagnosed in 39 herds of
farmed elk in Saskatchewan in a single epidemic. All of these herds were
depopulated as part of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) disease
eradication program. Animals, primarily over 12 mo of age, were tested for the
presence CWD prions following euthanasia. Twenty-one of the herds were linked
through movements of live animals with latent CWD from a single infected source
herd in Saskatchewan, 17 through movements of animals from 7 of the secondarily
infected herds.
***The source herd is believed to have become infected via importation of
animals from a game farm in South Dakota where CWD was subsequently diagnosed
(7,4). A wide range in herd prevalence of CWD at the time of herd depopulation
of these herds was observed. Within-herd transmission was observed on some
farms, while the disease remained confined to the introduced animals on other
farms.
spreading cwd around...
Friday, May 13, 2011
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) outbreaks and surveillance program in the
Republic of Korea
Hyun-Joo Sohn, Yoon-Hee Lee, Min-jeong Kim, Eun-Im Yun, Hyo-Jin Kim,
Won-Yong Lee, Dong-Seob Tark, In- Soo Cho, Foreign Animal Disease Research
Division, National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service, Republic of Korea
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been recognized as an important prion
disease in native North America deer and Rocky mountain elks. The disease is a
unique member of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), which
naturally affects only a few species. CWD had been limited to USA and Canada
until 2000.
On 28 December 2000, information from the Canadian government showed that a
total of 95 elk had been exported from farms with CWD to Korea. These consisted
of 23 elk in 1994 originating from the so-called “source farm” in Canada, and 72
elk in 1997, which had been held in pre export quarantine at the “source
farm”.Based on export information of CWD suspected elk from Canada to Korea, CWD
surveillance program was initiated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
(MAF) in 2001.
All elks imported in 1997 were traced back, however elks imported in 1994
were impossible to identify. CWD control measures included stamping out of all
animals in the affected farm, and thorough cleaning and disinfection of the
premises. In addition, nationwide clinical surveillance of Korean native
cervids, and improved measures to ensure reporting of CWD suspect cases were
implemented.
Total of 9 elks were found to be affected. CWD was designated as a
notifiable disease under the Act for Prevention of Livestock Epidemics in 2002.
Additional CWD cases - 12 elks and 2 elks - were diagnosed in 2004 and
2005.
Since February of 2005, when slaughtered elks were found to be positive,
all slaughtered cervid for human consumption at abattoirs were designated as
target of the CWD surveillance program. Currently, CWD laboratory testing is
only conducted by National Reference Laboratory on CWD, which is the Foreign
Animal Disease Division (FADD) of National Veterinary Research and Quarantine
Service (NVRQS).
In July 2010, one out of 3 elks from Farm 1 which were slaughtered for the
human consumption was confirmed as positive. Consequently, all cervid – 54 elks,
41 Sika deer and 5 Albino deer – were culled and one elk was found to be
positive. Epidemiological investigations were conducted by Veterinary
Epidemiology Division (VED) of NVRQS in collaboration with provincial veterinary
services.
Epidemiologically related farms were found as 3 farms and all cervid at
these farms were culled and subjected to CWD diagnosis. Three elks and 5
crossbreeds (Red deer and Sika deer) were confirmed as positive at farm 2.
All cervids at Farm 3 and Farm 4 – 15 elks and 47 elks – were culled and
confirmed as negative.
Further epidemiological investigations showed that these CWD outbreaks were
linked to the importation of elks from Canada in 1994 based on circumstantial
evidences.
In December 2010, one elk was confirmed as positive at Farm 5.
Consequently, all cervid – 3 elks, 11 Manchurian Sika deer and 20 Sika deer –
were culled and one Manchurian Sika deer and seven Sika deer were found to be
positive. This is the first report of CWD in these sub-species of deer.
Epidemiological investigations found that the owner of the Farm 2 in CWD
outbreaks in July 2010 had co-owned the Farm 5.
In addition, it was newly revealed that one positive elk was introduced
from Farm 6 of Jinju-si Gyeongsang Namdo. All cervid – 19 elks, 15 crossbreed
(species unknown) and 64 Sika deer – of Farm 6 were culled, but all confirmed as
negative.
New studies on the heat resistance of hamster-adapted scrapie agent:
Threshold survival after ashing at 600°C suggests an inorganic template of
replication
The infectious agents responsible for transmissible spongiform
encephalopathy (TSE) are notoriously resistant to most physical and chemical
methods used for inactivating pathogens, including heat. It has long been
recognized, for example, that boiling is ineffective and that higher
temperatures are most efficient when combined with steam under pressure (i.e.,
autoclaving). As a means of decontamination, dry heat is used only at the
extremely high temperatures achieved during incineration, usually in excess of
600°C. It has been assumed, without proof, that incineration totally inactivates
the agents of TSE, whether of human or animal origin.
Prion Infected Meat-and-Bone Meal Is Still Infectious after Biodiesel
Production
Histochemical analysis of hamster brains inoculated with the solid residue
showed typical spongiform degeneration and vacuolation. Re-inoculation of these
brains into a new cohort of hamsters led to onset of clinical scrapie symptoms
within 75 days, suggesting that the specific infectivity of the prion protein
was not changed during the biodiesel process. The biodiesel reaction cannot be
considered a viable prion decontamination method for MBM, although we observed
increased survival time of hamsters and reduced infectivity greater than 6 log
orders in the solid MBM residue. Furthermore, results from our study compare for
the first time prion detection by Western Blot versus an infectivity bioassay
for analysis of biodiesel reaction products. We could show that biochemical
analysis alone is insufficient for detection of prion infectivity after a
biodiesel process.
Detection of protease-resistant cervid prion protein in water from a
CWD-endemic area
The data presented here demonstrate that sPMCA can detect low levels of
PrPCWD in the environment, corroborate previous biological and experimental data
suggesting long term persistence of prions in the environment2,3 and imply that
PrPCWD accumulation over time may contribute to transmission of CWD in areas
where it has been endemic for decades. This work demonstrates the utility of
sPMCA to evaluate other environmental water sources for PrPCWD, including
smaller bodies of water such as vernal pools and wallows, where large numbers of
cervids congregate and into which prions from infected animals may be shed and
concentrated to infectious levels.
A Quantitative Assessment of the Amount of Prion Diverted to Category 1
Materials and Wastewater During Processing
Keywords:Abattoir;bovine spongiform encephalopathy;QRA;scrapie;TSE
In this article the development and parameterization of a quantitative
assessment is described that estimates the amount of TSE infectivity that is
present in a whole animal carcass (bovine spongiform encephalopathy [BSE] for
cattle and classical/atypical scrapie for sheep and lambs) and the amounts that
subsequently fall to the floor during processing at facilities that handle
specified risk material (SRM). BSE in cattle was found to contain the most oral
doses, with a mean of 9864 BO ID50s (310, 38840) in a whole carcass compared to
a mean of 1851 OO ID50s (600, 4070) and 614 OO ID50s (155, 1509) for a sheep
infected with classical and atypical scrapie, respectively. Lambs contained the
least infectivity with a mean of 251 OO ID50s (83, 548) for classical scrapie
and 1 OO ID50s (0.2, 2) for atypical scrapie. The highest amounts of infectivity
falling to the floor and entering the drains from slaughtering a whole carcass
at SRM facilities were found to be from cattle infected with BSE at rendering
and large incineration facilities with 7.4 BO ID50s (0.1, 29), intermediate
plants and small incinerators with a mean of 4.5 BO ID50s (0.1, 18), and
collection centers, 3.6 BO ID50s (0.1, 14). The lowest amounts entering drains
are from lambs infected with classical and atypical scrapie at intermediate
plants and atypical scrapie at collection centers with a mean of 3 × 10−7 OO
ID50s (2 × 10−8, 1 × 10−6) per carcass. The results of this model provide key
inputs for the model in the companion paper published here.
PL1
Using in vitro prion replication for high sensitive detection of prions and
prionlike proteins and for understanding mechanisms of transmission.
Claudio Soto
Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's diseases and related Brain disorders,
Department of Neurology, University of Texas Medical School at Houston.
Prion and prion-like proteins are misfolded protein aggregates with the
ability to selfpropagate to spread disease between cells, organs and in some
cases across individuals. I n T r a n s m i s s i b l e s p o n g i f o r m
encephalopathies (TSEs), prions are mostly composed by a misfolded form of the
prion protein (PrPSc), which propagates by transmitting its misfolding to the
normal prion protein (PrPC). The availability of a procedure to replicate prions
in the laboratory may be important to study the mechanism of prion and
prion-like spreading and to develop high sensitive detection of small quantities
of misfolded proteins in biological fluids, tissues and environmental samples.
Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification (PMCA) is a simple, fast and efficient
methodology to mimic prion replication in the test tube. PMCA is a platform
technology that may enable amplification of any prion-like misfolded protein
aggregating through a seeding/nucleation process. In TSEs, PMCA is able to
detect the equivalent of one single molecule of infectious PrPSc and propagate
prions that maintain high infectivity, strain properties and species
specificity. Using PMCA we have been able to detect PrPSc in blood and urine of
experimentally infected animals and humans affected by vCJD with high
sensitivity and specificity. Recently, we have expanded the principles of PMCA
to amplify amyloid-beta (Aβ) and alphasynuclein (α-syn) aggregates implicated in
Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, respectively. Experiments are ongoing to
study the utility of this technology to detect Aβ and α-syn aggregates in
samples of CSF and blood from patients affected by these diseases.
=========================
***Recently, we have been using PMCA to study the role of environmental
prion contamination on the horizontal spreading of TSEs. These experiments have
focused on the study of the interaction of prions with plants and
environmentally relevant surfaces. Our results show that plants (both leaves and
roots) bind tightly to prions present in brain extracts and excreta (urine and
feces) and retain even small quantities of PrPSc for long periods of time.
Strikingly, ingestion of prioncontaminated leaves and roots produced disease
with a 100% attack rate and an incubation period not substantially longer than
feeding animals directly with scrapie brain homogenate. Furthermore, plants can
uptake prions from contaminated soil and transport them to different parts of
the plant tissue (stem and leaves). Similarly, prions bind tightly to a variety
of environmentally relevant surfaces, including stones, wood, metals, plastic,
glass, cement, etc. Prion contaminated surfaces efficiently transmit prion
disease when these materials were directly injected into the brain of animals
and strikingly when the contaminated surfaces were just placed in the animal
cage. These findings demonstrate that environmental materials can efficiently
bind infectious prions and act as carriers of infectivity, suggesting that they
may play an important role in the horizontal transmission of the disease.
========================
Since its invention 13 years ago, PMCA has helped to answer fundamental
questions of prion propagation and has broad applications in research areas
including the food industry, blood bank safety and human and veterinary disease
diagnosis.
see ;
98 | Veterinary Record | January 24, 2015
EDITORIAL
Scrapie: a particularly persistent pathogen
Cristina Acín
Resistant prions in the environment have been the sword of Damocles for
scrapie control and eradication. Attempts to establish which physical and
chemical agents could be applied to inactivate or moderate scrapie infectivity
were initiated in the 1960s and 1970s,with the first study of this type focusing
on the effect of heat treatment in reducing prion infectivity (Hunter and
Millson 1964). Nowadays, most of the chemical procedures that aim to inactivate
the prion protein are based on the method developed by Kimberlin and
collaborators (1983). This procedure consists of treatment with 20,000 parts per
million free chlorine solution, for a minimum of one hour, of all surfaces that
need to be sterilised (in laboratories, lambing pens, slaughterhouses, and so
on). Despite this, veterinarians and farmers may still ask a range of questions,
such as ‘Is there an official procedure published somewhere?’ and ‘Is there an
international organisation which recommends and defines the exact method of
scrapie decontamination that must be applied?’
From a European perspective, it is difficult to find a treatment that could
be applied, especially in relation to the disinfection of surfaces in lambing
pens of affected flocks. A 999/2001 EU regulation on controlling spongiform
encephalopathies (European Parliament and Council 2001) did not specify a
particular decontamination measure to be used when an outbreak of scrapie is
diagnosed. There is only a brief recommendation in Annex VII concerning the
control and eradication of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE
s).
Chapter B of the regulation explains the measures that must be applied if
new caprine animals are to be introduced to a holding where a scrapie outbreak
has previously been diagnosed. In that case, the statement indicates that
caprine animals can be introduced ‘provided that a cleaning and disinfection of
all animal housing on the premises has been carried out following
destocking’.
Issues around cleaning and disinfection are common in prion prevention
recommendations, but relevant authorities, veterinarians and farmers may have
difficulties in finding the specific protocol which applies. The European Food
and Safety Authority (EFSA ) published a detailed report about the efficacy of
certain biocides, such as sodium hydroxide, sodium hypochlorite, guanidine and
even a formulation of copper or iron metal ions in combination with hydrogen
peroxide, against prions (EFSA 2009). The report was based on scientific
evidence (Fichet and others 2004, Lemmer and others 2004, Gao and others 2006,
Solassol and others 2006) but unfortunately the decontamination measures were
not assessed under outbreak conditions.
The EFSA Panel on Biological Hazards recently published its conclusions on
the scrapie situation in the EU after 10 years of monitoring and control of the
disease in sheep and goats (EFSA 2014), and one of the most interesting findings
was the Icelandic experience regarding the effect of disinfection in scrapie
control. The Icelandic plan consisted of: culling scrapie-affected sheep or the
whole flock in newly diagnosed outbreaks; deep cleaning and disinfection of
stables, sheds, barns and equipment with high pressure washing followed by
cleaning with 500 parts per million of hypochlorite; drying and treatment with
300 ppm of iodophor; and restocking was not permitted for at least two years.
Even when all of these measures were implemented, scrapie recurred on several
farms, indicating that the infectious agent survived for years in the
environment, even as many as 16 years after restocking (Georgsson and others
2006).
In the rest of the countries considered in the EFSA (2014) report,
recommendations for disinfection measures were not specifically defined at the
government level. In the report, the only recommendation that is made for sheep
is repopulation with sheep with scrapie-resistant genotypes. This reduces the
risk of scrapie recurrence but it is difficult to know its effect on the
infection.
Until the EFSA was established (in May 2003), scientific opinions about TSE
s were provided by the Scientific Steering Committee (SSC) of the EC, whose
advice regarding inactivation procedures focused on treating animal waste at
high temperatures (150°C for three hours) and high pressure alkaline hydrolysis
(SSC 2003). At the same time, the TSE Risk Management Subgroup of the Advisory
Committee on Dangerous Pathogens (ACDP) in the UK published guidance on safe
working and the prevention of TSE infection. Annex C of the ACDP report
established that sodium hypochlorite was considered to be effective, but only if
20,000 ppm of available chlorine was present for at least one hour, which has
practical limitations such as the release of chlorine gas, corrosion,
incompatibility with formaldehyde, alcohols and acids, rapid inactivation of its
active chemicals and the stability of dilutions (ACDP 2009).
In an international context, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)
does not recommend a specific disinfection protocol for prion agents in its
Terrestrial Code or Manual. Chapter 4.13 of the Terrestrial Code, General
recommendations on disinfection and disinsection (OIE 2014), focuses on
foot-and-mouth disease virus, mycobacteria and Bacillus anthracis, but not on
prion disinfection. Nevertheless, the last update published by the OIE on bovine
spongiform encephalopathy (OIE 2012) indicates that few effective
decontamination techniques are available to inactivate the agent on surfaces,
and recommends the removal of all organic material and the use of sodium
hydroxide, or a sodium hypochlorite solution containing 2 per cent available
chlorine, for more than one hour at 20ºC.
The World Health Organization outlines guidelines for the control of TSE s,
and also emphasises the importance of mechanically cleaning surfaces before
disinfection with sodium hydroxide or sodium hypochlorite for one hour (WHO
1999).
Finally, the relevant agencies in both Canada and the USA suggest that the
best treatments for surfaces potentially contaminated with prions are sodium
hydroxide or sodium hypochlorite at 20,000 ppm. This is a 2 per cent solution,
while most commercial household bleaches contain 5.25 per cent sodium
hypochlorite. It is therefore recommended to dilute one part 5.25 per cent
bleach with 1.5 parts water (CDC 2009, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
2013).
So what should we do about disinfection against prions? First, it is
suggested that a single protocol be created by international authorities to
homogenise inactivation procedures and enable their application in all
scrapie-affected countries. Sodium hypochlorite with 20,000 ppm of available
chlorine seems to be the procedure used in most countries, as noted in a paper
summarised on p 99 of this issue of Veterinary Record (Hawkins and others 2015).
But are we totally sure of its effectiveness as a preventive measure in a
scrapie outbreak? Would an in-depth study of the recurrence of scrapie disease
be needed?
What we can conclude is that, if we want to fight prion diseases, and
specifically classical scrapie, we must focus on the accuracy of diagnosis,
monitoring and surveillance; appropriate animal identification and control of
movements; and, in the end, have homogeneous and suitable protocols to
decontaminate and disinfect lambing barns, sheds and equipment available to
veterinarians and farmers. Finally, further investigations into the resistance
of prion proteins in the diversity of environmental surfaces are required.
References
snip...
98 | Veterinary Record | January 24, 2015
Persistence of ovine scrapie infectivity in a farm environment following
cleaning and decontamination
Steve A. C. Hawkins, MIBiol, Pathology Department1, Hugh A. Simmons, BVSc
MRCVS, MBA, MA Animal Services Unit1, Kevin C. Gough, BSc, PhD2 and Ben C.
Maddison, BSc, PhD3 + Author Affiliations
1Animal and Plant Health Agency, Woodham Lane, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey
KT15 3NB, UK 2School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, The University of
Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE12 5RD, UK 3ADAS
UK, School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, The University of Nottingham,
Sutton Bonington, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE12 5RD, UK E-mail for
correspondence: ben.maddison@adas.co.uk Abstract Scrapie of sheep/goats and
chronic wasting disease of deer/elk are contagious prion diseases where
environmental reservoirs are directly implicated in the transmission of disease.
In this study, the effectiveness of recommended scrapie farm decontamination
regimens was evaluated by a sheep bioassay using buildings naturally
contaminated with scrapie. Pens within a farm building were treated with either
20,000 parts per million free chorine solution for one hour or were treated with
the same but were followed by painting and full re-galvanisation or replacement
of metalwork within the pen. Scrapie susceptible lambs of the PRNP genotype
VRQ/VRQ were reared within these pens and their scrapie status was monitored by
recto-anal mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue. All animals became infected over
an 18-month period, even in the pen that had been subject to the most stringent
decontamination process. These data suggest that recommended current guidelines
for the decontamination of farm buildings following outbreaks of scrapie do
little to reduce the titre of infectious scrapie material and that environmental
recontamination could also be an issue associated with these premises.
SNIP...
Discussion
Thorough pressure washing of a pen had no effect on the amount of
bioavailable scrapie infectivity (pen B). The routine removal of prions from
surfaces within a laboratory setting is treatment for a minimum of one hour with
20,000 ppm free chlorine, a method originally based on the use of brain
macerates from infected rodents to evaluate the effectiveness of decontamination
(Kimberlin and others 1983). Further studies have also investigated the
effectiveness of hypochlorite disinfection of metal surfaces to simulate the
decontamination of surgical devices within a hospital setting. Such treatments
with hypochlorite solution were able to reduce infectivity by 5.5 logs to lower
than the sensitivity of the bioassay used (Lemmer and others 2004). Analogous
treatment of the pen surfaces did not effectively remove the levels of scrapie
infectivity over that of the control pens, indicating that this method of
decontamination is not effective within a farm setting. This may be due to the
high level of biological matrix that is present upon surfaces within the farm
environment, which may reduce the amount of free chlorine available to
inactivate any infectious prion. Remarkably 1/5 sheep introduced into pen D had
also became scrapie positive within nine months, with all animals in this pen
being RAMALT positive by 18 months of age. Pen D was no further away from the
control pen (pen A) than any of the other pens within this barn. Localised hot
spots of infectivity may be present within scrapie-contaminated environments,
but it is unlikely that pen D area had an amount of scrapie contamination that
was significantly different than the other areas within this building.
Similarly, there were no differences in how the biosecurity of pen D was
maintained, or how this pen was ventilated compared with the other pens. This
observation, perhaps, indicates the slower kinetics of disease uptake within
this pen and is consistent with a more thorough prion removal and
recontamination. These observations may also account for the presence of
inadvertent scrapie cases within other studies, where despite stringent
biosecurity, control animals have become scrapie positive during challenge
studies using barns that also housed scrapie-affected animals (Ryder and others
2009). The bioassay data indicate that the exposure of the sheep to a farm
environment after decontamination efforts thought to be effective in removing
scrapie is sufficient for the animals to become infected with scrapie. The main
exposure routes within this scenario are likely to be via the oral route, during
feeding and drinking, and respiratory and conjunctival routes. It has been
demonstrated that scrapie infectivity can be efficiently transmitted via the
nasal route in sheep (Hamir and others 2008), as is the case for CWD in both
murine models and in white-tailed deer (Denkers and others 2010, 2013).
Recently, it has also been demonstrated that CWD prions presented as dust when
bound to the soil mineral montmorillonite can be infectious via the nasal route
(Nichols and others 2013). When considering pens C and D, the actual source of
the infectious agent in the pens is not known, it is possible that biologically
relevant levels of prion survive on surfaces during the decontamination regimen
(pen C). With the use of galvanising and painting (pen D) covering and sealing
the surface of the pen, it is possible that scrapie material recontaminated the
pens by the movement of infectious prions contained within dusts originating
from other parts of the barn that were not decontaminated or from other areas of
the farm.
Given that scrapie prions are widespread on the surfaces of affected farms
(Maddison and others 2010a), irrespective of the source of the infectious prions
in the pens, this study clearly highlights the difficulties that are faced with
the effective removal of environmentally associated scrapie infectivity. This is
likely to be paralleled in CWD which shows strong similarities to scrapie in
terms of both the dissemination of prions into the environment and the facile
mode of disease transmission. These data further contribute to the understanding
that prion diseases can be highly transmissible between susceptible individuals
not just by direct contact but through highly stable environmental reservoirs
that are refractory to decontamination.
The presence of these environmentally associated prions in farm buildings
make the control of these diseases a considerable challenge, especially in
animal species such as goats where there is lack of genetic resistance to
scrapie and, therefore, no scope to re-stock farms with animals that are
resistant to scrapie.
Scrapie Sheep Goats Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE)
Accepted October 12, 2014. Published Online First 31 October 2014
Monday, November 3, 2014
Persistence of ovine scrapie infectivity in a farm environment following
cleaning and decontamination
PPo3-22:
Detection of Environmentally Associated PrPSc on a Farm with Endemic
Scrapie
Ben C. Maddison,1 Claire A. Baker,1 Helen C. Rees,1 Linda A. Terry,2 Leigh
Thorne,2 Susan J. Belworthy2 and Kevin C. Gough3 1ADAS-UK LTD; Department of
Biology; University of Leicester; Leicester, UK; 2Veterinary Laboratories
Agency; Surry, KT UK; 3Department of Veterinary Medicine and Science; University
of Nottingham; Sutton Bonington, Loughborough UK
Key words: scrapie, evironmental persistence, sPMCA
Ovine scrapie shows considerable horizontal transmission, yet the routes of
transmission and specifically the role of fomites in transmission remain poorly
defined. Here we present biochemical data demonstrating that on a
scrapie-affected sheep farm, scrapie prion contamination is widespread. It was
anticipated at the outset that if prions contaminate the environment that they
would be there at extremely low levels, as such the most sensitive method
available for the detection of PrPSc, serial Protein Misfolding Cyclic
Amplification (sPMCA), was used in this study. We investigated the distribution
of environmental scrapie prions by applying ovine sPMCA to samples taken from a
range of surfaces that were accessible to animals and could be collected by use
of a wetted foam swab. Prion was amplified by sPMCA from a number of these
environmental swab samples including those taken from metal, plastic and wooden
surfaces, both in the indoor and outdoor environment. At the time of sampling
there had been no sheep contact with these areas for at least 20 days prior to
sampling indicating that prions persist for at least this duration in the
environment. These data implicate inanimate objects as environmental reservoirs
of prion infectivity which are likely to contribute to disease transmission.
Research Project: TRANSMISSION, DIFFERENTIATION, AND PATHOBIOLOGY OF
TRANSMISSIBLE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHIES
Title: Transmission of scrapie prions to primate after an extended silent
incubation period
Authors
item Comoy, Emmanuel - item Mikol, Jacqueline - item Luccantoni-Freire,
Sophie - item Correia, Evelyne - item Lescoutra-Etchegaray, Nathalie - item
Durand, Valérie - item Dehen, Capucine - item Andreoletti, Olivier - item
Casalone, Cristina - item Richt, Juergen item Greenlee, Justin item Baron,
Thierry - item Benestad, Sylvie - item Hills, Bob - item Brown, Paul - item
Deslys, Jean-Philippe -
Submitted to: Scientific Reports Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: May 28, 2015 Publication Date: June 30, 2015
Citation: Comoy, E.E., Mikol, J., Luccantoni-Freire, S., Correia, E.,
Lescoutra-Etchegaray, N., Durand, V., Dehen, C., Andreoletti, O., Casalone, C.,
Richt, J.A., Greenlee, J.J., Baron, T., Benestad, S., Brown, P., Deslys, J.
2015. Transmission of scrapie prions to primate after an extended silent
incubation period. Scientific Reports. 5:11573. Interpretive Summary: The
transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (also called prion diseases) are fatal
neurodegenerative diseases that affect animals and humans. The agent of prion
diseases is a misfolded form of the prion protein that is resistant to breakdown
by the host cells. Since all mammals express prion protein on the surface of
various cells such as neurons, all mammals are, in theory, capable of
replicating prion diseases. One example of a prion disease, bovine spongiform
encephalopathy (BSE; also called mad cow disease), has been shown to infect
cattle, sheep, exotic undulates, cats, non-human primates, and humans when the
new host is exposed to feeds or foods contaminated with the disease agent. The
purpose of this study was to test whether non-human primates (cynomologous
macaque) are susceptible to the agent of sheep scrapie. After an incubation
period of approximately 10 years a macaque developed progressive clinical signs
suggestive of neurologic disease. Upon postmortem examination and microscopic
examination of tissues, there was a widespread distribution of lesions
consistent with a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy. ***This information
will have a scientific impact since it is the first study that demonstrates the
transmission of scrapie to a non-human primate with a close genetic relationship
to humans. This information is especially useful to regulatory officials and
those involved with risk assessment of the potential transmission of animal
prion diseases to humans.
Technical Abstract: Classical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (c-BSE) is
an animal prion disease that also causes variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in
humans. Over the past decades, c-BSE's zoonotic potential has been the driving
force in establishing extensive protective measures for animal and human health.
In complement to the recent demonstration that humanized mice are susceptible to
scrapie, we report here the first observation of direct transmission of a
natural classical scrapie isolate to a macaque after a 10-year incubation
period. Neuropathologic examination revealed all of the features of a prion
disease: spongiform change, neuronal loss, and accumulation of PrPres throughout
the CNS.
***This observation strengthens the questioning of the harmlessness of
scrapie to humans, at a time when protective measures for human and animal
health are being dismantled and reduced as c-BSE is considered controlled and
being eradicated. Our results underscore the importance of precautionary and
protective measures and the necessity for long-term experimental transmission
studies to assess the zoonotic potential of other animal prion strains.
why do we not want to do TSE transmission studies on chimpanzees $
5. A positive result from a chimpanzee challenged severly would likely
create alarm in some circles even if the result could not be interpreted for
man. I have a view that all these agents could be transmitted provided a large
enough dose by appropriate routes was given and the animals kept long enough.
Until the mechanisms of the species barrier are more clearly understood it might
be best to retain that hypothesis.
snip...
R. BRADLEY
Recently the question has again been brought up as to whether scrapie is
transmissible to man. This has followed reports that the disease has been
transmitted to primates. One particularly lurid speculation (Gajdusek 1977)
conjectures that the agents of scrapie, kuru, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and
transmissible encephalopathy of mink are varieties of a single "virus". The U.S.
Department of Agriculture concluded that it could "no longer justify or permit
scrapie-blood line and scrapie-exposed sheep and goats to be processed for human
or animal food at slaughter or rendering plants" (ARC 84/77)" The problem is
emphasized by the finding that some strains of scrapie produce lesions identical
to the once which characterize the human dementias"
Whether true or not. the hypothesis that these agents might be
transmissible to man raises two considerations. First, the safety of laboratory
personnel requires prompt attention. Second, action such as the "scorched meat"
policy of USDA makes the solution of the scrapie problem urgent if the sheep
industry is not to suffer grievously.
snip...
76/10.12/4.6
Saturday, January 31, 2015
European red deer (Cervus elaphus elaphus) are susceptible to Bovine
Spongiform Encephalopathy BSE by Oral Alimentary route
I strenuously once again urge the FDA and its industry constituents, to
make it MANDATORY that all ruminant feed be banned to all ruminants, and this
should include all cervids as soon as possible for the following
reasons...
======
In the USA, under the Food and Drug Administrations BSE Feed Regulation (21
CFR 589.2000) most material (exceptions include milk, tallow, and gelatin) from
deer and elk is prohibited for use in feed for ruminant animals. With regards to
feed for non-ruminant animals, under FDA law, CWD positive deer may not be used
for any animal feed or feed ingredients. For elk and deer considered at high
risk for CWD, the FDA recommends that these animals do not enter the animal feed
system.
***However, this recommendation is guidance and not a requirement by law.
======
31 Jan 2015 at 20:14 GMT
*** Ruminant feed ban for cervids in the United States? ***
31 Jan 2015 at 20:14 GMT
Monday, October 26, 2015
FDA PART 589 -- SUBSTANCES PROHIBITED FROM USE IN ANIMAL FOOD OR FEED
VIOLATIONS OFFICIAL ACTION INDICATED OIA UPDATE October 2015
Sunday, October 25, 2015
USAHA Detailed Events Schedule – 119th USAHA Annual Meeting CAPTIVE
LIVESTOCK CWD SCRAPIE TSE PRION
Monday, October 26, 2015
FDA PART 589 -- SUBSTANCES PROHIBITED FROM USE IN ANIMAL FOOD OR FEED
VIOLATIONS OFFICIAL ACTION INDICATED OIA UPDATE October 2015
Research Project: TRANSMISSION, DIFFERENTIATION, AND PATHOBIOLOGY OF
TRANSMISSIBLE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHIES Title: Transmission of scrapie prions
to primate after an extended silent incubation period Authors
item Comoy, Emmanuel - item Mikol, Jacqueline - item Luccantoni-Freire,
Sophie - item Correia, Evelyne - item Lescoutra-Etchegaray, Nathalie - item
Durand, Valérie - item Dehen, Capucine - item Andreoletti, Olivier - item
Casalone, Cristina - item Richt, Juergen item Greenlee, Justin item Baron,
Thierry - item Benestad, Sylvie - item Hills, Bob - item Brown, Paul - item
Deslys, Jean-Philippe -
Submitted to: Scientific Reports Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: May 28, 2015 Publication Date: June 30, 2015
Citation: Comoy, E.E., Mikol, J., Luccantoni-Freire, S., Correia, E.,
Lescoutra-Etchegaray, N., Durand, V., Dehen, C., Andreoletti, O., Casalone, C.,
Richt, J.A., Greenlee, J.J., Baron, T., Benestad, S., Brown, P., Deslys, J.
2015. Transmission of scrapie prions to primate after an extended silent
incubation period. Scientific Reports. 5:11573. Interpretive Summary: The
transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (also called prion diseases) are fatal
neurodegenerative diseases that affect animals and humans. The agent of prion
diseases is a misfolded form of the prion protein that is resistant to breakdown
by the host cells. Since all mammals express prion protein on the surface of
various cells such as neurons, all mammals are, in theory, capable of
replicating prion diseases. One example of a prion disease, bovine spongiform
encephalopathy (BSE; also called mad cow disease), has been shown to infect
cattle, sheep, exotic undulates, cats, non-human primates, and humans when the
new host is exposed to feeds or foods contaminated with the disease agent. The
purpose of this study was to test whether non-human primates (cynomologous
macaque) are susceptible to the agent of sheep scrapie. After an incubation
period of approximately 10 years a macaque developed progressive clinical signs
suggestive of neurologic disease. Upon postmortem examination and microscopic
examination of tissues, there was a widespread distribution of lesions
consistent with a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy. This information will
have a scientific impact since it is the first study that demonstrates the
transmission of scrapie to a non-human primate with a close genetic relationship
to humans. This information is especially useful to regulatory officials and
those involved with risk assessment of the potential transmission of animal
prion diseases to humans.
Technical Abstract: Classical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (c-BSE) is
an animal prion disease that also causes variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in
humans. Over the past decades, c-BSE's zoonotic potential has been the driving
force in establishing extensive protective measures for animal and human health.
In complement to the recent demonstration that humanized mice are susceptible to
scrapie, we report here the first observation of direct transmission of a
natural classical scrapie isolate to a macaque after a 10-year incubation
period. Neuropathologic examination revealed all of the features of a prion
disease: spongiform change, neuronal loss, and accumulation of PrPres throughout
the CNS. This observation strengthens the questioning of the harmlessness of
scrapie to humans, at a time when protective measures for human and animal
health are being dismantled and reduced as c-BSE is considered controlled and
being eradicated. Our results underscore the importance of precautionary and
protective measures and the necessity for long-term experimental transmission
studies to assess the zoonotic potential of other animal prion strains.
Research Project: TRANSMISSION, DIFFERENTIATION, AND PATHOBIOLOGY OF
TRANSMISSIBLE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHIES Title: Transmission of the agent of
sheep scrapie to deer results in PrPSc with two distinct molecular profiles
Authors
item Greenlee, Justin item Moore, Sarah - item Smith, Jodi item West
Greenlee, Mary - item Kunkle, Robert
Submitted to: Prion Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance
Date: March 31, 2015 Publication Date: May 25, 2015 Citation: Greenlee, J.,
Moore, S.J., Smith, J.., West Greenlee, M.H., Kunkle, R. 2015.
Scrapie transmits to white-tailed deer by the oral route and has a
molecular profile similar to chronic wasting disease and distinct from the
scrapie inoculum. Prion 2015. p. S62. Technical Abstract: The purpose of this
work was to determine susceptibility of white-tailed deer (WTD) to the agent of
sheep scrapie and to compare the resultant PrPSc to that of the original
inoculum and chronic wasting disease (CWD). We inoculated WTD by a natural route
of exposure (concurrent oral and intranasal (IN); n=5) with a US scrapie
isolate. All scrapie-inoculated deer had evidence of PrPSc accumulation. PrPSc
was detected in lymphoid tissues at preclinical time points, and deer necropsied
after 28 months post-inoculation had clinical signs, spongiform encephalopathy,
and widespread distribution of PrPSc in neural and lymphoid tissues. Western
blotting (WB) revealed PrPSc with 2 distinct molecular profiles. WB on cerebral
cortex had a profile similar to the original scrapie inoculum, whereas WB of
brainstem, cerebellum, or lymph nodes reveal PrPSc with a higher profile
resembling CWD. Homogenates with the 2 distinct profiles from WTD with clinical
scrapie were further passaged to mice expressing cervid prion protein and
intranasally to sheep and WTD. In cervidized mice, the two inocula have distinct
incubation times. Sheep inoculated intranasally with WTD derived scrapie
developed disease, but only after inoculation with the inoculum that had a
scrapie-like profile. The WTD study is ongoing, but deer in both inoculation
groups are positive for PrPSc by rectal mucosal biopsy. In summary, this work
demonstrates that WTD are susceptible to the agent of scrapie, two distinct
molecular profiles of PrPSc are present in the tissues of affected deer, and
inoculum of either profile type readily passes to deer.
Research Project: TRANSMISSION, DIFFERENTIATION, AND PATHOBIOLOGY OF
TRANSMISSIBLE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHIES Title: Scrapie transmits to
white-tailed deer by the oral route and has a molecular profile similar to
chronic wasting disease Authors
item Greenlee, Justin item Moore, S - item Smith, Jodi - item Kunkle,
Robert item West Greenlee, M -
Submitted to: American College of Veterinary Pathologists Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: August 12, 2015
Publication Date: N/A
Technical Abstract: The purpose of this work was to determine
susceptibility of white-tailed deer (WTD) to the agent of sheep scrapie and to
compare the resultant PrPSc to that of the original inoculum and chronic wasting
disease (CWD). We inoculated WTD by a natural route of exposure (concurrent oral
and intranasal (IN); n=5) with a US scrapie isolate. All scrapie-inoculated deer
had evidence of PrPSc accumulation. PrPSc was detected in lymphoid tissues at
preclinical time points, and deer necropsied after 28 months post-inoculation
had clinical signs, spongiform encephalopathy, and widespread distribution of
PrPSc in neural and lymphoid tissues. Western blotting (WB) revealed PrPSc with
2 distinct molecular profiles. WB on cerebral cortex had a profile similar to
the original scrapie inoculum, whereas WB of brainstem, cerebellum, or lymph
nodes revealed PrPSc with a higher profile resembling CWD. Homogenates with the
2 distinct profiles from WTD with clinical scrapie were further passaged to mice
expressing cervid prion protein and intranasally to sheep and WTD. In cervidized
mice, the two inocula have distinct incubation times. Sheep inoculated
intranasally with WTD derived scrapie developed disease, but only after
inoculation with the inoculum that had a scrapie-like profile. The WTD study is
ongoing, but deer in both inoculation groups are positive for PrPSc by rectal
mucosal biopsy. In summary, this work demonstrates that WTD are susceptible to
the agent of scrapie, two distinct molecular profiles of PrPSc are present in
the tissues of affected deer, and inoculum of either profile readily passes to
deer.
Research Project: TRANSMISSION, DIFFERENTIATION, AND PATHOBIOLOGY OF
TRANSMISSIBLE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHIES Title: Detection of PrP**CWD in
retinal tissues in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and Rocky Mountain
elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) with CWD Authors
item Spraker, Terry - COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY item Gidleweski, Thomas -
APHIS-VS, FORT COLLINS item Greenlee, Justin item Keane, Delwyn - WISCONSIN
DIAGNOSTIC LAB item Hamir, Amirali item O'Rourke, Katherine
Submitted to: American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: July 15, 2007
Publication Date: October 18, 2007 Citation: Spraker, T., Gidleweski, T.,
Greenlee, J., Keane, D., Hamir, A., Orourke, K. 2007. Detection of PrP**CWD in
retinal tissues in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and Rocky Mountain
elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) with CWD [abstract]. American Association of
Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians 50th Annual Meeting. p. 47.
Technical Abstract: Introduction. Chronic wasting disease (CWD), a
transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, has been reported in captive and
free-ranging mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus hemionus), white-tailed deer
(Odocoileus virginianus) and Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni). An
abnormal isoform of a prion protein (PrP**CWD) that has been associated with CWD
has been reported in numerous internal organs other than the brain and lymphoid
tissues, including the retina of mule deer. The objective of this project was to
investigate the possibility of PrP**CWD in the retina of white-tailed deer and
Rocky Mountain elk with CWD.
Materials and methods. Eyes from 80 captive white-tailed deer that were
killed during a depopulation program were collected and placed in 10% neutral
buffered formalin. None of these 80 white-tailed deer showed any clinical signs
suggestive of CWD prior to euthanasia (gun shot); however 79% were positive for
CWD by using immunohistochemical staining of the brain stem and head lymphoid
tissues. Eyes from 7 captive and 2 research elk were collected and placed in
Davison’s fixative. Clinical signs typical of CWD were observed in 5 elk (3 with
M/M genotype, 1 M/L and 1 L/L). The other 4 were non-clinical (3 with genotype
M/M and 1 L/L), but did have a previous positive rectal biopsy. The globe from
each animal was trimmed and embedded in a single paraffin block and sectioned at
5 µm. Tissue sections were stained with H&E and immunostained with
Anti-Prion 99 and P4 for the detection of PrP**CWD.
Results. Prion was only found in the retina, all other regions of the eye
(cornea, lens, ciliary body, iris, choroid, sclera) were free of PrP**CWD in the
deer. Examination of the eyes from the white-tailed deer revealed 4 to have
detectable PrP**CWD within the retina. PrP**CWD was restricted to the inner and
outer plexiform layers of these deer. Sections from all 9 elk had PrP**CWD in 8
of the 10 retinal layers and in the optic nerve. All other regions of the eye
were free of PrP**CWD. The most prominent features in the elk were heavy
PrP**CWD staining in the inner and outer plexiform layers with minimal
intracytoplasmic staining in ganglion cells in the M/M and M/L elk. The 2 L/L
elk had minimal PrP**CWD staining in the plexiform layers, but relatively heavy
staining in the cytoplasm of ganglion cells and an unusual accumulation of
PrP**CWD just inside outer limiting membrane layer. An occasional ganglion cell
within the ganglion cell layer contained an intracytoplasmic vacuole in the M/M
elk.
Discussion/Conclusion. Deer and elk do have an abundance of PrP**CWD in
retinal tissues and optic nerve (elk). This accumulation of PrP**CWD may affect
vision especially in elk. Genotypes did result in different patterns of PrP**CWD
accumulation in elk. The LL genotype at codon 132, which has a prolonged
incubation period, had much less PrP**CWD in the retina, especially within the
inner and outer plexiform layers. In addition, the LL elk seemed to have more
intracytoplasmic staining within ganglion cells as compared to the MM and ML
elk.
Research Project: TRANSMISSIBLE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHIES: THE ROLE OF
GENETICS, STRAIN VARIATION, AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION IN DISEASE CONTROL
Title: Molecular genealogy tools for white-tailed deer with chronic wasting
disease Authors
item Ernest, H - UC DAVIS item Hoar, B - UC DAVIS item Well, J - UC DAVIS
item O'Rourke, Katherine
Submitted to: Canadian Journal of Veterinary Research Publication Type:
Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: October 14, 2009 Publication
Date: May 4, 2010 Citation: Ernest, H., Hoar, B.R., Well, J.A., Orourke, K.I.
2010. Molecular genealogy tools for white-tailed deer with chronic wasting
disease. Canadian Journal of Veterinary Research. 74(2):152-156. Interpretive
Summary: Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal degenerative brain
disorder of deer, elk, and moose. The disease appears to be caused by prions,
which are abnormally folded proteins formed in the lymph nodes and brain of
infected deer after contact with an infected animal. The amount of time needed
for transmission of disease is not known. White tailed deer live in family
groups, with adult females and their female offspring spending much of the year
together. Males leave the family group at adolescence and travel among groups
during the breeding season. This social pattern supports a model in which
disease is spread among females by repeated contact during the year and among
groups by males visiting many groups during each breeding season. In this study,
we developed a set of genetic tools to examine the family groups in a herd of
white tailed deer in a fenced area in Nebraska. The density of deer was
unusually high (more than 200 deer in 1.2 square miles, compared to less than 30
deer per square mile in forested areas of Wisconsin. Also, the rate of CWD was
50%, much higher than the 5% to 20% found in free ranging deer. We also tested a
sample of deer ranging within 20 km of the fenced area. We tested the hypothesis
that female deer within a family unit with a CWD-positive animal would have
higher disease rates than male deer and that pairs of related animals would be
more likely to have disease than unrelated deer. We used a large set of DNA
markers to identify parents, siblings, aunts, and grandparents of the infected
deer. Under these conditions, we did not see an increased rate of CWD among
related deer. This finding may be due to the high density of deer or to the
practice of providing food and water for the deer at various times of the year,
encouraging the tight grouping of multiple families at the common feed and water
areas. The DNA markers will be useful in examining herds of wild deer in more
typical social groups.
Technical Abstract: Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible
spongiform encephalopathy or prion disease of deer, elk, and moose. CWD is a
fatal neurologic disease with a long preclinical incubation period, during which
the disease is probably transmitted to healthy animals through direct exposure
or environmental contamination by the causative agent. Although the routes of
infection are not known, the saliva and blood of deer contain the agent. Deer
live in matrilineal groups as fawns, with males leaving the group at
adolescence. The does and female progeny remain together much of the year. Adult
males travel among groups during the breeding season, visiting as many groups as
possible. This spatial grouping supports a model in which disease is spread by
repeated exposure among females in a matrilineal group and transmitted among
groups by males during the breeding season. In this study, we applied molecular
genetic tools to reconstruct family relationship for a fenced herd of deer with
a high CWD prevalence and for nearby free-ranging herds. We tested the
hypotheses that females within first order (full sibs or parent-offspring) kin
groups containing a CWD-positive adult female were more likely than males to
test CWD positive and that dyads of CWD-positive individuals related in first
order occurred at a higher frequency than predicted by chance alone. WE used a
panel of 39 microsatellite markers and a set of mitochondrial sequences to
provide kinship data for all deer in the fenced facility (n=200) and a sample of
deer generally ranging within 20 km of the facility. In this system, we found no
association between kinship and CWD status, although it is likely that the
results were impacted by the high population density (200 deer in 1.2 square
miles), the concentrated sources of feed and water during some times of the
year, and the high disease prevalence. However, the study identifies a panel of
genetic markers suitable for identifying first degree and second degree
relatives. This panel will be useful in examining the disease patterns in the
more typical settings of free ranging deer in areas with a density of fewer than
30 deer per square mile and disease prevalence of 15% to 30%.
*** PRION 2015 CONFERENCE FT. COLLINS CWD RISK FACTORS TO HUMANS ***
*** LATE-BREAKING ABSTRACTS PRION 2015 CONFERENCE ***
O18
Zoonotic Potential of CWD Prions
Liuting Qing1, Ignazio Cali1,2, Jue Yuan1, Shenghai Huang3, Diane Kofskey1,
Pierluigi Gambetti1, Wenquan Zou1, Qingzhong Kong1 1Case Western Reserve
University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA, 2Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy,
3Encore Health Resources, Houston, Texas, USA
***These results indicate that the CWD prion has the potential to infect
human CNS and peripheral lymphoid tissues and that there might be asymptomatic
human carriers of CWD infection.***
P.105: RT-QuIC models trans-species prion transmission
Kristen Davenport, Davin Henderson, Candace Mathiason, and Edward Hoover
Prion Research Center; Colorado State University; Fort Collins, CO USA
Additionally, human rPrP was competent for conversion by CWD and fCWD.
***This insinuates that, at the level of protein:protein interactions, the
barrier preventing transmission of CWD to humans is less robust than previously
estimated.***
From: Terry S. Singeltary Sr.
Sent: Saturday, November 15, 2014 9:29 PM
To: Terry S. Singeltary Sr.
Subject: THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF CREUTZFELDT-JAKOB DISEASE R. G. WILL 1984
THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF CREUTZFELDT-JAKOB DISEASE
R. G. WILL
1984
*** The association between venison eating and risk of CJD shows similar
pattern, with regular venison eating associated with a 9 FOLD INCREASE IN RISK
OF CJD (p = 0.04). (SEE LINK IN REPORT HERE...TSS) PLUS, THE CDC DID NOT PUT
THIS WARNING OUT FOR THE WELL BEING OF THE DEER AND ELK ;
snip...
*** These results would seem to suggest that CWD does indeed have zoonotic
potential, at least as judged by the compatibility of CWD prions and their human
PrPC target. Furthermore, extrapolation from this simple in vitro assay suggests
that if zoonotic CWD occurred, it would most likely effect those of the PRNP
codon 129-MM genotype and that the PrPres type would be similar to that found in
the most common subtype of sCJD (MM1).***
*** The potential impact of prion diseases on human health was greatly
magnified by the recognition that interspecies transfer of BSE to humans by beef
ingestion resulted in vCJD. While changes in animal feed constituents and
slaughter practices appear to have curtailed vCJD, there is concern that CWD of
free-ranging deer and elk in the U.S. might also cross the species barrier.
Thus, consuming venison could be a source of human prion disease. Whether BSE
and CWD represent interspecies scrapie transfer or are newly arisen prion
diseases is unknown. Therefore, the possibility of transmission of prion disease
through other food animals cannot be ruled out. There is evidence that vCJD can
be transmitted through blood transfusion. There is likely a pool of unknown size
of asymptomatic individuals infected with vCJD, and there may be asymptomatic
individuals infected with the CWD equivalent. These circumstances represent a
potential threat to blood, blood products, and plasma supplies.
now, let’s see what the authors said about this casual link, personal
communications years ago. see where it is stated NO STRONG evidence. so, does
this mean there IS casual evidence ???? “Our conclusion stating that we found no
strong evidence of CWD transmission to humans”
From: TSS (216-119-163-189.ipset45.wt.net)
Subject: CWD aka MAD DEER/ELK TO HUMANS ???
Date: September 30, 2002 at 7:06 am PST
From: "Belay, Ermias"
To: Cc: "Race, Richard (NIH)" ; ; "Belay, Ermias"
Sent: Monday, September 30, 2002 9:22 AM
Subject: RE: TO CDC AND NIH - PUB MED- 3 MORE DEATHS - CWD - YOUNG HUNTERS
Dear Sir/Madam,
In the Archives of Neurology you quoted (the abstract of which was attached
to your email), we did not say CWD in humans will present like variant CJD. That
assumption would be wrong. I encourage you to read the whole article and call me
if you have questions or need more clarification (phone: 404-639-3091). Also, we
do not claim that "no-one has ever been infected with prion disease from eating
venison." Our conclusion stating that we found no strong evidence of CWD
transmission to humans in the article you quoted or in any other forum is
limited to the patients we investigated.
Ermias Belay, M.D. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
-----Original Message-----
From: Sent: Sunday, September 29, 2002 10:15 AM
To: rr26k@nih.gov; rrace@niaid.nih.gov; ebb8@CDC.GOV
Subject: TO CDC AND NIH - PUB MED- 3 MORE DEATHS - CWD - YOUNG HUNTERS
Sunday, November 10, 2002 6:26 PM ......snip........end..............TSS
Thursday, April 03, 2008
A prion disease of cervids: Chronic wasting disease 2008 1: Vet Res. 2008
Apr 3;39(4):41 A prion disease of cervids: Chronic wasting disease Sigurdson CJ.
snip...
*** twenty-seven CJD patients who regularly consumed venison were reported
to the Surveillance Center***,
snip... full text ;
July's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article did prod state officials to ask
CDC to investigate the cases of the three men who shared wild game feasts. The
two men the CDC is still investigating were 55 and 66 years old. But there's
also Kevin Boss, a Minnesota hunter who ate Barron County venison and died of
CJD at 41. And there's Jeff Schwan, whose Michigan Tech fraternity brothers used
to bring venison sausage back to the frat house. His mother, Terry, says that in
May 2001, Jeff, 26, began complaining about his vision. A friend noticed
misspellings in his e-mail, which was totally unlike him. Jeff began losing
weight. He became irritable and withdrawn. By the end of June, he couldn't
remember the four-digit code to open the garage door or when and how to feed his
parents' cats. At a family gathering in July, he stuck to his parents and
girlfriend, barely talking. "On the night we took him to the hospital, he was
speaking like he was drunk or high and I noticed his pupils were so dilated I
couldn't see the irises," his mother says. By then, Jeff was no longer able to
do even simple things on his computer at work, and "in the hospital, he couldn't
drink enough water." When he died on September 27, 2001, an autopsy confirmed he
had sporadic CJD.
In 2000, Belay looked into three CJD cases reported by The Denver Post, two
hunters who ate meat from animals killed in Wyoming and the daughter of a hunter
who ate venison from a plant that processed Colorado elk. All three died of CJD
before they were 30 years old. The CDC asked the USDA to kill 1,000 deer and elk
in the area where the men hunted. Belay and others reported their findings in
the Archives of Neurology, writing that although "circumstances suggested a link
between the three cases and chronic wasting disease, they could find no 'causal'
link." Which means, says Belay, "not a single one of those 1,000 deer tested
positive for CWD. For all we know, these cases may be CWD. What we have now
doesn't indicate a connection. That's reassuring, but it would be wrong to say
it will never happen."
So far, says NIH researcher Race, the two Wisconsin cases pinpointed by the
newspaper look like spontaneous CJD. "But we don't know how CWD would look in
human brains. It probably would look like some garden-variety sporadic CJD."
What the CDC will do with these cases and four others (three from Colorado and
Schwan from Upper Michigan), Race says, is "sequence the prion protein from
these people, inject it into mice and wait to see what the disease looks like in
their brains. That will take two years."
CJD is so rare in people under age 30, one case in a billion (leaving out
medical mishaps), that four cases under 30 is "very high," says Colorado
neurologist Bosque. "Then, if you add these other two from Wisconsin [cases in
the newspaper], six cases of CJD in people associated with venison is very, very
high." Only now, with Mary Riley, there are at least seven, and possibly eight,
with Steve, her dining companion. "It's not critical mass that matters,"
however, Belay says. "One case would do it for me." The chance that two people
who know each other would both contact CJD, like the two Wisconsin sportsmen, is
so unlikely, experts say, it would happen only once in 140 years.
Given the incubation period for TSEs in humans, it may require another
generation to write the final chapter on CWD in Wisconsin. "Does chronic wasting
disease pass into humans? We'll be able to answer that in 2022," says Race.
Meanwhile, the state has become part of an immense experiment.
I urge everyone to watch this video closely...terry
*** you can see video here and interview with Jeff's Mom, and scientist
telling you to test everything and potential risk factors for humans ***
*** These results would seem to suggest that CWD does indeed have zoonotic
potential, at least as judged by the compatibility of CWD prions and their human
PrPC target. Furthermore, extrapolation from this simple in vitro assay suggests
that if zoonotic CWD occurred, it would most likely effect those of the PRNP
codon 129-MM genotype and that the PrPres type would be similar to that found in
the most common subtype of sCJD (MM1).***
O.05: Transmission of prions to primates after extended silent incubation
periods: Implications for BSE and scrapie risk assessment in human populations
Emmanuel Comoy, Jacqueline Mikol, Val erie Durand, Sophie Luccantoni,
Evelyne Correia, Nathalie Lescoutra, Capucine Dehen, and Jean-Philippe Deslys
Atomic Energy Commission; Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
Prion diseases (PD) are the unique neurodegenerative proteinopathies
reputed to be transmissible under field conditions since decades. The
transmission of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) to humans evidenced that
an animal PD might be zoonotic under appropriate conditions. Contrarily, in the
absence of obvious (epidemiological or experimental) elements supporting a
transmission or genetic predispositions, PD, like the other proteinopathies, are
reputed to occur spontaneously (atpical animal prion strains, sporadic CJD
summing 80% of human prion cases). Non-human primate models provided the first
evidences supporting the transmissibiity of human prion strains and the zoonotic
potential of BSE. Among them, cynomolgus macaques brought major information for
BSE risk assessment for human health (Chen, 2014), according to their
phylogenetic proximity to humans and extended lifetime. We used this model to
assess the zoonotic potential of other animal PD from bovine, ovine and cervid
origins even after very long silent incubation periods. *** We recently observed
the direct transmission of a natural classical scrapie isolate to macaque after
a 10-year silent incubation period, ***with features similar to some reported
for human cases of sporadic CJD, albeit requiring fourfold longe incubation than
BSE. Scrapie, as recently evoked in humanized mice (Cassard, 2014), ***is the
third potentially zoonotic PD (with BSE and L-type BSE), ***thus questioning the
origin of human sporadic cases. We will present an updated panorama of our
different transmission studies and discuss the implications of such extended
incubation periods on risk assessment of animal PD for human health.
===============
***thus questioning the origin of human sporadic cases...TSS
===============
Transmission of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease to a chimpanzee by electrodes
contaminated during neurosurgery.
Gibbs CJ Jr, Asher DM, Kobrine A, Amyx HL, Sulima MP, Gajdusek DC.
Laboratory of Central Nervous System Studies, National Institute of Neurological
Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
Stereotactic multicontact electrodes used to probe the cerebral cortex of a
middle aged woman with progressive dementia were previously implicated in the
accidental transmission of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) to two younger
patients. The diagnoses of CJD have been confirmed for all three cases. More
than two years after their last use in humans, after three cleanings and
repeated sterilisation in ethanol and formaldehyde vapour, the electrodes were
implanted in the cortex of a chimpanzee. Eighteen months later the animal became
ill with CJD. This finding serves to re-emphasise the potential danger posed by
reuse of instruments contaminated with the agents of spongiform
encephalopathies, even after scrupulous attempts to clean them.
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
*** Minimise transmission risk of CJD and vCJD in healthcare settings
***
Last updated 15 May 2015
*** Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease *** Public Health Crisis VIDEO
Diagnosis and Reporting of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
Singeltary, Sr et al. JAMA.2001; 285: 733-734. Vol. 285 No. 6, February 14,
2001 JAMA
Diagnosis and Reporting of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
To the Editor: In their Research Letter, Dr Gibbons and colleagues1
reported that the annual US death rate due to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD)
has been stable since 1985. These estimates, however, are based only on reported
cases, and do not include misdiagnosed or preclinical cases. It seems to me that
misdiagnosis alone would drastically change these figures. An unknown number of
persons with a diagnosis of Alzheimer disease in fact may have CJD, although
only a small number of these patients receive the postmortem examination
necessary to make this diagnosis. Furthermore, only a few states have made CJD
reportable. Human and animal transmissible spongiform encephalopathies should be
reportable nationwide and internationally.
Terry S. Singeltary, Sr Bacliff, Tex
1. Gibbons RV, Holman RC, Belay ED, Schonberger LB. Creutzfeldt-Jakob
disease in the United States: 1979-1998. JAMA. 2000;284:2322-2323.
cwd to humans, consumption, exposure, sub-clinical, iatrogenic, what if
?
Sunday, August 23, 2015
TAHC Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion and how to put lipstick on a pig
and take her to the dance in Texas
from the other side of the fence... today’s Singeltary Sunday School class
‘thinking outside of the box, God’s Wrath’ at the bottom. ...tss
TEXAS DEER CZAR SENT TO WISCONSIN TO SOLVE CWD CRISIS, WHILE ROME (TEXAS)
BURNS
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Wisconsin doing what it does best, procrastinating about CWD yet again
thanks to Governor Walker
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
*** Chronic Wasting Disease CWD Confirmed Texas Trans Pecos March 18, 2015
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
*** Chronic Wasting Disease CWD Cases Confirmed In New Mexico 2013 and 2014
UPDATE 2015
Wednesday, July 01, 2015
*** TEXAS Chronic Wasting Disease Detected in Medina County Captive Deer
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
*** Texas CWD Medina County Herd Investigation Update July 16, 2015 ***
Thursday, August 06, 2015
*** WE HAVE LOST TEXAS TO CWD TASK FORCE CATERING TO INDUSTRY
Friday, August 07, 2015
*** Texas CWD Captive, and then there were 4 ?
Thursday, September 24, 2015
TEXAS Hunters Asked to Submit Samples for Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE
Prion Testing
*** I cannot stress enough to all of you, for the sake of your family and
mine, before putting anything in the freezer, have those deer tested for CWD.
...terry
Saturday, October 03, 2015
TEXAS CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE CWD TSE PRION GOD MUST NOT BE A TEXAN 2002 TO
2015
Friday, October 09, 2015
Texas TWA Chronic Wasting Disease TSE Prion Webinars and Meeting October
2015
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
TAHC CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE CWD TSE PRION REPORT OCTOBER 2015
a review since the TEXAS 84th Legislature commencing this January, deer
breeders are expected to advocate for bills that will seek to further deregulate
their industry...
Sunday, December 14, 2014
TEXAS 84th Legislature commencing this January, deer breeders are expected
to advocate for bills that will seek to further deregulate their industry
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Texas 84th Legislature 2015 H.R. No. 2597 Kuempel Deer Breeding Industry
TAHC TPWD CWD TSE PRION
Friday, August 14, 2015
*** Susceptibility of cattle to the agent of chronic wasting disease from
elk after intracranial inoculation
Friday, August 14, 2015
Carcass Management During a Mass Animal Health Emergency Draft Programmatic
Environmental Impact Statement—August 2015
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
*** Host Determinants of Prion Strain Diversity Independent of Prion
Protein Genotype
Friday, August 28, 2015
Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion Diagnostics and subclinical infection
Sunday, October 18, 2015
*** World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the Institut Pasteur
Cooperating on animal disease and zoonosis research ***
Sunday, August 23, 2015
TAHC Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion and how to put lipstick on a pig
and take her to the dance in Texas from the other side of the fence...
today’s Singeltary Sunday School class ‘thinking outside of the box’ at the
bottom. ...tss
Subject: Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion and how to put lipstick on a
pig and take her to the dance in Texas
I was listening to a radio show the other day here in the Galveston bay
area, and outdoor show, they had a breeder or someone from the industry on, and
I was amazed at the false information he was spewing. the part about the poor
little girl with her pet deer crying in the breeder pen, ......cry me a friggen
river, they are raising the damn deer to put in a pen to slaughter, or to breed
for that purpose, AND you ought to see a human die from this shit. my mother did
everything Linda Blair did in that movie the exorcist except spin her head 360
degrees. she DID levitate in bed because she would jerk so bad, where it took
three grown strong adults to hold her down to keep her from hurting herself, all
the while screaming God why can’t I stop this. so cry friggen river on a
damn deer they are raising to have slaughtered, but whine because the TPWD et al
are going to kill it to try and prevent the spread of disease cwd. if the TPWD
et al had a better way of confirming or not whether those cervid had CWD, they
would do it. the live tests they have to date do not work 100%, so there for
they have not been validated. oh that’s fine with the pen owners, but it’s not
fine for Texas. you don’t want a cwd test that just works part of the time. it’s
total ignorance out there now, and they will put lipstick on this pig and take
her to the dance, just like TAHC did with mad cow disease, and that’s well
documented. they will change what ever law to meet their needs$$$ I will agree
with this much of what the industry said this morning, that cwd has been in
Texas for a long time, and in the pens to, and that the TAHC has not tested
enough, that much he got correct. I have been saying this year, after year,
after year, since back to 2001, to the TAHC, and told them exactly where they
should be testing back in 2001, and then year after year after year, up and
until 2012, where they finally did test there in enough numbers to find it a
decade later, exactly where I been saying it was. the cwd deer have been
waltzing across Texas from there for over a decade. it does not matter if I am
pro-pen or not. that will not and does not change the science. why in the hell
did they speak about the 4 confirmed deer from that index herd, yes, I said 4
now. why is not the TAHC TPWD telling that to the public now. why did not that
guy today speak of 4? all the newspapers are reporting it, and I ask about the
4th case weeks and weeks ago? where is that information at on TAHC site? I am a
meat eater, I am pro-hunt, and extremely pro-gun, I am however anti-stupid and
anti-prion, prions can kill you, I don’t want to eat prions, you should not
either. but here is the kicker, you eat meat infected with CWD TSE prion, your
exposed, however you never go clinical in your life........BBBUT, your exposed
and if you go on to have surgical, dental, tissue, blood donations, etc. you
risk exposing my family and others...I will simply post this one short abstract
of an old study the late great Dr. Gibbs...
snip...
Singeltary Sunday School Class o.k. I’m going to get Biblical today, it’s
Sunday. I think the way I have interpreted the Bible to date, from the parts I
have read and understood. God gave Man the duty of caretaker of the animals, and
in that, we could eat them, while taking care of them. I think we have failed
terribly in the way we take care of animals, the way we raise them for
consumption. we failed God, and I think God is trying to tell us something here
with CWD TSE prion. even with the scorched earth policy that I still say we must
go by to date as much as I hate it, to eradicate CWD TSE prion, I think it’s all
a part of Gods wrath, in that we have failed terribly as the stewards of the
animails he told us to be, and has brought his wrath upon us, in the form of CWD
TSE prion disease. we went from the hunt for food, the hunt to fill our freezers
that God gave us, and in plenty. we went from that, to an industry crying about
all those headless deer in Texas due to the fact it’s the only sure fire way to
test for CWD with accuracy, to try and prevent a deadly disease in both animal
and man, and to save the environment from further spread of CWD, yet these same
people crying about all those headless deer will all rush to the taxidermist
with a head to have mounted to fill ones wall full of heads. or you will have
some poor breeder family, urine mill family, antler deer family, pen owner
family, high/low fence owner family, sperm mill straw bred buck family, all
crying because their pet deer are being slaughtered, yet in the long run, that’s
just what they are raising the deer for anyone, to be slaughtered. I guess I
don’t understand that part. ...I’m just thinking out of the box today, please
understand I am still a meat eater, I guess just a bit disgusted with myself and
others today. Sunday School class is over. carry on...
Sunday, August 23, 2015
TAHC Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion and how to put lipstick on a pig
and take her to the dance in Texas
from the other side of the fence... today’s Singeltary Sunday School class
‘thinking outside of the box, God’s Wrath’ at the bottom. ...tss
Under Texas law, though, breeder deer belong to the state, not the
permittee. See, e.g., TEX. PARKS & WILD. CODE §§ 1.011 (“All wild animals .
. . inside the borders of this state are the property of the people of this
state.”); 43.364 (“All breeder deer . . . are under the full force of the laws
of [Texas] pertaining to deer . . . .”). While a permittee may have possession
of the breeder deer, the deer are only “held under a permit[.]” Id. § 43.351.
Nowhere do the statutes or regulations state that breeder deer become the
property of a permit holder.4
While a permittee may have possession of the breeder deer, the deer are
only “held under a permit[.]” Id. § 43.351
just made a promise to mom DOD 12/14/97 confirmed hvCJD. never forget, and
never let them forget. ...
Terry S. Singeltary Sr. Bacliff, Texas USA 77518
flounder9@verizon.net
Galveston Bay, on the bottom...
