Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Suspect deer for chronic wasting disease identified in Ingham County
Michigan Department of Natural Resources sent this bulletin at 09/12/2016
01:12 PM EDT
Statewide DNR News
Sept. 12, 2016
Contact: Chad Stewart, 517-284-4745 or Kelly Straka, 517-336-5040
Suspect deer for chronic wasting disease identified in Ingham County
Hunters in DMU 333 reminded of the requirement to have harvested deer from
the area checked
Since May 2015, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has been
actively conducting surveillance for chronic wasting disease (CWD). To date,
more than 6,000 deer have been tested since the first positive was found, with
seven cases of CWD confirmed.
However, a 3.5-year-old buck taken recently in Meridian Township is likely
to be the eighth positive and the first discovered since March of this year. The
sample is currently being tested by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, to finalize
confirmation.
The suspect deer was taken as part of the DNR’s CWD management program
through targeted sharpshooting, which actively removes deer that are more likely
to be affected with the disease in and around areas where previously identified
CWD-positive animals had been detected.
“This latest suspect positive reinforces the notion that the disease is
still occurring in Meridian Township and perhaps elsewhere,” said Chad Stewart,
DNR deer specialist. “We are counting on hunters to bring their deer in for
testing so we have a better understanding about the scope of the disease.”
Due to positive deer also detected in DeWitt and Watertown townships, the
Core CWD Area has been expanded to now include 17 townships. This area, which is
referred to as Deer Management Unit (DMU) 333, consists of Lansing, Meridian,
Williamstown, Delhi, Alaiedon and Wheatfield townships in Ingham County; DeWitt,
Bath, Watertown, Eagle, Westphalia, Riley, Olive and Victor townships in Clinton
County; Woodhull Township in Shiawassee County; and Oneida and Delta townships
in Eaton County. Hunters harvesting deer in these townships are required to
submit the deer head for testing during business hours or check-station hours
within 72 hours of harvest.
The CWD Management Zone also has expanded; it now includes Clinton, Eaton,
Ingham, Ionia and Shiawassee counties. The expanded Management Zone has been
renamed DMU 419. The price for an antlerless license in this zone has been
decreased 40 percent to encourage hunters to harvest more deer and voluntarily
have them checked.
There will be five check stations accepting deer for CWD testing within DMU
333. These check stations will be operating seven days a week (excluding major
holidays). A complete map of check stations, including locations and hours of
operation, is available at mi.gov/cwd.
Deer feeding and baiting is prohibited throughout the Core CWD Area and CWD
Management Zone.
CWD is a fatal neurological disease that affects white-tailed deer, mule
deer, elk and moose. It is caused by the transmission of infectious,
self-multiplying proteins (prions) contained in saliva and other body fluids of
infected animals. Susceptible animals can acquire CWD by direct exposure to
these fluids, from environments contaminated with these fluids or the carcass of
a diseased animal.
Some chronically CWD-infected animals will display abnormal behaviors,
progressive weight loss and physical debilitation; however, deer can be infected
for many years without showing internal or external symptoms. There is no cure;
once a deer is infected with CWD, it will die.
To date, there is no evidence that CWD presents any risk to non-cervids,
including humans, either through contact with an infected animal or from
handling venison. However, as a precaution, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and the World Health Organization recommend that infected animals not be
consumed as food by either humans or domestic animals.
Anyone interested in learning more about how Michigan is managing CWD can
view the new 2015-2016 Michigan Chronic Wasting Disease Management and
Surveillance Report. Additionally, the DNR is holding a Facebook Live event
Sept. 20 at 12 p.m. EDT to answer questions about CWD, CWD management and the
impacts the disease could have on the future of Michigan’s deer. Follow the
Michigan DNR’s Facebook page for more details.
The DNR provides bi-weekly CWD updates online at mi.gov/cwd. Announcements
of additional CWD-positive deer will be posted online as well.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the
conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state’s natural
and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information,
go to www.michigan.gov/dnr.
Monday, September 05, 2016
Pathological features of chronic wasting disease in reindeer and
demonstration of horizontal transmission Major Findings for Norway
see updated data on the 4 cases of CWD to date in Norway ;
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
An assessment of the long-term persistence of prion infectivity in aquatic
environments
Monday, August 29, 2016
NWHC USGS CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE CWD TSE PRION UPDATE
Friday, September 02, 2016
Chronic Wasting Disease Drives Population Decline of White-Tailed
Deer
Sunday, August 28, 2016
CONFIDENTIAL
Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy TSE Prion and how Politics and
Greed by the Industry spread madcow type diseases from species to species and
around the globe
TSE PRIONS AKA MAD COW TYPE DISEASE, LIONS AND TIGERS AND BEARS, OH MY!
CWD TSE PRION HUMAN ZOONOSIS POTENTIAL, has it already happened, and being
masked as sporadic CJD? and what about iatrogenic, or the pass if forward,
friendly fire mode of transmission of cwd to humans, same thing, sporadic cjd ?
*** WDA 2016 NEW YORK ***
We found that CWD adapts to a new host more readily than BSE and that human
PrP was unexpectedly prone to misfolding by CWD prions. In addition, we
investigated the role of specific regions of the bovine, deer and human PrP
protein in resistance to conversion by prions from another species. We have
concluded that the human protein has a region that confers unusual
susceptibility to conversion by CWD prions.
Student Presentations Session 2
The species barriers and public health threat of CWD and BSE prions
Ms. Kristen Davenport1, Dr. Davin Henderson1, Dr. Candace Mathiason1, Dr.
Edward Hoover1 1Colorado State University
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is spreading rapidly through cervid
populations in the USA. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, mad cow disease)
arose in the 1980s because cattle were fed recycled animal protein. These and
other prion diseases are caused by abnormal folding of the normal prion protein
(PrP) into a disease causing form (PrPd), which is pathogenic to nervous system
cells and can cause subsequent PrP to misfold. CWD spreads among cervids very
efficiently, but it has not yet infected humans. On the other hand, BSE was
spread only when cattle consumed infected bovine or ovine tissue, but did infect
humans and other species. The objective of this research is to understand the
role of PrP structure in cross-species infection by CWD and BSE. To study the
propensity of each species’ PrP to be induced to misfold by the presence of PrPd
from verious species, we have used an in vitro system that permits detection of
PrPd in real-time. We measured the conversion efficiency of various combinations
of PrPd seeds and PrP substrate combinations. We observed the cross-species
behavior of CWD and BSE, in addition to feline-adapted CWD and BSE. We found
that CWD adapts to a new host more readily than BSE and that human PrP was
unexpectedly prone to misfolding by CWD prions. In addition, we investigated the
role of specific regions of the bovine, deer and human PrP protein in resistance
to conversion by prions from another species. We have concluded that the human
protein has a region that confers unusual susceptibility to conversion by CWD
prions. CWD is unique among prion diseases in its rapid spread in natural
populations. BSE prions are essentially unaltered upon passage to a new species,
while CWD adapts to the new species. This adaptation has consequences for
surveillance of humans exposed to CWD.
Wildlife Disease Risk Communication Research Contributes to Wildlife Trust
Administration Exploring perceptions about chronic wasting disease risks among
wildlife and agriculture professionals and stakeholders
PRION 2016 TOKYO
Zoonotic Potential of CWD Prions: An Update
Ignazio Cali1, Liuting Qing1, Jue Yuan1, Shenghai Huang2, Diane Kofskey1,3,
Nicholas Maurer1, Debbie McKenzie4, Jiri Safar1,3,5, Wenquan Zou1,3,5,6,
Pierluigi Gambetti1, Qingzhong Kong1,5,6
1Department of Pathology, 3National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance
Center, 5Department of Neurology, 6National Center for Regenerative Medicine,
Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
4Department of Biological Sciences and Center for Prions and Protein
Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada,
2Encore Health Resources, 1331 Lamar St, Houston, TX 77010
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a widespread and highly transmissible
prion disease in free-ranging and captive cervid species in North America. The
zoonotic potential of CWD prions is a serious public health concern, but the
susceptibility of human CNS and peripheral organs to CWD prions remains largely
unresolved. We reported earlier that peripheral and CNS infections were detected
in transgenic mice expressing human PrP129M or PrP129V. Here we will present an
update on this project, including evidence for strain dependence and influence
of cervid PrP polymorphisms on CWD zoonosis as well as the characteristics of
experimental human CWD prions.
PRION 2016 TOKYO
In Conjunction with Asia Pacific Prion Symposium 2016
PRION 2016 Tokyo
Prion 2016
Cervid to human prion transmission
Kong, Qingzhong
Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
Abstract
Prion disease is transmissible and invariably fatal. Chronic wasting
disease (CWD) is the prion disease affecting deer, elk and moose, and it is a
widespread and expanding epidemic affecting 22 US States and 2 Canadian
provinces so far. CWD poses the most serious zoonotic prion transmission risks
in North America because of huge venison consumption (>6 million deer/elk
hunted and consumed annually in the USA alone), significant prion infectivity in
muscles and other tissues/fluids from CWD-affected cervids, and usually high
levels of individual exposure to CWD resulting from consumption of the affected
animal among often just family and friends. However, we still do not know
whether CWD prions can infect humans in the brain or peripheral tissues or
whether clinical/asymptomatic CWD zoonosis has already occurred, and we have no
essays to reliably detect CWD infection in humans. We hypothesize that:
(1) The classic CWD prion strain can infect humans at low levels in the
brain and peripheral lymphoid tissues;
(2) The cervid-to-human transmission barrier is dependent on the cervid
prion strain and influenced by the host (human) prion protein (PrP) primary
sequence;
(3) Reliable essays can be established to detect CWD infection in
humans;and
(4) CWD transmission to humans has already occurred. We will test these
hypotheses in 4 Aims using transgenic (Tg) mouse models and complementary in
vitro approaches.
Aim 1 will prove that the classical CWD strain may infect humans in brain
or peripheral lymphoid tissues at low levels by conducting systemic bioassays in
a set of "humanized" Tg mouse lines expressing common human PrP variants using a
number of CWD isolates at varying doses and routes. Experimental "human CWD"
samples will also be generated for Aim 3.
Aim 2 will test the hypothesis that the cervid-to-human prion transmission
barrier is dependent on prion strain and influenced by the host (human) PrP
sequence by examining and comparing the transmission efficiency and phenotypes
of several atypical/unusual CWD isolates/strains as well as a few prion strains
from other species that have adapted to cervid PrP sequence, utilizing the same
panel of humanized Tg mouse lines as in Aim 1.
Aim 3 will establish reliable essays for detection and surveillance of CWD
infection in humans by examining in details the clinical, pathological,
biochemical and in vitro seeding properties of existing and future experimental
"human CWD" samples generated from Aims 1-2 and compare them with those of
common sporadic human Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) prions.
Aim 4 will attempt to detect clinical CWD-affected human cases by examining
a significant number of brain samples from prion-affected human subjects in the
USA and Canada who have consumed venison from CWD-endemic areas utilizing the
criteria and essays established in Aim 3. The findings from this proposal will
greatly advance our understandings on the potential and characteristics of
cervid prion transmission in humans, establish reliable essays for CWD zoonosis
and potentially discover the first case(s) of CWD infection in humans.
Public Health Relevance There are significant and increasing human exposure
to cervid prions because chronic wasting disease (CWD, a widespread and highly
infectious prion disease among deer and elk in North America) continues
spreading and consumption of venison remains popular, but our understanding on
cervid-to-human prion transmission is still very limited, raising public health
concerns. This proposal aims to define the zoonotic risks of cervid prions and
set up and apply essays to detect CWD zoonosis using mouse models and in vitro
methods. The findings will greatly expand our knowledge on the potentials and
characteristics of cervid prion transmission in humans, establish reliable
essays for such infections and may discover the first case(s) of CWD infection
in humans.
LOOKING FOR CWD IN HUMANS AS nvCJD or as an ATYPICAL CJD, LOOKING IN ALL
THE WRONG PLACES $$$
*** 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).***
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.
==================
***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
Conversely, FSE maintained sufficient BSE characteristics to more
efficiently convert bovine rPrP than feline rPrP. 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.
================
***This insinuates that, at the level of protein:protein interactions, the
barrier preventing transmission of CWD to humans is less robust than previously
estimated.***
================
*** PRICE OF CWD TSE PRION POKER GOES UP 2014 ***
Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy TSE PRION update January 2, 2014
*** chronic wasting disease, there was no absolute barrier to conversion of
the human prion protein.
*** Furthermore, the form of human PrPres produced in this in vitro assay
when seeded with CWD, resembles that found in the most common human prion
disease, namely sCJD of the MM1 subtype.
*** 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.
***********CJD REPORT 1994 increased risk for consumption of veal and
venison and lamb***********
CREUTZFELDT JAKOB DISEASE SURVEILLANCE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM THIRD ANNUAL
REPORT AUGUST 1994
Consumption of venison and veal was much less widespread among both cases
and controls. For both of these meats there was evidence of a trend with
increasing frequency of consumption being associated with increasing risk of
CJD. (not nvCJD, but sporadic CJD...tss)
These associations were largely unchanged when attention was restricted to
pairs with data obtained from relatives. ...
Table 9 presents the results of an analysis of these data.
There is STRONG evidence of an association between ‘’regular’’ veal eating
and risk of CJD (p = .0.01).
Individuals reported to eat veal on average at least once a year appear to
be at 13 TIMES THE RISK of individuals who have never eaten veal.
There is, however, a very wide confidence interval around this estimate.
There is no strong evidence that eating veal less than once per year is
associated with increased risk of CJD (p = 0.51).
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).
There is some evidence that risk of CJD INCREASES WITH INCREASING FREQUENCY
OF LAMB EATING (p = 0.02).
The evidence for such an association between beef eating and CJD is weaker
(p = 0.14). When only controls for whom a relative was interviewed are included,
this evidence becomes a little STRONGER (p = 0.08).
snip...
It was found that when veal was included in the model with another
exposure, the association between veal and CJD remained statistically
significant (p = < 0.05 for all exposures), while the other exposures ceased
to be statistically significant (p = > 0.05).
snip...
In conclusion, an analysis of dietary histories revealed statistical
associations between various meats/animal products and INCREASED RISK OF CJD.
When some account was taken of possible confounding, the association between
VEAL EATING AND RISK OF CJD EMERGED AS THE STRONGEST OF THESE ASSOCIATIONS
STATISTICALLY. ...
snip...
In the study in the USA, a range of foodstuffs were associated with an
increased risk of CJD, including liver consumption which was associated with an
apparent SIX-FOLD INCREASE IN THE RISK OF CJD. By comparing the data from 3
studies in relation to this particular dietary factor, the risk of liver
consumption became non-significant with an odds ratio of 1.2 (PERSONAL
COMMUNICATION, PROFESSOR A. HOFMAN. ERASMUS UNIVERSITY, ROTTERDAM). (???...TSS)
snip...see full report ;
CJD9/10022
October 1994
Mr R.N. Elmhirst Chairman British Deer Farmers Association Holly Lodge
Spencers Lane BerksWell Coventry CV7 7BZ
Dear Mr Elmhirst,
CREUTZFELDT-JAKOB DISEASE (CJD) SURVEILLANCE UNIT REPORT
Thank you for your recent letter concerning the publication of the third
annual report from the CJD Surveillance Unit. I am sorry that you are
dissatisfied with the way in which this report was published.
The Surveillance Unit is a completely independant outside body and the
Department of Health is committed to publishing their reports as soon as they
become available. In the circumstances it is not the practice to circulate the
report for comment since the findings of the report would not be amended. In
future we can ensure that the British Deer Farmers Association receives a copy
of the report in advance of publication.
The Chief Medical Officer has undertaken to keep the public fully informed
of the results of any research in respect of CJD. This report was entirely the
work of the unit and was produced completely independantly of the the
Department.
The statistical results reqarding the consumption of venison was put into
perspective in the body of the report and was not mentioned at all in the press
release. Media attention regarding this report was low key but gave a realistic
presentation of the statistical findings of the Unit. This approach to
publication was successful in that consumption of venison was highlighted only
once by the media ie. in the News at one television proqramme.
I believe that a further statement about the report, or indeed statistical
links between CJD and consumption of venison, would increase, and quite possibly
give damaging credence, to the whole issue. From the low key media reports of
which I am aware it seems unlikely that venison consumption will suffer
adversely, if at all.
http://web.archive.org/web/20030511010117/http://www.bseinquiry.gov.uk/files/yb/1994/10/00003001.pdf
Monday, May 02, 2016
*** Zoonotic Potential of CWD Prions: An Update Prion 2016 Tokyo ***
*** PRION 2014 CONFERENCE CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE CWD
*** PPo3-7: Prion Transmission from Cervids to Humans is Strain-dependent
*** Here we report that a human prion strain that had adopted the cervid
prion protein (PrP) sequence through passage in cervidized transgenic mice
efficiently infected transgenic mice expressing human PrP,
*** indicating that the species barrier from cervid to humans is prion
strain-dependent and humans can be vulnerable to novel cervid prion strains.
PPo2-27:
Generation of a Novel form of Human PrPSc by Inter-species Transmission of
Cervid Prions
*** Our findings suggest that CWD prions have the capability to infect
humans, and that this ability depends on CWD strain adaptation, implying that
the risk for human health progressively increases with the spread of CWD among
cervids.
PPo2-7:
Biochemical and Biophysical Characterization of Different CWD Isolates
*** The data presented here substantiate and expand previous reports on the
existence of different CWD strains.
Envt.07:
Pathological Prion Protein (PrPTSE) in Skeletal Muscles of Farmed and Free
Ranging White-Tailed Deer Infected with Chronic Wasting Disease
***The presence and seeding activity of PrPTSE in skeletal muscle from
CWD-infected cervids suggests prevention of such tissue in the human diet as a
precautionary measure for food safety, pending on further clarification of
whether CWD may be transmissible to humans.
>>>CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE , THERE WAS NO ABSOLUTE BARRIER TO
CONVERSION OF THE HUMAN PRION PROTEIN<<<
*** PRICE OF CWD TSE PRION POKER GOES UP 2014 ***
Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy TSE PRION update January 2, 2014
Wednesday, January 01, 2014
Molecular Barriers to Zoonotic Transmission of Prions
*** chronic wasting disease, there was no absolute barrier to conversion of
the human prion protein.
*** Furthermore, the form of human PrPres produced in this in vitro assay
when seeded with CWD, resembles that found in the most common human prion
disease, namely sCJD of the MM1 subtype.
Envt.07:
Pathological Prion Protein (PrPTSE) in Skeletal Muscles of Farmed and Free
Ranging White-Tailed Deer Infected with Chronic Wasting Disease
***The presence and seeding activity of PrPTSE in skeletal muscle from
CWD-infected cervids suggests prevention of such tissue in the human diet as a
precautionary measure for food safety, pending on further clarification of
whether CWD may be transmissible to humans.
Yet, it has to be noted that our assessments of PrPTSE levels in skeletal
muscles were based on findings in presumably pre- or subclinically infected
animals. Therefore, the concentration of PrPTSE in skeletal muscles of WTD with
clinically manifest CWD may possibly exceed our estimate which refers to
clinically inconspicuous animals that are more likely to enter the human food
chain. Our tissue blot findings in skeletal muscles from CWD-infected WTD would
be consistent with an anterograde spread of CWD prions via motor nerve fibres to
muscle tissue (figure 4A). Similar neural spreading pathways of muscle infection
were previously found in hamsters orally challenged with scrapie [28] and
suggested by the detection of PrPTSE in muscle fibres and muscle-associated
nerve fascicles of clinically-ill non-human primates challenged with BSE prions
[29]. Whether the absence of detectable PrPTSE in myofibers observed in our
study is a specific feature of CWD in WTD, or was due to a pre- or subclinical
stage of infection in the examined animals, remains to be established. In any
case, our observations support previous findings suggesting the precautionary
prevention of muscle tissue from CWD-infected WTD in the human diet, and
highlight the need to comprehensively elucidate of whether CWD may be
transmissible to humans. While the understanding of TSEs in cervids has made
substantial progress during the past few years, the assessment and management of
risks possibly emanating from prions in skeletal muscles of CWD-infected cervids
requires further research.
Prions in Skeletal Muscles of Deer with Chronic Wasting Disease Rachel C.
Angers1,*, Shawn R. Browning1,*,†, Tanya S. Seward2, Christina J. Sigurdson4,‡,
Michael W. Miller5, Edward A. Hoover4, Glenn C. Telling1,2,3,§ + Author
Affiliations
1 Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University
of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA. 2 Sanders Brown Center on Aging,
University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA. 3 Department of Neurology,
University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA. 4 Department of Microbiology,
Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523,
USA. 5 Colorado Division of Wildlife, Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, CO
80526, USA. ↵§ To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail:
gtell2@uky.edu ↵* These authors contributed equally to this work.
↵† Present address: Department of Infectology, Scripps Research Institute,
5353 Parkside Drive, RF-2, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA.
↵‡ Present address: Institute of Neuropathology, University of Zurich,
Schmelzbergstrasse 12, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland.
Abstract The emergence of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in deer and elk in
an increasingly wide geographic area, as well as the interspecies transmission
of bovine spongiform encephalopathy to humans in the form of variant Creutzfeldt
Jakob disease, have raised concerns about the zoonotic potential of CWD. Because
meat consumption is the most likely means of exposure, it is important to
determine whether skeletal muscle of diseased cervids contains prion
infectivity. Here bioassays in transgenic mice expressing cervid prion protein
revealed the presence of infectious prions in skeletal muscles of CWD-infected
deer, demonstrating that humans consuming or handling meat from CWD-infected
deer are at risk to prion exposure.
Exotic Meats USA Announces Urgent Statewide Recall of Elk Tenderloin
Because It May Contain Meat Derived From An Elk Confirmed To Have Chronic
Wasting Disease
Contact: Exotic Meats USA 1-800-680-4375
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- February 9, 2009 -- Exotic Meats USA of San
Antonio, TX is initiating a voluntary recall of Elk Tenderloin because it may
contain meat derived from an elk confirmed to have Chronic Wasting Disease
(CWD). The meat with production dates of December 29, 30 and 31, 2008 was
purchased from Sierra Meat Company in Reno, NV. The infected elk came from Elk
Farm LLC in Pine Island, MN and was among animals slaughtered and processed at
USDA facility Noah’s Ark Processors LLC.
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a fatal brain and nervous system disease
found in elk and deer. The disease is caused by an abnormally shaped protein
called a prion, which can damage the brain and nerves of animals in the deer
family. Currently, it is believed that the prion responsible for causing CWD in
deer and elk is not capable of infecting humans who eat deer or elk contaminated
with the prion, but the observation of animal-to-human transmission of other
prion-mediated diseases, such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), has
raised a theoretical concern regarding the transmission of CWD from deer or elk
to humans. At the present time, FDA believes the risk of becoming ill from
eating CWD-positive elk or deer meat is remote. However, FDA strongly advises
consumers to return the product to the place of purchase, rather than disposing
of it themselves, due to environmental concerns.
Exotic Meats USA purchased 1 case of Elk Tenderloins weighing 16.9 lbs. The
Elk Tenderloin was sold from January 16 – 27, 2009. The Elk Tenderloins was
packaged in individual vacuum packs weighing approximately 3 pounds each. A
total of six packs of the Elk Tenderloins were sold to the public at the Exotic
Meats USA retail store. Consumers who still have the Elk Tenderloins should
return the product to Exotic Meats USA at 1003 NE Loop 410, San Antonio, TX
78209. Customers with concerns or questions about the Voluntary Elk Recall can
call 1-800-680-4375. The safety of our customer has always been and always will
be our number one priority.
Exotic Meats USA requests that for those customers who have products with
the production dates in question, do not consume or sell them and return them to
the point of purchase. Customers should return the product to the vendor. The
vendor should return it to the distributor and the distributor should work with
the state to decide upon how best to dispose. If the consumer is disposing of
the product he/she should consult with the local state EPA office.
#
COLORADO: Farmer's market meat recalled after testing positive for CWD
24.dec.08 9News.com Jeffrey Wolf
Elk meat that was sold at a farmer's market is being recalled because tests
show it was infected with chronic wasting disease. The Boulder County Health
Department and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment issued the
recall Wednesday after the meat was sold at the Boulder County Fairgrounds on
Dec. 13. Although there isn't any human health risk connected with CWD, the
recalled was issued as a precaution. About 15 elk were bought from a commercial
ranch in Colorado in early December and processed at a licensed plant. All 15
were tested for CWD and one came up positive. The labeling on the product would
have the following information: *Seller: High Wire Ranch *The type of cut:
"chuck roast," "arm roast," "flat iron," "ribeye steak," "New York steak,"
"tenderloin," "sirloin tip roast," "medallions" or "ground meat." *Processor:
Cedaredge Processing *The USDA triangle containing the number "34645" People
with questions about this meat can contact John Pape, epidemiologist at the
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment at 303-692-2628.
COULD NOT FIND any warning or recalls on these two sites confirming their
recall of CWD infected meat. ...TSS
Wednesday, April 06, 2011
Presence and Seeding Activity of Pathological Prion Protein (PrPTSE) in
Skeletal Muscles of White-Tailed Deer Infected with Chronic Wasting Disease
Prion Infectivity in Fat of Deer with Chronic Wasting Disease
Brent Race,# Kimberly Meade-White,# Richard Race, and Bruce Chesebro* Rocky
Mountain Laboratories, 903 South 4th Street, Hamilton, Montana 59840
Received 2 June 2009/ Accepted 24 June 2009
ABSTRACT Top ABSTRACT TEXT REFERENCES
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a neurodegenerative prion disease of
cervids. Some animal prion diseases, such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy,
can infect humans; however, human susceptibility to CWD is unknown. In
ruminants, prion infectivity is found in central nervous system and lymphoid
tissues, with smaller amounts in intestine and muscle. In mice, prion
infectivity was recently detected in fat. Since ruminant fat is consumed by
humans and fed to animals, we determined infectivity titers in fat from two
CWD-infected deer. Deer fat devoid of muscle contained low levels of CWD
infectivity and might be a risk factor for prion infection of other species.
snip...
The highest risk of human contact with CWD might be through exposure to
high-titer CNS tissue through accidental skin cuts or corneal contact at the
time of harvest and butchering. However, the likelihood of a human consuming fat
infected with a low titer of the CWD agent is much higher. It is impossible to
remove all the fat present within muscle tissue, and fat consumption is
inevitable when eating meat. Of additional concern is the fact that meat from an
individual deer harvested by a hunter is typically consumed over multiple meals
by the same group of people. These individuals would thus have multiple
exposures to the CWD agent over time, which might increase the chance for
transfer of infection.
In the Rocky Mountain region of North America, wild deer are subject to
predation by wolves, coyotes, bears, and mountain lions. Although canines such
as wolves and coyotes are not known to be susceptible to prion diseases, felines
definitely are susceptible to BSE (9) and might also be infected by the CWD
agent. Deer infected with the CWD agent are more likely to be killed by
predators such as mountain lions (11). Peripheral tissues, including lymph
nodes, muscle, and fat, which harbor prion infectivity are more accessible for
consumption than CNS tissue, which has the highest level of infectivity late in
disease. Therefore, infectivity in these peripheral tissues may be important in
potential cross-species CWD transmissions in the wild.
The present finding of CWD infectivity in deer fat tissue raises the
possibility that prion infectivity might also be found in fat tissue of other
infected ruminants, such as sheep and cattle, whose fat and muscle tissues are
more widely distributed in both the human and domestic-animal food chains.
Although the infectivity in fat tissues is low compared to that in the CNS,
there may be significant differences among species and between prion strains.
Two fat samples from BSE agent-infected cattle were reported to be negative by
bioassay in nontransgenic RIII mice (3, 6). However, RIII mice are
10,000-fold-less sensitive to BSE agent infection than transgenic mice
expressing bovine PrP (4). It would be prudent to carry out additional
infectivity assays on fat from BSE agent-infected cattle and scrapie
agent-infected sheep using appropriate transgenic mice or homologous species to
determine the risk from these sources.
0C7.04
North American Cervids Harbor Two Distinct CWD Strains
Authors
Angers, R. Seward, T, Napier, D., Browning, S., Miller, M., Balachandran
A., McKenzie, D., Hoover, E., Telling, G. 'University of Kentucky; Colorado
Division of Wildlife, Canadian Food Inspection Agency; University Of Wisconsin;
Colorado State University.
Content
Despite the increasing geographic distribution and host range of CWD,
little is known about the prion strain(s) responsible for distinct outbreaks of
the disease. To address this we inoculated CWD-susceptible Tg(CerPrP)1536+/·
mice with 29 individual prion samples from various geographic locations in North
America. Upon serial passage, intrastudy incubation periods consistently
diverged and clustered into two main groups with means around 210 and 290 days,
with corresponding differences in neuropathology. Prion strain designations were
utilized to distinguish between the two groups: Type I CWD mice succumbed to
disease in the 200 day range and displayed a symmetrical pattern of vacuolation
and PrPSc deposition, whereas Type II CWD mice succumbed to disease near 300
days and displayed a strikingly different pattern characterized by large local
accumulations of florid plaques distributed asymmetrically. Type II CWD bears a
striking resemblance to unstable parental scrapie strains such as 87A which give
rise to stable, short incubation period strains such as ME7 under certain
passage conditions. In agreement, the only groups of CWD-inoculated mice with
unwavering incubation periods were those with Type I CWD. Additionally,
following endpoint titration of a CWD sample, Type I CWD could be recovered only
at the lowest dilution tested (10-1), whereas Type II CWD was detected in mice
inoculated with all dilutions resulting in disease. Although strain properties
are believed to be encoded in the tertiary structure of the infectious prion
protein, we found no biochemical differences between Type I and Type II CWD. Our
data confirm the co·existence of two distinct prion strains in CWD-infected
cervids and suggest that Type II CWD is the parent strain of Type I CWD.
see page 29, and see other CWD studies ;
Sunday, November 23, 2008
PRION October 8th - 10th 2008 Book of Abstracts
ADAPTATION OF CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE (CWD) INTO HAMSTERS, EVIDENCE OF A
WISCONSIN STRAIN OF CWD
Chad Johnson1, Judd Aiken2,3,4 and Debbie McKenzie4,5 1 Department of
Comparative Biosciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison WI, USA 53706 2
Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutritional Sciences, 3 Alberta Veterinary
Research Institute, 4.Center for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, 5
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton AB, Canada
T6G 2P5
The identification and characterization of prion strains is increasingly
important for the diagnosis and biological definition of these infectious
pathogens. Although well-established in scrapie and, more recently, in BSE,
comparatively little is known about the possibility of prion strains in chronic
wasting disease (CWD), a disease affecting free ranging and captive cervids,
primarily in North America. We have identified prion protein variants in the
white-tailed deer population and demonstrated that Prnp genotype affects the
susceptibility/disease progression of white-tailed deer to CWD agent. The
existence of cervid prion protein variants raises the likelihood of distinct CWD
strains. Small rodent models are a useful means of identifying prion strains. We
intracerebrally inoculated hamsters with brain homogenates and phosphotungstate
concentrated preparations from CWD positive hunter-harvested (Wisconsin CWD
endemic area) and experimentally infected deer of known Prnp genotypes. These
transmission studies resulted in clinical presentation in primary passage of
concentrated CWD prions. Subclinical infection was established with the other
primary passages based on the detection of PrPCWD in the brains of hamsters and
the successful disease transmission upon second passage. Second and third
passage data, when compared to transmission studies using different CWD inocula
(Raymond et al., 2007) indicate that the CWD agent present in the Wisconsin
white-tailed deer population is different than the strain(s) present in elk,
mule-deer and white-tailed deer from the western United States endemic region.
*** 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.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8006664&dopt=Abstract
Wednesday, September 07, 2016
Michigan Launches an investigation into the Detroit Medical Center dirty,
broken and missing surgical instruments, what about the CJD TSE PRION iatrogenic
threat past and present therefrom?
Tuesday, July 05, 2016
Michigan DNR announces expansion of Chronic Wasting Disease Core Area and
Management Zone
Friday, March 18, 2016
Michigan confirms additional CWD-positive free-ranging, white-tailed deer,
bringing the total to seven
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Michigan Deer suspected positive for CWD found in Watertown Township; Jan.
12 public meeting set
Tuesday, December 01, 2015
MICHIGAN 4TH WILD CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE CWD SUSPECT CONFIRMED
Friday, November 13, 2015
*** Michigan Suspected CWD found in DeWitt Township deer tests are
indicating that the deer could be the fourth case
Thursday, August 06, 2015
Michigan DNR confirms third deer positive for CWD; hunter participation is
critical this fall
Friday, July 17, 2015
Michigan confirms CWD in second free-ranging white-tailed deer
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Michigan confirms state's first case of chronic wasting disease in
free-ranging white-tailed deer
Monday, August 25, 2008
CWD FIRST DOCUMENTED IN MICHIGAN Michigan's First Case of Chronic Wasting
Disease Detected at Kent County Deer Breeding Facility
Contact: Bridget Patrick (MDA) or Mary Dettloff (DNR) 517-241-2669 or
517-335-3014 Agency: Natural Resources
August 25, 2008 LANSING - The Michigan departments of Agriculture (MDA) and
Natural Resources (DNR) today confirmed the state's first case of Chronic
Wasting Disease (CWD) in a three-year old white-tailed deer from a privately
owned cervid (POC) facility in Kent County.
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Prion-Seeding Activity Is widely Distributed in Tissues of Sporadic
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Patients
Terry S. Singeltary Sr.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home