RW TROPHY RANCH, LTD. AND ROBERT WILLIAMS, Appellants V. TEXAS ANIMAL HEALTH COMMISSION; ANDY SCHWARTZ, DVM, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR; AND TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE Fourteenth Court of Appeals NO. 14-23-00242-CV
RW TROPHY RANCH, LTD. AND ROBERT WILLIAMS, Appellants V. TEXAS ANIMAL HEALTH COMMISSION; ANDY SCHWARTZ, DVM, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR; AND TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE Fourteenth Court of Appeals NO. 14-23-00242-CV
Lawsuit Challenges Texas Animal Health Commission Authority over White-Tailed Deer
Posted on February 5, 2024 by tiffany.dowell
The Fourteenth Court of Appeals in Houston recently ruled on a case regarding the jurisdiction of the Texas Animal Health Commission and the regulation of white-tailed deer to prevent the spread of chronic wasting disease. [Read Opinion here.]
Photo by Acton Crawford on Unsplash
Background
RW Trophy Ranch (“RW”) is a deer breeding ranch in northeast Texas. It consists of a 68-acre deer breeding facility surrounded by a 1,500 acre ranch. RW was certified under the Texas Animal Health Commission’s Texas Chronic Wasting Disease Herd Certification Program (“Program”). The goal of the program is to control the occurrence of chronic wasting disease (“CWD”), a fatal neurodegenerative disease that affects cervid species like deer.
In February 2021, three of RW’s white-tailed deer in their breeding pens died of pneumonia. In accordance with the Program, RW tested the dead deer for CWD. One tested positive. In May 2021, the Texas Animal Health Commission (“TAHC”) issued a Hold Order requiring RW to restrict the movement of all CWD susceptible species on the premises. In June 2021, the TAHC issued a Quarantine Order, ordering that all CWD-susceptible species were to be confined to the premises.
In August 2021, RW tested 49 bucks it wanted to release to its 1,500 acre ranch next to the breeding facility in advance of hunting season. The TAHC responded that RW must agree to a herd management plan before any releases could be made from the breeding facility. RW received two proposed herd plans, both requiring all of RW’s white-tailed deer to be euthanized.
RW filed an appeal of the cancellation or suspension of their Program enrollment. On the notice of appeal, RW’s owner made a handwritten note that RW objected to the herd plan as is and wished to discuss the 49 bucks that RW had tested with clear results. TAHC held a meeting with RW by phone but did not issue a written decision or hold a hearing on this appeal.
RW filed suit in Travis County court in January 2022 seeking a writ compelling TAHC and its Director to provide it with a contested case hearing and a declaration that certain administrative rules exceeded the TAHC and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (“TPWD”)’s authority. The writ was dismissed, but all parties filed cross motions for summary judgment on the rules claims. The trial court sided with TAHC and TPWD, granting their motion. RW appealed.
Court of Appeals Opinion
The Fourteenth Court of Appeals in Houston affirmed. [Read Opinion here.]
Plea to the Jurisdiction
RW first argued that TAHC and its Director had a mandatory duty to issue a written decision 14 days after the telephone call. RW claimed that the failure to do so denied it the ability to pursue a contested case hearing before the State Office of Administrative Hearings regarding its appeal of the cancellation of its Program status. TAHC responded that RW failed to make the necessary showing to warrant mandamus relief by the court.
The court explained that sovereign immunity protects the State of Texas and its agencies from suit and liability. An exception to that protection, however, allows suits to require state officials to comply with statutory or constitutional provisions that are not prohibited by sovereign immunity. To fall within this exception, a plaintiff’s suit must allege and prove that the state officer acted without legal authority or failed to perform a purely ministerial act. If the plaintiff’s complaint involves an act of the officer’s discretion, immunity is not waived. A law is deemed ministerial when it “clearly spells out the duty to be performed by the official with sufficient certainty that nothing is left to the exercise of discretion.” Additionally, to obtain mandamus relief, there must also be a demand for performance and subsequent refusal by the state official.
At issue was Rule 40.3(h). Note, this rule has since been repealed, but was applicable to this case.
The court held that RW failed to comply with section (1) as it did not state “all of the facts and reasons upon which the herd owner relies to show that the reasons for the action are incorrect or do not support the action.” Although RW filed an appeal, it wrote on the Notice of Appeal that it objected to the plan as is and wanted to discuss the 49 bucks. This, the court held, indicated RW was not seeking to appeal the cancellation of its Program status or the specific reason given for the cancellation. Instead, it sought to discuss a separate issue–the release of the 49 bucks. Thus, because the substance of the appeal was not the cancellation of its Program status, it did not proceed under Rule 40.3(h), and RW cannot rely on this rule in support of its claim for mandamus relief.
Rules Challenge
RW set forth four arguments related to the scope of TAHC and TPWD’s authority under rules applicable at the time.
1. TAHC statutory authority is over livestock.
First, RW argues that the TAHC’s authority is limited to “livestock” and white-tailed deer are “wildlife” rather than livestock. White-tailed deer are not included in the Texas Agriculture Code’s definition of “animal” or “livestock.” In light of this, RW claims that Rule 40.2 allows TAHC to take certain actions exceeding its statutory authority including (1) ordering CWD-positive herds to be quarantined until all herd plan requirements are met; (2) ordering herds remain under quarantine for 5 years from past exposure to a CWD-positive or CWD-exposed animal and until such time herd plan requirements are met; and (3) ordering that a herd plan require all CWD-exposed and CWD-suspect animals be euthanized.
RW cited to several provisions of the agriculture code expressly granting TAHC jurisdiction over “livestock” but not “wildlife” in support of its argument. The court, however, noted that RW ignored Texas Agriculture Code Section 161.041 which provides that the TAHC “may act to eradicate or control any disease or agent of transmission for any disease that effects livestock, exotic livestock, domestic fowl, or exotic fowl, regardless of whether the disease is communicable even if the agent of transmission is an animal species that is not subject to the jurisdiction of the commission.” The statute allows the TAHC to adopt “any rules necessary to carry out the purposes” of this section. Giving these provisions their plain meanings, the Court held that the TAHC has the authority to require herd plans, quarantine, and euthanizing of white-tailed deer. RW’s first argument was overruled.
2. TAHC authority to require herd plans.
Next, RW argued that TAHC lacks authority to enforce a federal program in Texas because no cooperative program exists with the federal government. RW based this argument on 4 TAC 40.2, which states that all CWD-positive and trace herds are to be restricted until all herd plan requirements are satisfied and such requirements may incorporate certain federal standards or testing requirements. The court disagreed, noting that, as discussed above, the legislature gave the TAHC broad discretion to control any disease or agent of transmission. Herd plan requirements with respect to controlling CWD fall within this broad authority. RW’s second argument was overruled.
3. TAHC authority to prevent release of animals subject to quarantine to contiguous property under same ownership.
RW argued that that TAHC could not prohibit it from releasing its white-tailed deer from the breeding facility to its contiguous ranch. RW relied on Texas Agric. Code Section 161.054 which states that the TAHC “may not adopt a rule that prohibits a person from moving animals…owned by that person within unquarantined contiguous lands owned or controlled by that person.”
The court noted, however, that the statute RW relies upon prohibits movement of animals between unquarantined contiguous lands. Here, however, the breeding facility was subject to a quarantine order, and there was no indication in the record that it was lifted. Thus, the statute did not apply. RW’s third argument was overruled.
4. TAHC reliance on TPWD rules.
Here, RW essentially made the same arguments offered in its first issue, but this time to challenge TPWD rules. Because the court already overruled the arguments above, the fourth issue was overruled.
What Happens Next?
The deadline to appeal has not yet passed, so RW could still decide to seek review from the Texas Supreme Court.
Key Takeaways
Although this case offered a number of procedural issues, there are a couple of key takeaways to consider. First, the TAHC does have authority to pass rules related to white-tailed deer even though they are wildlife rather than livestock pursuant to TAHC’s authority to prevent the spread of disease that affects livestock. Second, it offers a good reminder about ensuring all technical rules are followed when challenging an agency decision. Here, the rules RW sought to rely upon regarding a written ruling and the subsequent appeals process were unavailable because of how RW framed the issue in the handwritten notes on the appeal document.
Affirmed and Memorandum Opinion filed January 18, 2024.
In The Fourteenth Court of Appeals NO. 14-23-00242-CV
RW TROPHY RANCH, LTD. AND ROBERT WILLIAMS, Appellants V. TEXAS ANIMAL HEALTH COMMISSION; ANDY SCHWARTZ, DVM, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR; AND TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE
DEPARTMENT, Appellees On Appeal from the 345th District Court Travis County, Texas
Trial Court Cause No. D-1-GN-22-000039 M E M O R A N D U M O P I N I O N
This appeal arises from certain administrative agency actions taken to stop the spread of chronic wasting disease among white-tailed deer bred and owned by appellants RW Trophy Ranch, Ltd. and Robert Williams (together, “RW Trophy”). After these administrative actions were implemented, RW Trophy sued the Texas Animal Health Commission (“TAHC”), the TAHC executive director Andy Schwartz, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (“TPWD”), challenging
2
certain agency rules and seeking a petition for writ of mandamus. The trial court granted the TAHC’S and Schwartz’s plea to the jurisdiction and the agencies’ summary judgment motions; RW Trophy filed this appeal. For the reasons below, we affirm.
BACKGROUND RW Trophy Ranch is a deer breeding enterprise in northeast Texas consisting of a 68-acre breeding facility surrounded by a 1,500-acre ranch....snip...see;
***> TEXAS CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE CWD TSE PRION UPDATE 2024
Texas TPWD CWD Cases Jump to 663 Confirmed To Date
Listing of CWD Cases in Texas
Show 25
entries
Search CWD Positives
Positive Number CWD Positive Confirmation Date Free Range Captive County Source Species Sex Age
663 2024-03-05 White-tailed Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer - Breeder Deer M 1.6
662 2024-03-05 White-tailed Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer - Breeder Deer M 1.6
661 2024-03-05 White-tailed Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer - Breeder Deer M 2.7
660 2024-03-05 White-tailed Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer - Breeder Deer M 1.6
659 2024-03-05 White-tailed Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer - Breeder Deer M 3.5
658 2024-03-05 White-tailed Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer - Breeder Deer F 10.6
657 2024-03-05 White-tailed Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer - Breeder Deer M 1.6
656 2024-03-05 Elk Medina N/A Elk - Breeder Release Site F Unknown
655 2024-03-05 White-tailed Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer - Breeder Deer F 2.7
654 2024-03-05 White-tailed Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer - Breeder Deer F 1.5
653 2024-03-05 White-tailed Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer - Breeder Deer F 3.6
652 2024-03-05 White-tailed Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer - Breeder Deer F 3.7
651 2024-03-05 White-tailed Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer - Breeder Deer F 10.7
650 2024-03-05 White-tailed Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer - Breeder Deer M 2.7
649 2024-02-22 White-tailed Deer Hunt N/A White-tailed Deer - Breeder Release Site F 2.5
648 2024-03-05 Elk Medina N/A Elk - Breeder Release Site F Unknown
647 2024-02-22 White-tailed Deer Kimble Facility #26 White-tailed Deer - Breeder Deer F 2.5
646 2024-02-22 White-tailed Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer - Breeder Deer F 1.5
645 2024-02-22 White-tailed Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer - Breeder Deer M 2.6
644 2024-02-22 White-tailed Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer - Breeder Deer M 2.7
643 2024-02-22 White-tailed Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer - Breeder Deer F 3.6
642 2024-02-22 White-tailed Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer - Breeder Deer F 2.7
641 2024-02-22 White-tailed Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer - Breeder Deer M 1.5
640 2024-02-22 White-tailed Deer Hunt Facility #9 White-tailed Deer - Breeder Deer F 3.7
Showing 1 to 24 of 663
*CWD Positive Confirmation Dates marked with * are dates confirmed by Texas A&M Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory rather than the National Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2024
Texas TPWD CWD TSE Prion Positives Jump To 637 Confirmed Cases To Date
FRIDAY, JANUARY 05, 2024
Texas CWD Cases Mount, 624 documented cases statewide, with 181 cases reported in 2023 alone
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 08, 2023
TEXAS CWD TSE PRION DIRE CONSEQUENCES ARE HERE!
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 01, 2023
TEXAS CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE RISES SUBSTANTIALLY TO 575 CONFIRMED CWD CASES TO DATE
Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas
Friday, July 31, 2015 TEXAS Sum of all Trace-out Movement from CWD captive Medina Facility to date
Sum of all Trace-out Movement from Medina Facility
Values Listed = Breeders, Release Sites, DMP
Sum of all Trace-out
***> Texas Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion my concerns 2015 Singeltary Submission
From: Terry S. Singeltary
To: teresa.lenoir@house.state.tx.us Cc: ryan.guillen@house.state.tx.us Andrew.murr@house.state.tx.us dawnna.dukes@house.state.tx.us wayne.smith@house.state.tx.us john.frullo@house.state.tx.us lyle.larson@house.state.tx.us marisa.marquez@house.state.tx.us
August 17, 2015 at 12:26 PM
TEXAS CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE CWD IN CERVID DEER BREEDING, CAPTIVE HUNTING, PLEASE HELP SAVE OUR WILD HERDS
EVERYTHING THE INDUSTRY WISHES I WOULD NOT TELL YOU.
Greetings Honorable Committee Members,
My name is Terry S. Singeltary Sr, and I care about the wild deer herd in Texas and how they can be impacted by Chronic Wasting Disease.
I’m asking you to allow TPWD and the Animal Health Commission to STOP the movement and liberation of all captive deer in Texas.
I’m also asking you to block the inappropriate influence from a select few deer breeders on state agencies regarding what should be biological decisions.
There are 1,300 deer breeders and 700,000 Texas deer hunters.
Please protect the wildlife resources of Texas, and BAN all breeders, captive shooting pens, sperm mills, urine mills and antler mills, or risk loosing Texas forever to CWD, just like Wisconsin.
This disease can significantly impact Texas communities that depend on hunting for their economic well being, and will erode the system that is used to fund wildlife research and wildlife management.
Farmers, ranchers, hunters, and nature enthusiasts will be greatly impacted as the disease is unnaturally moved around the state.
also, if you think for one minute that humans and other animals in other species are not at risk, your are only fooling yourself, science has _proven_ otherwise.
instead of rubber stamping everything the USDA and the industry tell you, before making any decisions on rule making pertaining to this Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE prion disease blunder, I strenuously and urgently request that you read the latest science I wish to kindly submit to you coming out of the latest 2015 Prion Conference out of Ft. Collins on CWD...snip...end...TSS
***> 2024 CWD TSE PRION DISEASE ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
CWD TSE ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
CWD TSE PRION CERVID ENVIRONMENTAL RISK FACTORS 2023
So, this is what we leave our children and grandchildren?
"Additionally, we have determined that prion seeding activity is retained for at least fifteen years at a contaminated site following attempted remediation."
Detection of prions in soils contaminated by multiple routes
Stuart Siegfried Lichtenberg1,2 , Heather Inzalaco3 , Sam Thomas4 , Dan Storm5 , Dan Walsh6
1Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.A.
2Minnesota Center for Prion Research and Outreach, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.A.
3 Wisconsin Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.A
4Department of Soil Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.A.
5Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, U.S.A.
6U.S. Geological Survey, Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, U.S.A.
Aims: Free-ranging animals afflicted with transmissible spongiform encephalopathies frequently shed infectious prions into the broader environment. The quintessential example is chronic wasting disease, the TSE of cervids. Over the course of the disease, an infected animal will shed infectious prions in blood, urine, saliva, and feces. Upon death, the total prion load interred in the animal’s tissues will be deposited wherever the animal falls. This contamination creates substantial risk to naïve animals, and likely contributes to disease spread. Identification and quantification of prions at contamination hotspots is essential for any attempt at mitigation of environmental transmission.
Materials and Methods: Surfactant extraction of soils followed by precipitation yields a sample that is amenable to analysis by real-time quaking induced conversion. However, differences in extraction yield are apparent depending on the properties of the matrix from which the prions are being extracted, principally soil clay content.
Results: We are able to detect prion seeding activity at multiple types of environmental hotspots, including carcass sites, contaminated captive facilities, and scrapes (i.e. urine and saliva). Differences in relative prion concentration vary depending on the nature and source of the contamination. Additionally, we have determined that prion seeding activity is retained for at least fifteen years at a contaminated site following attempted remediation.
Conclusions: Detection of prions in the environment is of the utmost importance for controlling chronic wasting disease spread. Here, we have demonstrated a viable method for detection of prions in complex environmental matrices. However, it is quite likely that this method underestimates the total infectious prion load in a contaminated sample, due to incomplete recovery of infectious prions. Further refinements are necessary for accurate quantification of prions in such samples, and to account for the intrinsic heterogeneities found in the broader environment.
Funded by: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
=====end
Prion 2023 Abstracts
***> Infectious agent of sheep scrapie may persist in the environment for at least 16 years
***> Nine of these recurrences occurred 14–21 years after culling, apparently as the result of environmental contamination, but outside entry could not always be absolutely excluded.
JOURNAL OF GENERAL VIROLOGY Volume 87, Issue 12
Infectious agent of sheep scrapie may persist in the environment for at least 16 years Free
Rapid recontamination of a farm building occurs after attempted prion removal
First published: 19 January 2019 https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.105054
The data illustrates the difficulty in decontaminating farm buildings from scrapie, and demonstrates the likely contribution of farm dust to the recontamination of these environments to levels that are capable of causing disease. snip...
This study clearly demonstrates the difficulty in removing scrapie infectivity from the farm environment. Practical and effective prion decontamination methods are still urgently required for decontamination of scrapie infectivity from farms that have had cases of scrapie and this is particularly relevant for scrapie positive goatherds, which currently have limited genetic resistance to scrapie within commercial breeds.24 This is very likely to have parallels with control efforts for CWD in cervids.
***>This is very likely to have parallels with control efforts for CWD in cervids.
Front. Vet. Sci., 14 September 2015 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2015.00032
Objects in contact with classical scrapie sheep act as a reservoir for scrapie transmission
In conclusion, the results in the current study indicate that removal of furniture that had been in contact with scrapie-infected animals should be recommended, particularly since cleaning and decontamination may not effectively remove scrapie infectivity (31), even though infectivity declines considerably if the pasture and the field furniture have not been in contact with scrapie-infected sheep for several months. As sPMCA failed to detect PrPSc in furniture that was subjected to weathering, even though exposure led to infection in sheep, this method may not always be reliable in predicting the risk of scrapie infection through environmental contamination.
172. Establishment of PrPCWD extraction and detection methods in the farm soil
Conclusions: Our studies showed that PrPCWD persist in 0.001% CWD contaminated soil for at least 4 year and natural CWD-affected farm soil. When cervid reintroduced into CWD outbreak farm, the strict decontamination procedures of the infectious agent should be performed in the environment of CWD-affected cervid habitat.
Plants as vectors for environmental prion transmission
Published: November 09, 2023DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2023.108428
Advertisement Highlights
• Abnormal prion protein can enter the roots of plants
• Plants can translocate detectable levels of prions to aerial tissues
•Animals exposed to prion-contaminated plant tissues can acquire disease
•Contaminated plants may represent a route of prion exposure
Snip…
Nonetheless, our finding of accumulation of two prion strains by a variety of plants grown hydroponically, in agar, or on soil supports the potential for plants to acquire CWD, scrapie, or other prions from the environment and transmit prion disease to susceptible hosts, making plants a plausible vector for prion diseases in wildlife, livestock, and humans. The potential for plants to serve as vectors for prion disease has implications for the disposal of infected carcasses, grazing practices, and the use and transport of potentially contaminated crop materials.
Carrot plants as potential vectors for CWD transmission.
The PMCA analysis demonstrated CWD seeding activity in soils contaminated with CWD prions and in carrot plants (leaves and roots) grown on them. Bioassays showed that both plants and roots contained CWD prions sufficiently to induce disease. As expected, animals treated with prion-infected soils developed prion disease at shorter incubation periods (and complete attack rates) compared to plant components. We show that edible plant components can absorb prions from CWD-contaminated soils and transport them to their aerial parts. Our results indicate that edible plants could participate as vectors of CWD transmission.
“In addition, hay and straw from the United States and Canada must be accompanied by a certificate from a public veterinarian that the product has been harvested in states or provinces where Chronic Wasting Disease has not been detected on deer.”
Regulation No. 1599 of 2018 on additional requirements for the import of hay and straw for used for animal feed.
Country Norway
Type of law Regulation
Source
FAO , FAOLEX
In addition, hay and straw from the United States and Canada must be accompanied by a certificate from a public veterinarian that the product has been harvested in states or provinces where Chronic Wasting Disease has not been detected on deer.
THE tse prion aka mad cow type disease is not your normal pathogen.
The TSE prion disease survives ashing to 600 degrees celsius, that’s around 1112 degrees farenheit.
you cannot cook the TSE prion disease out of meat.
you can take the ash and mix it with saline and inject that ash into a mouse, and the mouse will go down with TSE.
Prion Infected Meat-and-Bone Meal Is Still Infectious after Biodiesel Production as well.
the TSE prion agent also survives Simulated Wastewater Treatment Processes.
IN fact, you should also know that the TSE Prion agent will survive in the environment for years, if not decades.
you can bury it and it will not go away.
The TSE agent is capable of infected your water table i.e. Detection of protease-resistant cervid prion protein in water from a CWD-endemic area.
it’s not your ordinary pathogen you can just cook it out and be done
New studies on the heat resistance of hamster-adapted scrapie agent: Threshold survival after ashing at 600°C suggests an inorganic template of replication
Prion Infected Meat-and-Bone Meal Is Still Infectious after Biodiesel Production
Detection of protease-resistant cervid prion protein in water from a CWD-endemic area
Prions in Waterways
A Quantitative Assessment of the Amount of Prion Diverted to Category 1 Materials and Wastewater During Processing
Rapid assessment of bovine spongiform encephalopathy prion inactivation by heat treatment in yellow grease produced in the industrial manufacturing process of meat and bone meals
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2019
BSE infectivity survives burial for five years with only limited spread
“Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) agents have strain variations that influence disease phenotype and may affect the potential for interspecies transmission. Since deer and sheep may use the same grazing land, it is important to understand the potential transmission of TSEs between these species. The US scrapie isolate (No.13-7) had a 100% attack rate in white-tailed deer after oronasal challenge.”
TUESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2024
CIDRAP launches international effort to prepare for possible chronic wasting disease spillover
Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion Spillover to other Species, What If?
CWD, Plants, oh my…
***> Price of TSE Prion Poker goes up substantially, all you cattle ranchers and such, better pay close attention here...terry
Prion Conference 2023
Transmission of the chronic wasting disease agent from elk to cattle after oronasal exposure
Justin Greenlee, Jifeng Bian, Zoe Lambert, Alexis Frese, and Eric Cassmann Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA-ARS, Ames, IA, USA
Aims: The purpose of this study was to determine the susceptibility of cattle to chronic wasting disease agent from elk.
Materials and Methods: Initial studies were conducted in bovinized mice using inoculum derived from elk with various genotypes at codon 132 (MM, LM, LL). Based upon attack rates, inoculum (10% w/v brain homogenate) from an LM132 elk was selected for transmission studies in cattle. At approximately 2 weeks of age, one wild type steer (EE211) and one steer with the E211K polymorphism (EK211) were fed 1 mL of brain homogenate in a quart of milk replacer while another 1 mL was instilled intranasally. The cattle were examined daily for clinical signs for the duration of the experiment. One steer is still under observation at 71 months post-inoculation (mpi).
Results: Inoculum derived from MM132 elk resulted in similar attack rates and incubation periods in mice expressing wild type or K211 bovine PRNP, 35% at 531 days post inoculation (dpi) and 27% at 448 dpi, respectively. Inoculum from LM132 elk had a slightly higher attack rates in mice: 45% (693 dpi) in wild type cattle PRNP and 33% (468) in K211 mice. Inoculum from LL132 elk resulted in the highest attack rate in wild type bovinized mice (53% at 625 dpi), but no K211 mice were affected at >700 days. At approximately 70 mpi, the EK211 genotype steer developed clinical signs suggestive of prion disease, depression, low head carriage, hypersalivation, and ataxia, and was necropsied. Enzyme immunoassay (IDEXX) was positive in brainstem (OD=4.00, but non-detect in retropharyngeal lymph nodes and palatine tonsil. Immunoreactivity was largely limited to the brainstem, midbrain, and cervical spinal cord with a pattern that was primarily glia-associated.
Conclusions: Cattle with the E211K polymorphism are susceptible to the CWD agent after oronasal exposure of 0.2 g of infectious material.
"Cattle with the E211K polymorphism are susceptible to the CWD agent after oronasal exposure of 0.2 g of infectious material."
=====end
Strain characterization of chronic wasting disease in bovine-PrP transgenic mice
Conclusions: Altogether, these results exhibit the diversity of CWD strains present in the panel of CWD isolates and the ability of at least some CWD isolates to infect bovine species. Cattle being one of the most important farming species, this ability represents a potential threat to both animal and human health, and consequently deserves further study.
"Altogether, these results exhibit the diversity of CWD strains present in the panel of CWD isolates and the ability of at least some CWD isolates to infect bovine species. Cattle being one of the most important farming species, this ability represents a potential threat to both animal and human health, and consequently deserves further study."
=====end
Title: Horizontal transmission of chronic wasting disease in reindeer
Author
item MOORE, SARAH - Orise Fellow item Kunkle, Robert item WEST GREENLEE, MARY - Iowa State University item Nicholson, Eric item Richt, Juergen item Hamir, Amirali item Waters, Wade item Greenlee, Justin
Submitted to: Emerging Infectious Diseases Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 8/29/2016 Publication Date: 12/1/2016
Citation: Moore, S., Kunkle, R., Greenlee, M., Nicholson, E., Richt, J., Hamir, A., Waters, W., Greenlee, J. 2016. Horizontal transmission of chronic wasting disease in reindeer.
Emerging Infectious Diseases. 22(12):2142-2145. doi:10.3201/eid2212.160635.
Interpretive Summary: Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that occurs in farmed and wild cervids (deer and elk) of North America and was recently diagnosed in a single free-ranging reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) in Norway. CWD is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) that is caused by infectious proteins called prions that are resistant to various methods of decontamination and environmental degradation. Little is known about the susceptibility of or potential for transmission amongst reindeer. In this experiment, we tested the susceptibility of reindeer to CWD from various sources (elk, mule deer, or white-tailed deer) after intracranial inoculation and tested the potential for infected reindeer to transmit to non-inoculated animals by co-housing or housing in adjacent pens. Reindeer were susceptible to CWD from elk, mule deer, or white-tailed deer sources after experimental inoculation. Most importantly, non-inoculated reindeer that were co-housed with infected reindeer or housed in pens adjacent to infected reindeer but without the potential for nose-to-nose contact also developed evidence of CWD infection. This is a major new finding that may have a great impact on the recently diagnosed case of CWD in the only remaining free-ranging reindeer population in Europe as our findings imply that horizontal transmission to other reindeer within that herd has already occurred. Further, this information will help regulatory and wildlife officials developing plans to reduce or eliminate CWD and cervid farmers that want to ensure that their herd remains CWD-free, but were previously unsure of the potential for reindeer to transmit CWD.
Technical Abstract: Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a naturally-occurring, fatal prion disease of cervids. Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) are susceptible to CWD following oral challenge, and CWD was recently reported in a free-ranging reindeer of Norway. 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; CWDwtd), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus; CWDmd), or elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni; CWDelk) 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 CWDwtd, CWDmd, or CWDelk. Two years after challenge of inoculated reindeer, non-inoculated negative control reindeer were introduced into the same pen as the CWDwtd inoculated reindeer (direct contact; n=4) or into a pen adjacent to the CWDmd inoculated reindeer (indirect contact; n=2). Experimentally inoculated 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 (PrPcwd). Intracranially challenged reindeer developed clinical disease from 21 months post-inoculation (months PI). PrPcwd was detected in 5 out of 6 sentinel reindeer although only 2 out of 6 developed clinical disease during the study period (< 57 months PI). We have shown that reindeer are susceptible to CWD from various cervid sources and can transmit CWD to naïve reindeer both directly and indirectly.
Emerg Infect Dis. 2016 Dec; 22(12): 2142–2145. doi: 10.3201/eid2212.160635 PMCID: PMC5189146 PMID: 27869594
Horizontal Transmission of Chronic Wasting Disease in Reindeer
S. Jo Moore, Robert Kunkle, M. Heather West Greenlee, Eric Nicholson, Jürgen Richt, Amir Hamir, 1 W. Ray Waters, and Justin Greenlee corresponding author
Abstract
We challenged reindeer by the intracranial route with the agent of chronic wasting disease sourced from white-tailed deer, mule deer, or elk and tested for horizontal transmission to naive reindeer. Reindeer were susceptible to chronic wasting disease regardless of source species. Horizontal transmission occurred through direct contact or indirectly through the environment.
Keywords: brain, cervid, chronic wasting disease, horizontal transmission, prions, reindeer, transmissible spongiform encephalopathy Reindeer are susceptible to chronic wasting disease (CWD) after experimental oral challenge (1), and recently, CWD was identified in a free-ranging reindeer in Norway (2,3). Horizontal transmission is the primary mode of CWD transmission in deer. Direct horizontal transmission occurs when naive animals are exposed to infectious excreta (i.e., saliva, urine, feces) during close contact with CWD-affected animals (reviewed in 4). Indirect horizontal transmission occurs through exposure to environments contaminated with infectious material (e.g., excreta or decomposed carcasses) (5,6).
The Eurasian reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) is closely related to the North American caribou (R. t. caribou, R. t. granti, R. t. groenlandicus). In North America, overlapping geographic ranges of free-ranging populations of potentially CWD-infected white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), mule deer (O. hemionus), or elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) present a risk for horizontal transmission to caribou. Exposure also could occur in farmed populations where contact occurs between reindeer and captive and/or free-ranging CWD-affected cervids. We investigated the transmission of CWD from white-tailed deer, mule deer, or elk to reindeer through the intracranial route and assessed them for direct and indirect horizontal transmission to uninoculated sentinels.
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Conclusions
Potential sources of infectivity for direct contact animals include urine, feces, and saliva from their CWDwtd-challenged pen-mates, as has been shown for CWD-affected white-tailed deer (6,8,9). Pinpointing the source of infectivity in the indirect contact group is more difficult. Infectious prions can travel at least 30 m in airborne particulate (10), but because the negative control reindeer in the pen adjacent to the indirect contact reindeer did not become positive, a more direct route of transmission is likely in this case. Penning, feeding, and watering protocols were designed to prevent exposure of negative control and indirect contact reindeer to potential infectivity on feed and water buckets, bedding, or fencing (6,11). However, reindeer might have had access to bedding from adjacent pens that had spread into the central alleyway.
During the 5-year course of this study, reindeer were moved between pens several times to maintain an optimal number of animals per pen (Technical Appendix Figure 1). Prolonged persistence of prion infectivity in the natural environment has been documented for both CWD (2 years [5]) and scrapie (up to 16 years [12]). In addition, thorough cleaning and disinfection might not be sufficient to remove all infectivity from the environment, leading to persistence of infectivity under experimental housing conditions (13).
In reindeer challenged orally with the agent of CWD, the SS138 genotype (serine/serine at PRNP codon 138) has been associated with susceptibility to disease and the NS138 (asparagine/serine) genotype with resistance (1). In the study we report, disease developed in reindeer with the NS138 genotype after intracranial inoculation, although the extent of lymphoreticular system involvement was significantly lower than in NN138 and SS138 reindeer. The potential association of the NN138 polymorphism with shorter survival times is interesting. However, as with all potential genotype versus phenotype interactions, care should be taken not to over-interpret these results given the small group sizes and the large number of PRNP genotype groups in this study.
Our results demonstrate that reindeer are susceptible to the agent of CWD from white-tailed deer, mule deer, and elk sources after intracranial inoculation. Furthermore, naive reindeer are susceptible to the agent of CWD after direct and indirect exposure to CWD-infected reindeer, suggesting a high potential for horizontal transmission of CWD within and between farmed and free-ranging reindeer (and caribou) populations.
Technical Appendix:
Additional materials and methods and results from a study of horizontal transmission of chronic wasting disease among reindeer.
“Regarding the current situation involving CWD in permitted deer breeding facilities, TPWD records indicate that within the last five years, the seven CWD-positive facilities transferred a total of 2,530 deer to 270 locations in 102 counties and eight locations in Mexico (the destinations included 139 deer breeding facilities, 118 release sites, five Deer Management Permit sites, and three nursing facilities).'' ...
It is apparent that prior to the recent emergency rules, the CWD detection rules were ineffective at detecting CWD earlier in the deer breeding facilities where it was eventually discovered and had been present for some time; this creates additional concern regarding adequate mitigation of the risk of transferring CWD-positive breeder deer to release sites where released breeder deer come into contact with free-ranging deer...
Commission Agenda Item No. 5 Exhibit B
DISEASE DETECTION AND RESPONSE RULES
PROPOSAL PREAMBLE
1. Introduction.
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A third issue is the accuracy of mortality reporting. Department records indicate that for each of the last five years an average of 26 deer breeders have reported a shared total of 159 escapes. Department records for the same time period indicate an average of 31 breeding facilities reported a shared total of 825 missing deer (deer that department records indicate should be present in the facility, but cannot be located or verified).
TEXAS CWD STRAIN
“Wow,” he said. “Unlike anything we've seen before.”
The prions from the Texas deer were a lot harder to destroy than the ones from the Colorado elk. In fact, the guanidine barely damaged them at all. “We’ve never seen that before in any prion strain, which means that it has a completely different structure than we've ever seen before,” says Zabel. And that suggests that it might be a very different kind of chronic wasting disease. The researchers ran the same test on another Texas deer, with the same results.
TEXAS CWD STRAIN
77. Assessing chronic wasting disease strain differences in free-ranging cervids across the United States
Kaitlyn M. Wagnera, Caitlin Ott-Connb, Kelly Strakab, Bob Dittmarc, Jasmine Battend, Robyn Piercea, Mercedes Hennessya, Elizabeth Gordona, Brett Israela, Jenn Ballarde and Mark D Zabela
aPrion Research Center at Colorado State University; bMichigan Department of Natural Resources; cTexas Parks and Wildlife Department; dMissouri Department of Conservation, 5. Arkansas Game and Fish Commission CONTACT Kaitlyn M. Wagner miedkait@rams.colostate.edu
ABSTRACT
Background/Introduction: Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is an invariably fatal prion disease affecting captive and free-ranging cervids, including white-tailed deer, mule deer, moose, elk, and reindeer. Since the initial description of the disease in the 1960’s, CWD has spread to 23 states, 3 Canadian Provinces, South Korea, Norway and, most recently, Finland. While some outbreaks of CWD were caused by transport of infected animals from endemic regions, the origin of CWD in other epizootics is unclear and has not been characterized. Previous studies have shown that there are two distinct strains of CWD. However, the continuous spread and the unclear origin of several outbreaks warrant continued surveillance and further characterization of strain diversity.
Materials and Methods: To address these knowledge gaps, we used biochemical tests to assess strain differences between CWD outbreaks in Michigan, Texas, Missouri, and Colorado, USA. Brain or lymph node samples were homogenized and digested in 50 µg/mL proteinase K (PK). These samples were then run on a Western blot to assess glycoform ratio and electrophoretic mobility. Texas samples were digested in 100 µg/mL PK. To assess conformational stability, brain or lymph node homogenates were incubated in increasing concentrations of guanidine hydrochloride from 0 M to 4 M in 0.5 M increments. Samples were then precipitated in methanol overnight, washed and PK digested in 50 µg/mL PK before slot blotting.
Results: Our results have found significant differences in glycoform ratio between CWD from Michigan and Colorado, but no differences were observed in conformational stability assays. Interestingly, when testing our CWD isolates from Texas to analyse electrophoretic mobility and glycoform ratio, we found that these samples did not exhibit the characteristic band shift when treated with PK, but PK resistant material remained. Additionally, results from our conformational stability assay demonstrate a unique profile of these Texas isolates. Testing of samples from Missouri is currently underway.
Conclusions: Thus far, our data indicate that there are strain differences between CWD circulating in Michigan and CWD in Colorado and provide important insight into CWD strain differences between two non-contiguous outbreaks. We have also identified a unique strain of CWD in Texas with biochemical strain properties not seen in any of our other CWD isolates. These results highlight the importance of continued surveillance to better understand this devastating disease. These results have important implications for CWD emergence, evolution and our understanding of prion strain heterogeneity on the landscape.
Chronic wasting disease detection in environmental and biological samples from a taxidermy site
Paulina Sotoa,b, J. Hunter Reedc, Mitch Lockwoodc, and Rodrigo Moralesa,b
aDepartment of Neurology, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Texas, USA; bUniversidad Bernardo O’Higgins, Santiago, Chile; cTexas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas, USA
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy affecting captive and free-ranging cervids (e.g., mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk, reindeer, and moose). Nowadays, CWD is widely distributed in North America. It is suggested that CWD spreads due to direct animal contact or through exposure to contaminated environments previously inhabited by infected animals. CWD may also be spread through the movement of infected animals and carcasses. Taxidermy practices involve processing deer tissues (or whole animal carcasses). In many cases, the CWD status of processed animals is unknown. This can generate risks of disease spread and transmission. Taxidermy practices include different steps involving physical, chemical, and biological procedures. Without proper tissue handling or disposal practices, taxidermist facilities may become a focus of prion infectivity.
Aims: In this study, we evaluated the presence of infectious prions in a taxidermy facility believed to be exposed to CWD. Detection was performed using the Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification (PMCA) technique in biological and inert environmental samples.
Methods: We collected biological and environmental samples (plants, soils, insects, excreta, and others) from a taxidermy facility, and we tested these samples using the PMCA technique. In addition, we swabbed different surfaces possibly exposed to CWD-infected animals. For the PMCA reaction, we directly used a swab piece or 10 µL of 20% w/v homogenized samples.
Results: The PMCA analysis demonstrated CWD seeding activity in some of the components of this facility, including insects involved in head processing, soils, and a trash dumpster.
Conclusions: Different areas of this property were used for various taxidermy procedures. We were able to detect the presence of prions in i) soils that were in contact with the heads of dead animals, ii) insects involved in the cleaning of skulls, and iii) an empty dumpster where animal carcasses were previously placed. This is the first report demonstrating that swabbing is a helpful method to screen for prion infectivity on surfaces potentially contaminated with CWD. These findings are relevant as this swabbing and amplification strategy may be used to evaluate the disease status of other free-ranging and captive settings where there is a concern for CWD transmissions, such as at feeders and water troughs with CWD-exposed properties. This approach could have substantial implications for free-ranging cervid surveillance as well as in epidemiological investigations of CWD.
Funded by: USDA
Grant number: AP20VSSPRS00C143
PRION 2022 ABSTRACTS, AND A BIG THANK YOU TO On behalf of the Prion2020/2022 Congress Organizing Committee and the NeuroPrion Association, we heartily invite you to join us for the International Conference Prion2020/2022 from 13.-16. September 2022 in Göttingen.
Prion 2022 Conference abstracts: pushing the boundaries
Large-scale PMCA screening of retropharyngeal lymph nodes and in white-tailed deer and comparisons with ELISA and IHC: the Texas CWD study
Rebeca Benaventea, Paulina Sotoa, Mitch Lockwoodb, and Rodrigo Moralesa aDepartment of Neurology, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Texas, USA; bTexas Park and Wildlife Department, Texas, USA
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy that affects various species of cervids, and both free-ranging and captive animals. Until now, CWD has been detected in 3 continents: North America, Europe, and Asia. CWD prevalence in some states may reach 30% of total animals. In Texas, the first case of CWD was reported in a free-range mule deer in Hudspeth and now it has been detected in additional 14 counties. Currently, the gold standard techniques used for CWD screening and detection are ELISA and immunohistochemistry (IHC) of obex and retropharyngeal lymph nodes (RPLN). Unfortunately, these methods are known for having a low diagnostic sensitivity. Hence, many CWD-infected animals at pre-symptomatic stages may be misdiagnosed. Two promising in vitro prion amplification techniques, including the real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) and the protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) have been used to diagnose CWD and other prion diseases in several tissues and bodily fluids. Considering the low cost and speed of RT-QuIC, two recent studies have communicated the potential of this technique to diagnose CWD prions in RPLN samples. Unfortunately, the data presented in these articles suggest that identification of CWD positive samples is comparable to the currently used ELISA and IHC protocols. Similar studies using the PMCA technique have not been reported.
Aims: Compare the CWD diagnostic potential of PMCA with ELISA and IHC in RPLN samples from captive and free-range white-tailed deer. Material and Methods: In this study we analyzed 1,003 RPLN from both free-ranging and captive white-tailed deer collected in Texas. Samples were interrogated with the PMCA technique for their content of CWD prions. PMCA data was compared with the results obtained through currently approved techniques.
Results: Our results show a 15-fold increase in CWD detection in free-range deer compared with ELISA. Our results unveil the presence of prion infected animals in Texas counties with no previous history of CWD. In the case of captive deer, we detected a 16% more CWD positive animals when compared with IHC. Interestingly, some of these positive samples displayed differences in their electroforetic mobilities, suggesting the presence of different prion strains within the State of Texas.
Conclusions: PMCA sensitivity is significantly higher than the current gold standards techniques IHC and ELISA and would be a good tool for rapid CWD screening.
Funded by: USDA
Grant number: AP20VSSPRS00C143
PRION 2022 ABSTRACTS, AND A BIG THANK YOU TO On behalf of the Prion2020/2022 Congress Organizing Committee and the NeuroPrion Association, we heartily invite you to join us for the International Conference Prion2020/2022 from 13.-16. September 2022 in Göttingen.
Prion 2022 Conference abstracts: pushing the boundaries
Shedding of Chronic Wasting Disease Prions in Multiple Excreta Throughout Disease Course in White-tailed Deer
Nathaniel D. Denkersa, Erin E. McNultya, Caitlyn N. Krafta, Amy V. Nallsa, Joseph A. Westricha, Wilfred Goldmannb, Candace K. Mathiasona, and Edward A. Hoovera
aPrion Research Center, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biological Sciences, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology; Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA; bDivision of Infection and Immunity, The Roslin Institute and the Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK
Aims: Chronic wasting disease (CWD) now infects cervids in South Korea, North America, and Scandinavia. CWD is unique in its efficient transmission and shedding of prions in body fluids throughout long course infections. Questions remain as to the magnitude of shedding and the route of prion acquisition. As CWD continues to expand, the need to better understand these facets of disease becomes more pertinent. The purpose of the studies described was to define the longitudinal shedding profile of CWD prions in urine, saliva, and feces throughout the course of infection in white-tailed deer.
Material and Methods: Twelve (12) white-tailed deer were inoculated with either 1 mg or 300ng of CWD. Urine, saliva, and feces were collected every 3-month post-inoculation (MPI) throughout the study duration. Cohorts were established based on PNRP genotype: codon 96 GG (n = 6) and alternate codons 96 GS (n = 5) & 103NT (n = 1). Urine and saliva were analyzed using iron-oxide magnetic extraction (IOME) and real-time quaking induced conversion (RT-QuIC)(IQ). Feces were subjected to IOME, followed by 4 rounds protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) with products analyzed by RT-QuIC (IPQ). To determine whether IPQ may be superior to IQ, a subset of urine and saliva were also tested by IPQ. Results were compared with clinical disease status.
Results: Within the 96 GG cohort, positive seeding activity was detected in feces from all deer (100%), in saliva from 5 of 6 (83%), and in urine from 4 of 6 (66%). Shedding in all excreta occurred at, or just after, the first positive tonsil biopsy result. In the 96 GS/103NT cohort, positive seeding activity could be detected in feces from 3 of 6 (50%) deer, saliva in 2 of 6 (33%), and urine in 1 of 6 (16%). Shedding in excreta was detected >5 months after the first tonsil positive result. Four of six 96 GG deer developed clinical signs of CWD, whereas only 2 of the 96 GS/103NT did. Shedding was more frequently detected in deer with clinical disease. The IPQ protocol did not significantly improve detection in saliva or urine samples, however, it significantly augmented detection in feces by eliminating non-specific background commonly experienced with IQ. Negative control samples remained negative in samples tested.
Conclusions: These studies demonstrate: (a) CWD prion excretion occurs throughout infection; (2) PRNP genotype (GG≫GS/NT) influences the excreta shedding; and (3) detection sensitivity in excreta can vary with different RT-QuIC protocols. These results provide a more complete perspective of prion shedding in deer during the course of CWD infection.
Funded by: National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Grant number: RO1-NS061902-09 R to EAH, PO1-AI077774 to EAH, and R01-AI112956-06 to CKM
Acknowledgement: We abundantly thank Sallie Dahmes at WASCO and David Osborn and Gino D’Angelo at the University of Georgia Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources for their long-standing support of this work through provision of the hand-raised, CWD-free, white-tailed deer used in these studies
Carrot plants as potential vectors for CWD transmission
Paulina Sotoa,b, Francisca Bravo-Risia,b, Claudio Sotoa, and Rodrigo Moralesa,b
aDepartment of Neurology, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Texas, USA; bUniversidad Bernardo O’Higgins, Santiago, Chile
Prion diseases are infectious neurodegenerative disorders afflicting humans and other mammals. These diseases are generated by the misfolding of the cellular prion protein into a disease-causing isoform. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prevalent prion disease affecting cervids (captive and free-range). CWD is thought to be transmitted through direct animal contact or by indirect exposure to contaminated environments. Many studies have shown that infectious prions can enter the environment through saliva, feces, or urine from infected animals and decaying carcasses. However, we do not fully understand the specific contribution of each component to disease transmission events. Plants are logical environmental components to be evaluated since they grow in environments contaminated with CWD prions and are relevant for animal and human nutrition.
Aims: The main objective of this study is to study whether prions are transported to the roots and leaves of carrots, an edible plant commonly used in the human diet and as deer bait.
Methods: We have grown carrot plants in CWD-infected soils. After 90 days, we harvested the carrots and separated them from the leaves. The experiment was controlled by growing plants in soil samples treated with brain extracts from healthy animals. These materials were interrogated for their prion seeding activity using the Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification (PMCA) technique. Infectivity was evaluated in mouse bioassays (intracerebral injections in Tg1536 mice). The animals were sacrificed when they showed established signs of prion disease. Animals not displaying clinical signs were sacrificed at 600 days post-inoculation.
Results: The PMCA analysis demonstrated CWD seeding activity in soils contaminated with CWD prions, as well as in carrot plants (leaves and roots) grown on them. Bioassays demonstrated that both leaves and roots contained CWD prions in sufficient quantities to induce disease (92% attack rate). As expected, animals treated with prion-infected soils developed prion disease at shorter incubation periods (and complete attack rates) compared to plant components. Animals treated with soil and plant components exposed with CWD-free brain extracts did not display prion-associated clinical signs or evidence of sub-clinical prion infection.
Conclusions: We show that edible plant components can absorb prions from CWD contaminated soils and transport them to their aerial parts. Our results indicate that plants could participate as vectors of CWD transmission. Importantly, plants designated for human consumption represent a risk of introducing CWD prions into the human food chain.
Funded by: NIH
Grant number: R01AI132695
October 6th-12th, 126th Meeting 2022 Resolutions
RESOLUTION NUMBER: 30 Approved
SOURCE: COMMITTEE ON WILDLIFE
SUBJECT MATTER: Chronic Wasting Disease Carcass Disposal Dumpster Management and Biosecurity
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
State and tribal wildlife agencies may identify collection points (dumpsters) within an identified chronic wasting disease (CWD) management zone for the disposal of hunter-harvested cervid carcasses to remove potentially infected carcasses off the landscape for disposal by an approved method (Gillin & Mawdsley, 2018, chap.14). However, depending on their placement and maintenance these dumpsters could potentially increase the risk of CWD transmission.
In several different states, photographic evidence has shown dumpsters in state identified CWD management zones overflowing with deer carcasses and limbs scattered on the land nearby. This could provide an opportunity for scavengers to potentially move infected carcass material to non-infected zones or increase contamination of the ground material around the dumpster’s location.
Federal guidance does not explicitly address uniform standards for collection locations for carcasses of free-ranging cervids; however, the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Veterinary Services Program Standards on CWD outlines procedures for carcass disposal, equipment sanitation, and decontamination of premises for captive cervid facilities.
RESOLUTION:
The United States Animal Health Association urges the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA), Wildlife Health Committee to further refine the AFWA Technical Report on Best Management Practices for Prevention, Surveillance, and Management of Chronic Wasting Disease; Chapter 14, Carcass Disposal to address the placement and management of chronic wasting disease carcass disposal dumpsters or other carcass collection containers.
Reference:
1. Gillin, Colin M., and Mawdsley, Jonathan R. (eds.). 2018. AFWA Technical Report on Best Management Practices for Surveillance, Management and Control of Chronic Wasting Disease. Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Washington, D. C. 111 pp.
Trucking CWD TSE PrP
Friday, December 14, 2012
DEFRA U.K. What is the risk of Chronic Wasting Disease CWD being introduced into Great Britain? A Qualitative Risk Assessment October 2012
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The rate of transmission of CWD has been reported to be as high as 30% and can approach 100% among captive animals in endemic areas (Safar et al., 2008).
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In summary, in endemic areas, there is a medium probability that the soil and surrounding environment is contaminated with CWD prions and in a bioavailable form. In rural areas where CWD has not been reported and deer are present, there is a greater than negligible risk the soil is contaminated with CWD prion.
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In summary, given the volume of tourists, hunters and servicemen moving between GB and North America, the probability of at least one person travelling to/from a CWD affected area and, in doing so, contaminating their clothing, footwear and/or equipment prior to arriving in GB is greater than negligible. For deer hunters, specifically, the risk is likely to be greater given the increased contact with deer and their environment. However, there is significant uncertainty associated with these estimates.
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Therefore, it is considered that farmed and park deer may have a higher probability of exposure to CWD transferred to the environment than wild deer given the restricted habitat range and higher frequency of contact with tourists and returning GB residents.
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http://webarchive.nationa...
Published: 06 September 2021
***> Chronic wasting disease: a cervid prion infection looming to spillover
Alicia Otero, Camilo Duque Velásquez, Judd Aiken & Debbie McKenzie
Veterinary Research volume 52, Article number: 115 (2021)
i am very concerned with semen and cwd tse prion, and how sperm is traded like baseball cards...terry
JERKING FOR DOLLARS AND CWD IN TEXAS ?
about those 20k straw bred bucks, the sperm politicians trade like two lovers swap spit down here in Texas i was concerned with. they use if for donations, instead of money, and risk spreading cwd. science still out, but here is to date, and why this concerns me;
PLEASE NOTE, those straw bred $25k bucks, and everything that goes with it, what I have called for years “jerking for dollars, and possibly CWD”, where the industry has gotten so risky, it trades sperm fro Cervid like kids trade baseball cards, or lovers swap spit, even politicians use high dollar straw bred Buck sperm for political donations, might just come back to haunt everyone wit a CWD…what if? I DON’T MAKE THIS STUFF UP! WAKE UP PEOPLE!
PMCA successfully detected CWD-prions in a diverse array of samples including blood, semen, feces, obex, retropharyngeal lymph node, fetuses (neural and peripheral tissues) and gestational tissues, parasites-insects, plants, compost-soil mixtures, and swabs from trash containers.
Importantly, our findings identified CWD in areas previously considered to be free of CWD. Overall, our findings demonstrate that PMCA is a powerful technique for the screening of biological and environmental samples, and it may prove useful as a CWD management and surveillance tool.
https://intcwdsympo.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/final-agenda-with-abstracts.pdf?force_download=true
*** CENSORED, RAW, UNCUT...
Sunday, July 26, 2015
*** TEXAS IN MELT DOWN MODE OVER CAPTIVE CWD AND THEY ARE PUTTING LIPSTICK ON THAT PIG AND TAKING HER TO THE DANCE LIKE MAD COW DISEASE ***
Published: 15 September 2021
Detection of CWD prions in naturally infected white-tailed deer fetuses and gestational tissues by PMCA
Francisca Bravo-Risi, Paulina Soto, Thomas Eckland, Robert Dittmar, Santiago Ramírez, Celso S. G. Catumbela, Claudio Soto, Mitch Lockwood, Tracy Nichols & Rodrigo Morales Scientific Reports volume 11, Article number: 18385 (2021) Cite this article
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prevalent prion disease affecting cervids. CWD is thought to be transmitted through direct animal contact or by indirect exposure to contaminated environmental fomites. Other mechanisms of propagation such as vertical and maternal transmissions have also been suggested using naturally and experimentally infected animals. Here, we describe the detection of CWD prions in naturally-infected, farmed white-tailed deer (WTD) fetal tissues using the Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification (PMCA) technique. Prion seeding activity was identified in a variety of gestational and fetal tissues. Future studies should demonstrate if prions present in fetuses are at sufficient quantities to cause CWD after birth. This data confirms previous findings in other animal species and furthers vertical transmission as a relevant mechanism of CWD dissemination.
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Here, we report the presence of seeding competent CWD prions in fetal tissues collected from naturally prion-infected farmed WTD does using PMCA. The results presented in this article confirm the presence of CWD prions in fetal tissues from naturally infected farmed WTD dams suggesting that CWD could be transferred from mother to offspring.
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Discussion CWD is rapidly expanding in both captive and wild cervid populations. While direct animal contact and environmental contamination provide reasonable explanations on how this disease is transmitted, evidence involving fetal infection and maternal exposure suggest that these routes may be relevant for disease transmission. Offspring from scrapie-infected sheep has been described as being at increased risk of developing prion disease32. Similar outcomes have been described for farmed elk41 and experimentally infected muntjac deer31. Relevant evidence supporting maternal-offspring CWD transmission include prion seeding activity identified in placenta and gestational fluids from pregnant elk and muntjac deer29,30. Importantly, prion detection has been identified in fetal tissues from elk30. Controlled experimental conditions in muntjac deer demonstrate that mother-to-offspring transmission is possible for CWD31. Our results show that fetal tissues collected from naturally infected CWD-positive asymptomatic farmed WTD females contain seeding competent prions. This suggests that mother-to-offspring prion transmission is a common feature of CWD across different cervid species.
In this report, we communicate the screening of 19 fetal and gestational tissues and fluids for the detection of CWD prions. Relevant CWD positive fetal tissues include liver, kidney, and lymphoid and reproductive tissues. The case of liver and kidney is interesting, as prion accumulation in these tissues is not observed by IHC in adult CWD-symptomatic animals5. The presence of CWD prions in fetuses’ sexual tissues is also interesting, especially considering our previous report showing that prion seeding activity is present in the testes of CWD-infected WTD bucks only at the late pre-symptomatic stages35. On the contrary, the identification of CWD prions in a large proportion of lymphoid tissues is in alignment with the expected pathophysiology of prions observed in adult animals2. This finding suggests that the tropism of infectious prions in lymphoid organs occurs even at fetal stages. However, the results presented in this article do not allow us to conclude whether CWD prions present in fetal tissues came from the mothers through circulation or were generated de novo in the fetuses. The poor detection of CWD prions in fetal brains strongly supports the idea that neuroinvasion (ergo, prion replication) does not occur at fetal stages.
PMCA can detect prions at sub-infectious levels34,42,43,44 and CWD prion amplification by PMCA is able to catch sub-infectious PrPSc quantities in the first round6,35. Whether CWD prions present in fetal tissues exist in quantities large enough to induce clinical CWD after birth cannot be concluded from our results. Previous results in goats show that embryo transfer from infected to naïve females failed to transmit prion disease to offspring28, suggesting that if prions in sheep and goat embryos contain prions, they are present in sub-infectious quantities. Nevertheless, it is important to acknowledge that embryos described in those studies were exposed to a prion-infected environment for a restricted time, and either prion absorption and replication by embryos may be limited. The latter assumption is supported by the fact that recipient females were not infected28. Nonetheless, similar studies in sheep demonstrated that in utero prion transmission is possible45. The presence of prion infectivity in mammary glands, colostrum and milk of sheep suggest that transmission can also occur after birth46,47,48,49. Future studies detecting prions in mammary glands and milk of deer does will help us to evaluate the different possible scenarios in which CWD can be transmitted from mother to offspring (i.e., in utero vs. milking/nursing). Research in this area is relevant considering that wild WTD CWD-positive does seems more likely to be parents compared to their CWD-negative counterparts50.
The results presented in this study show that CWD prions exist in WTD fetuses from naturally infected does. Whether prions in fetal tissues are enough to sustain infectivity after birth, as well as descriptions of the mechanisms governing mother-to-offspring CWD transmission in cervids, should be clarified in future studies. These studies should include the screening of larger number of samples collected from wild and farmed animals affected by different strains of CWD prions, bioassays in susceptible mice to measure infectivity titers, and controlled experiments using pregnant/CWD-infected WTD females.
14 Protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) as an ultra-sensitive technique for the screening of CWD prions in different sample types.
Abstract
PMCA successfully detected CWD-prions in a diverse array of samples including blood, semen, feces, obex, retropharyngeal lymph node, fetuses (neural and peripheral tissues) and gestational tissues, parasites-insects, plants, compost-soil mixtures, and swabs from trash containers.
Importantly, our findings identified CWD in areas previously considered to be free of CWD. Overall, our findings demonstrate that PMCA is a powerful technique for the screening of biological and environmental samples, and it may prove useful as a CWD management and surveillance tool.
P74 High Prevalence of CWD prions in male reproductive samples
The results showed positive CWD prion detection in testes, epididymis and seminal fluid samples. A high prevalence of CWD-PrPSc was found in samples collected at the late-presymptomatic stage of the disease. Our results showed a correlation between the presence of CWD-PrPSc in male reproductive organs and blood. These findings demonstrate a high efficiency of CWD prion detection by PMCA in testes, epididymis and seminal fluid, and offer a possibility for a routine screening of semen samples to be commercially distributed for artificial insemination. Our results may uncover new opportunities to understand the mechanisms of CWD spreading and decrease putative inter-individual transmission associated to insemination using CWD contaminated specimens.
PLoS One. 2019; 14(12): e0226560. Published online 2019 Dec 30. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0226560
PMCID: PMC6936793PMID: 31887141
In Vitro detection of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) prions in semen and reproductive tissues of white tailed deer bucks (Odocoileus virginianus)
Our findings reveal the presence of CWD prions in semen and sexual tissues of prion infected WTD bucks. Future studies will be necessary to determine whether sexual contact and/or artificial inseminations are plausible means of CWD transmission in susceptible animal species.
Very low oral exposure to prions of brain or saliva origin can transmit chronic wasting disease
We report that oral exposure to as little as 300 nanograms (ng) of CWD-positive brain or to saliva containing seeding activity equivalent to 300 ng of CWD-positive brain, were sufficient to transmit CWD disease. This was true whether the inoculum was administered as a single bolus or divided as three weekly 100 ng exposures. However, when the 300 ng total dose was apportioned as 10, 30 ng doses delivered over 12 weeks, no infection occurred. While low-dose exposures to prions of brain or saliva origin prolonged the time from inoculation to first detection of infection, once infection was established, we observed no differences in disease pathogenesis. These studies suggest that the CWD minimum infectious dose approximates 100 to 300 ng CWD-positive brain (or saliva equivalent), and that CWD infection appears to conform more with a threshold than a cumulative dose dynamic.
Study raises possibility of sexual spread of CWD in deer
Stephanie Soucheray | News Reporter | CIDRAP News January 17, 2020 Chronic Wasting Disease
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2019
In Vitro detection of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) prions in semen and reproductive tissues of white tailed deer bucks (Odocoileus virginianus
SUNDAY, AUGUST 02, 2015
TEXAS CWD, Have you been ThunderStruck, deer semen, straw bred bucks, super ovulation, and the potential TSE Prion connection, what if?
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2020
***> Jerking for Dollars, Are Texas Politicians and Legislators Masturbating Deer For Money, and likely spreading CWD TSE Prion?
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 04, 2020
TEXAS REPORTS 20 NEW CWD TSE PRION CASES 3 WILD 17 BREEDER 166 POSITIVE TO DATE
SUNDAY, JANUARY 22, 2017
Texas 85th Legislative Session 2017 Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion Cervid Captive Breeder Industry
FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2017
TEXAS, Politicians, TAHC, TPWD, and the spread of CWD TSE Prion in Texas
SUNDAY, MAY 14, 2017
85th Legislative Session 2017 AND THE TEXAS TWO STEP Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion, and paying to play $$$
TUESDAY, AUGUST 02, 2016
TEXAS TPWD Sets Public Hearings on Deer Movement Rule Proposals in Areas with CWD Rule Terry S. Singeltary Sr. comment submission
SUNDAY, MAY 22, 2016
TEXAS CWD DEER BREEDERS PLEA TO GOVERNOR ABBOTT TO CIRCUMVENT TPWD SOUND SCIENCE TO LET DISEASE SPREAD
Wednesday, May 04, 2016
TPWD proposes the repeal of §§65.90 -65.94 and new §§65.90 -65.99 Concerning Chronic Wasting Disease - Movement of Deer Singeltary Comment Submission
Texas 84th Legislative Session 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
Proposed Amendments to Disease Management and Response Regulations Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion Singeltary Updated Submission October 20, 2023
THURSDAY, MARCH 07, 2024
Texas TPWD CWD Cases Jump to 663 Confirmed To Date
MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2024
Elucidating the Pathobiology and Transmission of Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies 2023 Annual Report
https://transmissiblespongiformencephalopathy.blogspot.com/2024/03/elucidating-pathobiology-and.html
THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2015
TEXAS CAPTIVE Deer Industry, Pens, Breeding, Big Business, Invites Crooks and CWD
***> TEXAS BREEDER DEER ESCAPEE WITH CWD IN THE WILD, or so the genetics would show?
OH NO, please tell me i heard this wrong, a potential Texas captive escapee with cwd in the wild, in an area with positive captive cwd herd?
apparently, no ID though. tell me it ain't so please...
23:00 minute mark
''Free Ranging Deer, Dr. Deyoung looked at Genetics of this free ranging deer and what he found was, that the genetics on this deer were more similar to captive deer, than the free ranging population, but he did not see a significant connection to any one captive facility that he analyzed, so we believe, Ahhhhhh, this animal had some captive ahhh, whatnot.''
Texas Breeder Deer May Have Spread Brain Disease Into The Wild
Officials are struggling to locate deer sold from facilities infected with chronic wasting disease.
Roque Planas
Jun 1, 2021, 10:36 AM EDT
|Updated Jun 3, 2021
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2017
TEXAS, TPWD, WIN CWD COURT CASE AGAINST DEER BREEDERS CAUSE NO. D-1-GN-15-004391
***> 4th Captive Farmed Cervid, INDEMNITY, NO MORE Federal indemnity program, or what i call, ENTITLEMENT PROGRAM for game farm industry. NO MORE BAIL OUTS FROM TAX PAYERS. if the captive industry can't buy insurance to protect not only themselves, but also their customers, and especially the STATE, from Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion or what some call mad deer disease and harm therefrom, IF they can't afford to buy that insurance that will cover all of it, then they DO NOT GET A PERMIT to have a game farm for anything. This CWD TSE Prion can/could/has caused property values to fall from some reports in some places. roll the dice, how much is a state willing to lose?
TO LET these deer farms continue to flagrantly go around regulations set up to help stop CWD, and then when said deer farm, breeder, shooting pens, sperm mill, horn mill, velvet mill, urine mill, goes on to contract CWD, they then get thousands and thousands of dollars of tax payer money for continued violations of said CWD rules, it's like it pays to get CWD for these game farms. This is totally wrong and should not happen imo. There is a bill as we speak to put this burden on the taxpayers.
IF YOU STOP PAYING TO HAVE CWD ON THESE GAME FARMS, THEY WILL STOP FARMING THEM!
APHIS Indemnity Regulations [Docket No. APHIS-2021-0010] RIN 0579-AE65 Singeltary Comment Submission
Comment from Singeltary Sr., Terry
Posted by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service on Sep 8, 2022
Control of Chronic Wasting Disease OMB Control Number: 0579-0189APHIS-2021-0004 Singeltary Submission
Docket No. APHIS-2018-0011 Chronic Wasting Disease Herd Certification
TEXAS SPORTS NATION
GENERAL
Texans spend $4.3 billion annually hunting white-tailed deer, Texas A&M study shows
Matt Wyatt Staff writer May 26, 2023
Deer hunters and landowners participating in Texas' hugely popular Managed Lands Deer Program, which offers a longer deer season and other liberalized deer hunting rules, will begin paying a modest annual fee for the voluntary program under a law recently adopted by the Texas Legislature. Shannon Tompkins/Houston Chronicle
Few states, if any, can claim a closer connection to white-tailed deer hunting than Texas.
snip...
“One of the things that there was an interest in was better understanding the overall value, or economic importance of whitetail deer within the context of various other ongoing challenges or issues, including chronic wasting disease,” Lopez said.
“There was an interest in trying to better understand the potential economic implications of a challenging issue like chronic wasting disease to this very specific industry.”
A total of 505 cervids (including white-tailed deer, mule deer and elk) have tested positive for CWD in Texas. Free-ranging deer have accounted for 101 of those cases while 404 are associated with a breeding facility or breeder release site.
There is currently no cure for CWD, and it is considered impossible to eradicate once it becomes established.
As this disease continues to creep across the Texas landscape, it could eventually have negative impacts on white-tailed deer populations.
A decline in white-tailed deer numbers could cut into the $4.3 billion spent every year on hunting, spelling disaster for the local economies and communities that depend on that money and the other wildlife species that benefit from it.
E C O N O M I C V A L U E S O F W H I T E - T A I L E D D E E R I N T E X A S 2022 SURVEY: PART I
TUESDAY, JUNE 15, 2021
TEXAS CWD TSE Prion Urgent Letter to Honorable Arch H. Aplin, III from Officials and Land Owners
''the high rate of “lost” deer, and other inadequacies and loopholes in the current rules have put our state’s susceptible cervid herds at significant risk''
June 14, 2021
The Honorable Arch H. Aplin, III
Chairman, Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission
4200 Smith School Road
Austin, Texas 78744
Dear Chairman Aplin,
In light of the recent discovery of CWD in captive deer herds, the undersigned encourage the Commission to take swift and decisive action to protect our captive and wild deer herds, even up to an immediate partial or complete shut-down of deer movement. It is imperative that the response be focused not only on uncovering the sources of the infections, but also in promptly conducting all necessary trace-outs to determine the extent of disease spread.
We appreciate and value the efforts of the Commission and the Department staff to rapidly and effectively deal with this CWD outbreak, but as you are aware, and as staff at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (Department) have stated, the modeling used in establishing the current testing requirements has proven insufficient to detect CWD at any reasonable probability and degree of confidence. It is likely that CWD was present in the Uvalde County index facility for a year or more prior to detection, and over a hundred deer were transported to other breeders and release sites in the interim. Additionally, the combined effects of insufficient reporting, testing, and other non-compliance issues with current rules, the high rate of “lost” deer, and other inadequacies and loopholes in the current rules have put our state’s susceptible cervid herds at significant risk.
By the rights and privileges conveyed in the permitting process, deer breeders have accepted and taken calculated risks, for which they are ultimately responsible. While the Department has operated in good faith, it is also the Department’s responsibility to take any and all necessary actions required by their mission statement. The time has come for deer breeders and the Department to accept the necessity that additional steps must be taken to protect this incredibly valuable resource for the public good.
The undersigned strongly urge that the Commission promote enforcement of existing rules and regulations, including revocation, suspension, or non-renewal of non-compliant deer breeders, pursuant to Sunset recommendations. It is also imperative that the Commission promptly engage all appropriate stakeholders (CWD Taskforce, White-tailed Deer Advisory Committee, and Deer Breeder User Group) to review and bolster existing rules that have clearly proven insufficient to identify and contain this disease. In addition, we urge the Department to work closely with Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) and other regulatory agencies in expediting the trace-out process, strengthening the oversight of carcass disposal and transport, as well as strengthening the rules and testing related to exotics as a highest priority.
In closing, we express our strong support for tightening any loopholes that exist in current rules associated with CWD detection and containment. We also ask that the Department revisit all assessments made for probability of detection and correct deficits that might currently exist. It is imperative that our response to CWD in Texas move from a reactive to a proactive posture that more effectively protects this precious resource.
Again, we whole-heartedly support and value the Commission and the Department staff as you rapidly and effectively deal with this CWD outbreak, and we stand ready to assist and support you in any manner necessary.
Respectfully,
Terry Anderson – Nacogdoches County Landowner
Ernest Angelo Jr. - Former TPWD Commissioner
John Barrett – Mason County Landowner
Giovana L. Benitez, South Texans’ Property Rights Association Director, Hidalgo County Landowner
George Bristol – Texas Foundation for Conservation
Dr. Fred C. Bryant – Texas Foundation for Conservation; Past President, Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society; Former Board Member, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation; Professional Member, Boone & Crockett Club
Rene Barrientos – South Texas Landowner
Emry Birdwell - Partner, Birdwell & Clark Ranch, Lone Star Land Steward Award Recipient
Rory Burroughs – Fisher County Landowner
Gus T. Canales – South Texas Landowner
Linda Campbell – Certified Wildlife Biologist; Past President, Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society
Dr. Jim Cathey – Past President – Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society
Ken Cearley – Certified Wildlife Biologist, Cornerstone Ranching Solutions LLC
Michael J. Cherry - Wildlife Biologist
Deborah Clark - Partner, Birdwell & Clark Ranch, Lone Star Land Steward Award Recipient
Charles A. DeYoung - Ph D, Wildlife Biologist
Dr. Randy DeYoung - PhD, Fellow, The Wildlife Society
Don Dietz – Certified Wildlife Biologist
Cary Dietzmann – Washington County Landowner
Alice East – South Texans’ Property Rights Association, South Texas Landowner
Dr. Bill Eikenhorst – Veterinarian, Washington County Landowner
Jay C. Evans –Texas Landowner
Richard Guerra - Starr County landowner
Henry Hamman, South Texas Landowner
Trey Henderson – Angelina County Landowner
Dr. David G. Hewitt; Past President of the Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society; Professional Member, Boone and Crockett Club
Dr. Clayton D. Hilton – Veterinarian; Professional Member, Boone and Crockett Club
Gail & Bruce Hoffman - Jim Wells County Landowners
Anson B. Howard, Dimmit, Tom Green, and Coleman County Landowner
A.C. “Dick” Jones, IV - Jim Hogg County Landowner
W.W “Whit” Jones III - Jim Hogg County Landowner
David Kelly – Brooks County Ranch Manager, Leopold Award Recipient
Tio Kleberg – South Texas Landowner
Whitney Marion Klenzendorf – Frio County Landowner
Dr. Wallace Klussmann – Retired Head, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University; Past President, Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society; Founder, Texas Youth Hunting Program
Jim Kolkhorst – Conservationist, Washington and Freestone County Landowner
Keith Lake – Wildlife Biologist
David K. Langford – Kendall County Landowner; Retired CEO, Texas Wildlife Association; Lone Star Land Steward Award Recipient, Emeritus Member, Boone & Crockett Club
Berdon Lawrence – South Texans’ Property Rights Director, South Texas Landowner
Ken Leonard – South Texas Landowner
Roy Leslie – Low fence, no lease Kendall County Landowner; Lone Star Land Steward Award Recipient
Dr. Roel Lopez – Past President – Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society, Texas Foundation for Conservation, Professional Member – Boone & Crockett Club
Chancey Lewis - Wildlife Biologist, Milam County Landowner
Steve C. Lewis – Kendall & Medina Landowner; Past President, Texas Wildlife Association
Ben Masters - Conservation Filmmaker, Writer
T. Nyle Maxwell – McCulloch and Hudspeth County Landowner
Coley Means – Culberson & Jeff Davis County Landowner
Jon Means – Culberson & Jeff Davis County Landowner; Past President, Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association
Dr. Dan McBride – Veterinarian; Regular Member, Boone and Crockett Club, Burnet and Hudspeth County Landowner
Robert F. McFarlane M.D. – Anderson County Landowner, Leopold Conservation Award Recipient
Dr. James E. Miller - Past-President, The Wildlife Society; Honorary Member of The Wildlife Society; Aldo Leopold Memorial Award Recipient
Brian Murphy – Certified Wildlife Biologist; Former CEO, Quality Deer Management Association
Steve Nelle – Consulting Biologist
Eric Opiela, South Texans’ Property Rights Association President; Karnes, Bee and Live Oak County Landowner
Dr. J. Alfonso “Poncho” Ortega, President of the Society for Range Management
Ellen Randall – South Texans’ Property Rights Association Director, Medina County Landowner
Jenny Sanders – Conservationist, Trinity County Landowner
Robert Sanders – Wildlife Biologist, Trinity County Landowner
Andrew Sansom - Professor of Practice in Geography and Executive Director; The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment
Neil Shelton – Hartley & Oldham County Landowner
John Shepperd, Texas Foundation for Conservation
Dr. Nova J. Silvy - Fellow and Past President, The Wildlife Society; Aldo Leopold Memorial Award Recipient
Greg Simons – Wildlife Biologist, Liberty, Jasper, Brazoria and Johnson County Landowner South Texans’ Property Rights Association
Dr. Don Steinbach – Certified Wildlife Biologist, Executive Director – Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society, Washington County Landowner
Tye Stephens - Wildlife Biologist, Ranch Broker
Romey Swanson – Certified Wildlife Biologist; President, Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society
Ellen Temple – East Texas Landowner, Leopold Conservation Award Recipient
Tamara Trail – Conservationist, Shackelford County Landowner, Lone Star Land Steward Award Recipient
Gary Valentine
Dr. Matt Wagner, Certified Wildlife Biologist
Larry Weishuhn – Wildlife Biologist; Co-Founder, Texas Wildlife Association
Irvin Welch – Wildlife Biologist, Landowner
Dr. Neal Wilkins – Certified Wildlife Biologist; South Texans’ Property Rights Association Director; Professional Member, Boone & Crockett Club
Charlie Williams – Bandera and Medina County Landowner
Simon Winston – Trinity, Angelina, and Nacogdoches County Landowner; Leopold Conservation Award Recipient
Carl Young - Williamson, Travis, and Brewster County Landowner
CC: The Honorable Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas
The Honorable Dan Patrick, Lieutenant Governor of Texas
The Honorable Dade Phelan, Speaker – Texas House of Representatives
The Honorable Ken King, Chair – House Culture, Recreation & Tourism Committee
The Honorable Tracy King, Chair – House Agriculture & Livestock Committee
The Honorable Charles Perry, Chair – Senate Agriculture, Water & Rural Affairs Committee
The Honorable James E. Abell, TPW Commissioner
The Honorable Oliver J. Bell, TPW Commissioner
The Honorable Paul L. Foster, TPW Commissioner
The Honorable Anna B. Gallo, TPW Commissioner
The Honorable Jeffery D. Hildebrand, TPW Commissioner
The Honorable Robert L. “Bobby” Patton, Jr., TPW Commissioner
The Honorable Travis B. “Blake” Rowling, TPW Commissioner
The Honorable Richard “Dick” Scott, TPW Commissioner
The Honorable Lee M. Bass, Chairman-Emeritus – TPW Commission
The Honorable T. Dan Friedkin, Chairman-Emeritus – TPW Commission
The Honorable Coleman Locke, Chair - TAHC Commission
The Honorable Jim Eggleston, TAHC Commissioner
The Honorable Jimmie Ruth Evans, TAHC Commissioner
The Honorable Melanie Johnson, TAHC Commissioner
The Honorable Kenneth “Ken” Jordan, TAHC Commissioner
The Honorable Barret J. Klein, TAHC Commissioner
The Honorable Wendee C. Langdon, TAHC Commissioner
The Honorable Joe Leathers, TAHC Commissioner
The Honorable Thomas “Tommy” Oates, TAHC Commissioner
The Honorable Joseph “Joe” Osterkamp, TAHC Commissioner
The Honorable Keith M. Staggs, TAHC Commissioner
The Honorable Leo Vermedahl, TAHC Commissioner
The Honorable Michael L. Vickers, TAHC Commissioner
The Honorable Jimmie Ruth Evans, Chair, TPWD Private Lands Advisory Committee
Mr. Carter Smith, TPWD Executive Director
Dr. Andy Schwartz, DVM, TAHC Executive Director
=====end=====
Coalition urges change after CWD outbreak at Texas deer breeding facilities
Matt Wyatt
Staff writer
June 16, 2021
A group of about 80 landowners, biologists and conservationists sent a letter to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission this week to request “swift and decisive action to protect our captive and wild deer herds, even up to an immediate partial or complete shutdown of deer movement.”
The coalition’s letter is in response to a chronic wasting disease flare-up stemming from deer breeding facilities in Uvalde and Hunt counties. The group is concerned that the spread of CWD can cause irrevocable damage to the free-ranging herds that many Texans enjoy recreationally and depend on economically.
When the commission was briefed on the outbreak late last month at a work session in Austin, a total of 10 deer associated with these facilities had tested positive for the always-deadly disease. One deer tested positive from the Hunt County facility, seven died in Uvalde County and two deer from Uvalde were shipped to facilities in Mason and Matagorda Counties.
Most recently, another deer from a separate Uvalde County facility is presumed positive and wildlife officials are awaiting confirmation from the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa. That deer is connected to the original Uvalde County case and comes from just one of over 250 possible trace sites, which includes over 100 release sites that received a total of more than 1,100 deer. CWD was likely present at the original Uvalde and Hunt County facilities for at least a year.
“The combined effects of insufficient reporting, testing, and other non-compliance issues with current rules, the high rate of ‘lost’ deer, and other inadequacies and loopholes in the current rules have put our state’s susceptible cervid herds at significant risk,” the letter stated.
The latest surge in CWD cases at Texas deer breeding facilities calls into question the effectiveness of the current testing requirements. Deer breeders are supposed to test 80 percent of their mortalities and submit them within 14 days of collection. The prospects of more live-deer testing were also discussed at the commission’s May work session.
The coalition wants the commission to tighten testing requirements for the deer breeding industry, as well as enforce suspensions or shut down non-compliant breeders.
“By the rights and privileges conveyed in the permitting process, deer breeders have accepted and taken calculated risks, for which they are ultimately responsible. While the Department has operated in good faith, it is also the Department’s responsibility to take any and all necessary actions required by their mission statement. The time has come for deer breeders and the Department to accept the necessity that additional steps must be taken to protect this incredibly valuable resource for the public good,” the letter said.
The coalition also wants the commission to take a closer look at speeding up trace-out investigations, overseeing carcass movement and testing exotic species.
CWD has been detected in at least half the states in the U.S. The first Texas discovery was a mule deer in 2012. The first white-tailed deer to test positive in the state was from a breeding facility in Medina County in 2015. Since then, over two-thirds of total CWD positive cases in Texas have been found in whitetails at breeding facilities or breeder releases sites.
CWD is caused by misfolded proteins called prions and deer can carry the disease around for years without showing symptoms. The disease can spread through bodily fluids, deer interaction, environmental contamination, and perhaps other unknown vectors. CWD is difficult to detect in its early stages and is thought to be impossible to eradicate once it becomes established in an environment. It has no cure and always kills.
“It is imperative that our response to CWD in Texas move from a reactive to a proactive posture that more effectively protects this precious resource,” the letter said.
Chronic Wasting Disease in Texas
A Real Disease with Proven Impacts
Produced by a coalition of concerned hunters, landowners, & conservationists (last update 08/2023)
Snip…
Since 2012, CWD has been detected in wild deer in just 7 counties in Texas and is only established in the western panhandle and far west Texas.
In that same period of time, captive deer breeders have exposed almost half of Texas counties to CWD.
Deer held in captive breeding facilities are confined to much tighter spaces, and have intimate contact with many more animals on a daily basis. By far the greatest factor in amplifying the spread of CWD is the artificial movement of these animals, shipped in livestock trailers hundreds of miles, far outside of their natural home range, and ultimately released to co-mingle with wild deer.
Each year, Texas captive deer breeders liberate 20,000-30,000 deer from their pens to the wild.
For every deer breeding facility where a CWD positive deer is discovered, an epidemiological investigation is conducted by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department and the Texas Animal Health Commission to determine how many other deer may have been exposed to the disease and where they have been shipped. Because of the prolific artificial movement of captive deer, one deer with CWD can impact hundreds of other facilities and ranches across the state.
Unfortunately, released deer in Texas are not required to retain any kind of visible identification (an ear tag), and for this reason, the vast majority of released deer cannot be relocated for testing.
As of August 2023, 116 Texas counties have received possibly infected breeder deer that cannot be located, putting more than 140,000 landowners at risk of the disease.
Snip
The state of Texas has been testing for CWD since 2002. Since that time, more than 302,360 captive and free range deer have been tested.
From 2015-2022, more than 127,000 samples were collected from hunter-harvested and roadkill deer. This sampling rate and risk-based distribution provides scientists confidence that they would have detected the disease if it existed at a very low prevalence (<1%) in any given region at the time sampling began.
Snip…
We have learned from other states where CWD has been present the longest, that a constant increase in the prevalence of the disease may lead to a significant decline in the deer population. When disease prevalence exceeds 20%, deer populations have declined by up to 50%. In some areas of Colorado, where CWD has been present since 1985, mule deer abundance has declined by 45% since that time, despite adequate habitat and no hunting ( Miller et al. 2008 ). Similarly, the South Converse Game Unit in Wyoming has documented CWD prevalence exceeding 50% and has seen an approximate 50% decline in mule deer populations.
Snip…
Rural Economies
Deer hunting is the lifeblood of rural Texas. White-tailed deer hunting is by far the most impactful segment of the hunting economy, representing $4.3 billion, according to a recent Texas A&M Study. And while deer breeders represent a very small segment of that economy (less than 5%), they represent one of the greatest risks. ( Full Texas A&M Report )
Real Estate
Rural land prices are largely driven by recreational buyers with hunting as a top land amenity. Without deer hunting, many of these properties will be worth much less.
Conservation Funding
Deer hunters are the largest funders of wildlife conservation in Texas through excise taxes on firearms, ammunition, and gear along with active membership supporting and funding conservation organizations. If deer hunting suffers due to CWD, all wildlife in Texas lose.
Culture & Health
Texas’ native deer herd has iconic value for all Texans. Deer hunting brings families together, creates camaraderie in communities, and serves to connect Texans to nature. There is no better protein than wild, locally harvested, non-GMO and totally organic venison. A healthy deer herd leads to healthy Texans and a healthy and prosperous Texas.
Snip…
This isn't a disease for our lifetime. It's a disease for our grandchildren's lifetime.
- Dr. Bob Dittmar, Former Texas State Wildlife Veterinarian
Snip…
See the full text with maps, graphs, much more, excellent data…
Since 2012, CWD has been detected in wild deer in just 7 counties in Texas and is only established in the western panhandle and far west Texas.
In that same period of time, captive deer breeders have exposed almost half of Texas counties to CWD.
As of August 2023, 116 Texas counties have received possibly infected breeder deer that cannot be located, putting more than 140,000 landowners at risk of the disease.
ECONOMIC VALUES OF WHITE-TAILED DEER IN TEXAS
2022 SURVEY: PART I
Texas CWD Surveillance Positives
Counties where CWD Exposed Deer were Released
Number of CWD Exposed Deer Released by County
Chronic Wasting Disease CWD Captive Herds updated April 2023
Chronic Wasting Disease CWD Captive Herds updated April 2023
***> TEXAS HISTORY OF CWD <***
Singeltary telling TAHC, that CWD was waltzing into Texas from WSMR around Trans Pecos region, starting around 2001, 2002, and every year, there after, until New Mexico finally shamed TAHC et al to test where i had been telling them to test for a decade. 2012 cwd was detected first right there where i had been trying to tell TAHC for 10 years.
***> Singeltary on Texas Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion History <***
TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 2023
USAHA Report of the Subcommittee on Farmed Cervidae CWD TSE Prion Herds 2015 to 2023
Deep Throat to Singeltary BSE Mad Cow 2001 to 2023
I remember what “deep throat” told me about Scrapie back around 2001, I never forgot, and it seems it’s come to pass;
***> Confidential!!!!
***> As early as 1992-3 there had been long studies conducted on small pastures containing scrapie infected sheep at the sheep research station associated with the Neuropathogenesis Unit in Edinburgh, Scotland. Whether these are documented...I don't know. But personal recounts both heard and recorded in a daily journal indicate that leaving the pastures free and replacing the topsoil completely at least 2 feet of thickness each year for SEVEN years....and then when very clean (proven scrapie free) sheep were placed on these small pastures.... the new sheep also broke out with scrapie and passed it to offspring. I am not sure that TSE contaminated ground could ever be free of the agent!! A very frightening revelation!!!
---end personal email---end...tss
(I never knew who this person was, but got me into the U.S. BSE Emergency 50 State conference call back 2001, and we corresponded for years about BSE TSE Prion, have not heard from in over a decade, but they were on the inside looking out. You can believe this or not, but this was real, i don’t make this stuff up…plus my endeavors to get those 1 million cattle tested for BSE failed. There was an ENHANCED BSE SURVEILLANCE put forth after 2003, we pushed for it, but it was abruptly shut down after the atypical BSE cases were popping up…a bit of history for anyone interested…terry)
DEEP THROAT TO TSS 2000-2001 (take these old snips of emails with how ever many grains of salt you wish. ...tss)
The most frightening thing I have read all day is the report of Gambetti's finding of a new strain of sporadic cjd in young people...Dear God, what in the name of all that is holy is that!!! If the US has different strains of scrapie.....why???? than the UK...then would the same mechanisms that make different strains of scrapie here make different strains of BSE...if the patterns are different in sheep and mice for scrapie.....could not the BSE be different in the cattle, in the mink, in the humans.......I really think the slides or tissues and everything from these young people with the new strain of sporadic cjd should be put up to be analyzed by many, many experts in cjd........bse.....scrapie Scrape the damn slide and put it into mice.....wait.....chop up the mouse brain and and spinal cord........put into some more mice.....dammit amplify the thing and start the damned research.....This is NOT rocket science...we need to use what we know and get off our butts and move....the whining about how long everything takes.....well it takes a whole lot longer if you whine for a year and then start the research!!!
Not sure where I read this but it was a recent press release or something like that: I thought I would fall out of my chair when I read about how there was no worry about infectivity from a histopath slide or tissues because they are preserved in formic acid, or formalin or formaldehyde.....for God's sake........ Ask any pathologist in the UK what the brain tissues in the formalin looks like after a year.......it is a big fat sponge...the agent continues to eat the brain ......you can't make slides anymore because the agent has never stopped........and the old slides that are stained with Hemolysin and Eosin......they get holier and holier and degenerate and continue...what you looked at 6 months ago is not there........Gambetti better be photographing every damned thing he is looking at.....
Okay, you need to know. You don't need to pass it on as nothing will come of it and there is not a damned thing anyone can do about it. Don't even hint at it as it will be denied and laughed at.......... USDA is gonna do as little as possible until there is actually a human case in the USA of the nvcjd........if you want to move this thing along and shake the earth....then we gotta get the victims families to make sure whoever is doing the autopsy is credible, trustworthy, and a saint with the courage of Joan of Arc........I am not kidding!!!! so, unless we get a human death from EXACTLY the same form with EXACTLY the same histopath lesions as seen in the UK nvcjd........forget any action........it is ALL gonna be sporadic!!! And, if there is a case.......there is gonna be every effort to link it to international travel, international food, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. They will go so far as to find out if a sex partner had ever traveled to the UK/europe, etc. etc. .... It is gonna be a long, lonely, dangerous twisted journey to the truth. They have all the cards, all the money, and are willing to threaten and carry out those threats....and this may be their biggest downfall...
Thanks as always for your help. (Recently had a very startling revelation from a rather senior person in government here..........knocked me out of my chair........you must keep pushing. If I was a power person....I would be demanding that there be a least a million bovine tested as soon as possible and agressively seeking this disease. The big players are coming out of the woodwork as there is money to be made!!! In short: "FIRE AT WILL"!!! for the very dumb....who's "will"! "Will be the burden to bare if there is any coverup!"
again it was said years ago and it should be taken seriously....BSE will NEVER be found in the US! As for the BSE conference call...I think you did a great service to freedom of information and making some people feign integrity...I find it scary to see that most of the "experts" are employed by the federal government or are supported on the "teat" of federal funds. A scary picture! I hope there is a confidential panel organized by the new government to really investigate this thing.
You need to watch your back........but keep picking at them.......like a buzzard to the bone...you just may get to the truth!!! (You probably have more support than you know. Too many people are afraid to show you or let anyone else know. I have heard a few things myself... you ask the questions that everyone else is too afraid to ask.)
U.S. 50 State Emergency BSE Conference Call 2001
***> CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE CWD TRANSMISSIBLE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY TSE PRION DISEASE ZOONOSIS, ZOONOTIC
“If CWD in humans is found to be contagious and transmissible among humans, as it is in cervids [57], the spread of the disease within humans might become endemic.”
PART 2. TPWD CHAPTER 65. DIVISION 1. CWD
31 TAC §§65.82, 65.85, 65.88
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission in a duly noticed meeting on May 25, 2023 adopted amendments to 31 TAC §§65.82, 65.85, and §65.88, concerning Disease Detection and Response, without changes to the proposed text as published in the April 21, 2023, issue of the Texas Register (48 TexReg 2048). The rules will not be republished.
Currently, there is scientific evidence to suggest that CWD has zoonotic potential; however, no confirmed cases of CWD have been found in humans.
17 DETECTION OF CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE PRIONS IN PROCESSED MEATS.
Rebeca Benavente1, Francisca Bravo1,2, Paulina Soto1,2, J. Hunter Reed3, Mitch Lockwood3, Rodrigo Morales1,2
1Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, USA. 2Universidad Bernardo O’Higgins, Santiago, Chile. 3Texas Parks and Wildlife, Austin, USA
Abstract
The zoonotic potential of chronic wasting disease (CWD) remains unknown. Currently, there are no known natural cases of CWD transmission to humans but increasing evidence suggests that the host range of CWD is not confined only to cervid species. Alarmingly, recent experimental evidence suggests that certain CWD isolates can induce disease in non-human primates. While the CDC strongly recommends determining CWD status in animals prior to consumption, this practice is voluntary. Consequently, it is plausible that a proportion of the cervid meat entering the human food chain may be contaminated with CWD. Of additional concern is that traditional diagnostic techniques used to detect CWD have relatively low sensitivity and are only approved for use in tissues other than those typically ingested by humans. In this study, we analyzed different processed meats derived from a pre-clinical, CWD-positive free-ranging elk. Products tested included filets, sausages, boneless steaks, burgers, ham steaks, seasoned chili meats, and spiced meats. CWD-prion presence in these products were assessed by PMCA using deer and elk substrates. Our results show positive prion detection in all products. To confirm the resilience of CWD-prions to traditional cooking methods, we grilled and boiled the meat products and evaluated them for any remnant PMCA seeding activity. Results confirmed the presence of CWD-prions in these meat products suggesting that infectious particles may still be available to people even after cooking. Our results strongly suggest ongoing human exposure to CWD-prions and raise significant concerns of zoonotic transmission through ingestion of CWD contaminated meat products.
***> Products tested included filets, sausages, boneless steaks, burgers, ham steaks, seasoned chili meats, and spiced meats.
***> CWD-prion presence in these products were assessed by PMCA using deer and elk substrates.
***> Our results show positive prion detection in all products.
***> Results confirmed the presence of CWD-prions in these meat products suggesting that infectious particles may still be available to people even after cooking.
***> Our results strongly suggest ongoing human exposure to CWD-prions and raise significant concerns of zoonotic transmission through ingestion of CWD contaminated meat products.
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9 Carrot plants as potential vectors for CWD transmission.
Paulina Soto1,2, Francisca Bravo-Risi1,2, Claudio Soto1, Rodrigo Morales1,2
1Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, USA. 2Universidad Bernardo O’Higgins, Santiago, Chile
***> We show that edible plant components can absorb prions from CWD-contaminated soils and transport them to their aerial parts.
***> Our results indicate that edible plants could participate as vectors of CWD transmission
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Transmission of prion infectivity from CWD-infected macaque tissues to rodent models demonstrates the zoonotic potential of chronic wasting disease.
Samia Hannaoui1,2, Ginny Cheng1,2, Wiebke Wemheuer3, Walter Schulz-Schaeffer3, Sabine Gilch1,2, Hermann Schatzl1,2 1University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada. 2Calgary Prion Research Unit, Calgary, Canada. 3Institute of Neuropathology, Medical Faculty, Saarland University, Homburg/Saar, Germany
***> Further passage to cervidized mice revealed transmission with a 100% attack rate.
***> Our findings demonstrate that macaques, considered the best model for the zoonotic potential of prions, were infected upon CWD challenge, including the oral one.
****> The disease manifested as atypical in macaques and initial transgenic mouse transmissions, but with infectivity present at all times, as unveiled in the bank vole model with an unusual tissue tropism.
***> Epidemiologic surveillance of prion disease among cervid hunters and people likely to have consumed venison contaminated with chronic wasting disease
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Transmission of Cervid Prions to Humanized Mice Demonstrates the Zoonotic Potential of CWD
Samia Hannaouia, Irina Zemlyankinaa, Sheng Chun Changa, Maria Immaculata Arifina, Vincent Béringueb, Debbie McKenziec, Hermann M. Schatzla, and Sabine Gilcha
Results: Here, we provide the strongest evidence supporting the zoonotic potential of CWD prions, and their possible phenotype in humans. Inoculation of mice expressing human PrPCwith deer CWD isolates (strains Wisc-1 and 116AG) resulted in atypical clinical manifestations in > 75% of the mice, with myoclonus as leading clinical sign. Most of tg650brain homogenates were positive for seeding activity in RT-QuIC. Clinical disease and presentation was transmissible to tg650 mice and bank voles. Intriguingly, protease-resistant PrP in the brain of tg650 mice resembled that found in a familial human prion disease and was transmissible upon passage. Abnormal PrP aggregates upon infection with Wisc-1 were detectable in thalamus, hypothalamus, and midbrain/pons regions.
Unprecedented in human prion disease, feces of CWD-inoculated tg650 mice harbored prion seeding activity and infectious prions, as shown by inoculation of bank voles and tg650 with fecal homogenates.
Conclusions: This is the first evidence that CWD can infect humans and cause disease with a distinctive clinical presentation, signature, and tropism, which might be transmissible between humans while current diagnostic assays might fail to detect it. These findings have major implications for public health and CWD-management.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19336896.2022.2091286 The finding that infectious PrPSc was shed in fecal material of CWD-infected humanized mice and induced clinical disease, different tropism, and typical three banding pattern-PrPres in bank voles that is transmissible upon second passage is highly concerning for public health. The fact that this biochemical signature in bank voles resembles that of the Wisc-1 original deer isolate and is different from that of bvWisc-1, in the migration profile and the glyco-form-ratio, is valid evidence that these results are not a product of contamination in our study. If CWD in humans is found to be contagious and transmissible among humans, as it is in cervids [57], the spread of the disease within humans might become endemic.
Transmission of cervid prions to humanized mice demonstrates the zoonotic potential of CWD
Acta Neuropathol 144, 767–784 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00401-022-02482-9
Published
22 August 2022
Transmission of cervid prions to humanized mice demonstrates the zoonotic potential of CWD
Samia Hannaoui1 · Irina Zemlyankina1 · Sheng Chun Chang1 · Maria Immaculata Arifn1 · Vincent Béringue2 · Debbie McKenzie3 · Hermann M. Schatzl1 · Sabine Gilch1
Received: 24 May 2022 / Revised: 5 August 2022 / Accepted: 7 August 2022
© The Author(s) 2022
Abstract
Prions cause infectious and fatal neurodegenerative diseases in mammals. Chronic wasting disease (CWD), a prion disease of cervids, spreads efficiently among wild and farmed animals. Potential transmission to humans of CWD is a growing concern due to its increasing prevalence. Here, we provide evidence for a zoonotic potential of CWD prions, and its probable signature using mice expressing human prion protein (PrP) as an infection model. Inoculation of these mice with deer CWD isolates resulted in atypical clinical manifestation with prion seeding activity and efficient transmissible infectivity in the brain and, remarkably, in feces, but without classical neuropathological or Western blot appearances of prion diseases. Intriguingly, the protease-resistant PrP in the brain resembled that found in a familial human prion disease and was transmissible upon second passage. Our results suggest that CWD might infect humans, although the transmission barrier is likely higher compared to zoonotic transmission of cattle prions. Notably, our data suggest a different clinical presentation, prion signature, and tissue tropism, which causes challenges for detection by current diagnostic assays. Furthermore, the presence of infectious prions in feces is concerning because if this occurs in humans, it is a source for human-to-human transmission. These findings have strong implications for public health and CWD management.
Keywords Chronic wasting disease · CWD · Zoonotic potential · Prion strains · Zoonotic prions
HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS STUDY
================================
Our results suggest that CWD might infect humans, although the transmission barrier is likely higher compared to zoonotic transmission of cattle prions. Notably, our data suggest a different clinical presentation, prion signature, and tissue tropism, which causes challenges for detection by current diagnostic assays. Furthermore, the presence of infectious prions in feces is concerning because if this occurs in humans, it is a source for human-to-human transmission. These findings have strong implications for public health and CWD management.
In this study, we evaluated the zoonotic potential of CWD using a transgenic mouse model overexpressing human M129-PrPC (tg650 [12]). We inoculated tg650 mice intracerebrally with two deer CWD isolates, Wisc-1 and 116AG [22, 23, 27, 29]. We demonstrate that this transgenic line was susceptible to infection with CWD prions and displayed a distinct leading clinical sign, an atypical PrPSc signature and unusual fecal shedding of infectious prions. Importantly, these prions generated by the human PrP transgenic mice were transmissible upon passage. Our results are the first evidence of a zoonotic risk of CWD when using one of the most common CWD strains, Wisc-1/CWD1 for infection. We demonstrated in a human transgenic mouse model that the species barrier for transmission of CWD to humans is not absolute. The fact that its signature was not typical raises the questions whether CWD would manifest in humans as a subclinical infection, whether it would arise through direct or indirect transmission including an intermediate host, or a silent to uncovered human-to-human transmission, and whether current detection techniques will be suffcient to unveil its presence.
Our findings strongly suggest that CWD should be regarded as an actual public health risk. Here, we use humanized mice to show that CWD prions can cross the species barrier to humans, and remarkably, infectious prions can be excreted in feces.
Our results indicate that if CWD crosses the species-barrier to humans, it is unlikely to resemble the most common forms of human prion diseases with respect to clinical signs, tissue tropism and PrPSc signature. For instance, PrPSc in variable protease-sensitive prionopathy (VPSPr), a sporadic form of human prion disease, and in the genetic form Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome (GSS) is defined by an atypical PK-resistant PrPSc fragment that is non-glycosylated and truncated at both C- and N-termini, with a molecular weight between 6 and 8 kDa [24, 44–46]. These biochemical features are unique and distinctive from PrPSc (PrP27-30) found in most other human or animal prion disease. The atypical PrPSc signature detected in brain homogenate of tg650 mice #321 (1st passage) and #3063 (2nd passage), and the 7–8 kDa fragment (Figs. 2, 4) are very similar to that of GSS, both in terms of migration profile and the N-terminal cleavage site.
CWD in humans might remain subclinical but with PrPSc deposits in the brain with an unusual morphology that does not resemble the patterns usually seen in different prion diseases (e.g., mouse #328; Fig. 3), clinical with untraceable abnormal PrP (e.g., mouse #327) but still transmissible and uncovered upon subsequent passage (e.g., mouse #3063; Fig. 4), or prions have other reservoirs than the usual ones, hence the presence of infectivity in feces (e.g., mouse #327) suggesting a potential for human-to-human transmission and a real iatrogenic risk that might be unrecognizable.
suggesting a potential for human-to-human transmission and a real iatrogenic risk that might be unrecognizable.
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Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at
snip...see full text
Fortuitous generation of a zoonotic cervid prion strain
Manuel Camacho, Xu Qi, Liuting Qing, Sydney Smith, Jieji Hu, Wanyun Tao, Ignazio Cali, Qingzhong Kong. Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, USA
Aims: Whether CWD prions can infect humans remains unclear despite the very substantial scale and long history of human exposure of CWD in many states or provinces of USA and Canada. Multiple in vitro conversion experiments and in vivo animal studies indicate that the CWD-to-human transmission barrier is not unbreakable. A major long-term public health concern on CWD zoonosis is the emergence of highly zoonotic CWD strains. We aim to address the question of whether highly zoonotic CWD strains are possible.
Materials and Methods: We inoculated several sCJD brain samples into cervidized transgenic mice (Tg12), which were intended as negative controls for bioassays of brain tissues from sCJD cases who had potentially been exposed to CWD. Some of the Tg12 mice became infected and their brain tissues were further examined by Western blot as well as serial passages in humanized or cervidized mice.
Results: Passage of sCJDMM1 in transgenic mice expressing elk PrP (Tg12) resulted in a “cervidized” CJD strain that we termed CJDElkPrP. We observed 100% transmission of the original CJDElkPrP in transgenic mice expressing human PrP. We passaged CJDElkPrP two more times in the Tg12 mice. We found that such second and third passage CJDElkPrP prions retained 100% transmission rate in the humanized mice, despite that the natural elk CWD isolates and CJDElkPrP share the same elk PrP sequence. In contrast, we and others found zero or poor transmission of natural elk CWD isolates in humanized mice.
Conclusions: Our data indicate that highly zoonotic cervid prion strains are not only possible but also can retain zoonotic potential after serial passages in cervids, suggesting a very significant and serious long-term risk of CWD zoonosis given that the broad and continuing spread of CWD prions will provide fertile grounds for the emergence of zoonotic CWD strains over time.
Funded by: NIH Grant number: R01NS052319, R01NS088604, R01NS109532
Acknowledgement: We want to thank the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center and Drs. Allen Jenny and Katherine O'Rourke for providing the sCJD samples and the CWD samples used in this study, respectively
"Our data indicate that highly zoonotic cervid prion strains are not only possible but also can retain zoonotic potential after serial passages in cervids, suggesting a very significant and serious long-term risk of CWD zoonosis given that the broad and continuing spread of CWD prions will provide fertile grounds for the emergence of zoonotic CWD strains over time."
PRION 2023 CONTINUED;
A probable diagnostic marker for CWD infection in humans
Xu Qi, Liuting Qing, Manuel Camacho, Ignazio Cali, Qingzhong Kong. Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, USA
Aims: Multiple in vitro CWD-seeded human PrP conversion experiments and some animal model studies indicate that the species barrier for CWD to human transmission can be overcome, but whether CWD prion can infect humans in real life remains controversial. The very limited understanding on the likely features of CWD infection in humans and the lack of a reliable diagnostic marker for identification of acquired human CWD cases contribute to this uncertainty. We aim to stablish such a reliable diagnostic marker for CWD infections in humans should they occur.
Materials and Methods: A couple of PrPSc-positive spleens were identified from humanized transgenic mice inoculated with either CWD or sCJDMM1. Prions in these spleens were compared by bioassays in cervidized or humanized transgenic mice. A couple of PrPSc-positive spleens from UK sCJDMM1 patients were also examined similarly as controls with no exposure to CWD.
Results: We have detected two prion-positive spleens in humanized transgenic mice inoculated with some CWD isolates. Such experimentally generated splenic “humanized” CWD prions (termed eHuCWDsp) appear indistinguishable from prions in the brain of sCJDMM1 patients on Western blot. We compared eHuCWDsp with prions in the spleen from humanized mice infected with sCJDMM1 (termed sCJDMM1sp) by bioassays in cervidized or humanized transgenic mice. Significantly, we found that eHuCWDsp can efficiently infect not only the humanized mice but also cervidized transgenic mice, and cervidized mice infected by eHuCWDsp produced PrPSc and brain pathology that are practically identical to those of CWD-infected cervidized mice. In contrast, sCJDMM1sp, similar to prions from sCJDMM1 patient brains, is poorly transmissible in the cervidized mice.
Conclusions: Our data demonstrate that high transmissibility with CWD features of splenic prions in cervidized transgenic mice is unique to acquired human CWD prions, and it may serve as a reliable marker to identify the first acquired human CWD cases.
Funded by: NIH Grant number: R01NS052319, R01NS088604, R01NS109532
Acknowledgement: We want to thank the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center and Drs. Allen Jenny and Katherine O'Rourke for providing the sCJD samples and the CWD samples used in this study, respectively.
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PRION 2023 CONTINUED;
Prion 2023 Experimental Oronasal Inoculation of the Chronic Wasting Disease Agent into White Tailed Deer
Author list: Sarah Zurbuchena,b , S. Jo Moorea,b , Jifeng Biana , Eric D. Cassmanna , and Justin J. Greenleea . a. Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, ARS, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, US b. Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), U.S. Department of Energy, Oak Ridge, TN, United States
Aims: The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether white-tailed deer (WTD) are susceptible to inoculation of chronic wasting disease (CWD) via oronasal exposure.
Materials and methods: Six male, neutered WTD were oronasally inoculated with brainstem material (10% w/v) from a CWD-positive wild-type WTD. The genotypes of five inoculated deer were Q95/G96 (wild-type). One inoculated deer was homozygous S at codon 96 (96SS). Cervidized (Tg12; M132 elk PrP) mice were inoculated with 1% w/v brainstem homogenate from either a 96GG WTD (n=10) or the 96SS WTD (n=10).
Results: All deer developed characteristic clinical signs of CWD including weight loss, regurgitation, and ataxia. The 96SS individual had a prolonged disease course and incubation period compared to the other deer. Western blots of the brainstem on all deer yielded similar molecular profiles. All deer had widespread lymphoid distribution of PrPCWD and neuropathologic lesions associated with transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. Both groups of mice had a 100% attack rate and developed clinical signs, including loss of body condition, ataxia, and loss of righting reflex. Mice inoculated with material from the 96SS deer had a significantly shorter incubation period than mice inoculated with material from 96GG deer (Welch two sample T-test, P<0.05). Serial dilutions of each inocula suggests that differences in incubation period were not due to a greater concentration of PrPCWD in the 96SS inoculum. Molecular profiles from western blot of brain homogenates from mice appeared similar regardless of inoculum and appear similar to those of deer used for inoculum.
Conclusions: This study characterizes the lesions and clinical course of CWD in WTD inoculated in a similar manner to natural conditions. It supports previous findings that 96SS deer have a prolonged disease course. Further, it describes a first pass of inoculum from a 96SS deer in cervidized mice which shortened the incubation period.
Funded by: This research was funded in its entirety by congressionally appropriated funds to the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. The funders of the work did not influence study design, data collection, analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Acknowledgement: We thank Ami Frank and Kevin Hassall for their technical contributions to this project.
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PRION 2023 CONTINUED;
The detection and decontamination of chronic wasting disease prions during venison processing
Marissa S. Milstein1,2, Marc D. Schwabenlander1,2, Sarah C. Gresch1,2, Manci Li1,2, Stuart Lichtenberg1,2, Rachel Shoemaker1,2, Gage R. Rowden1,2, Jason C. Bartz2,3 , Tiffany M. Wolf2,4, Peter A. Larsen1,2
Presenting author: Tiffany M. Wolf 1 Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA 2 Minnesota Center for Prion Research and Outreach, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA 3 Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, USA 4 Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
Aims: There is a growing concern that chronic wasting disease (CWD) prions in venison pose a risk to human health. CWD prions accumulate in infected deer tissues that commonly enter the human food chain through meat processing and consumption. The United States (US) Food and Drug Administration and US Department of Agriculture now formally consider CWD-positive venison unfit for human and animal consumption. Yet, the degree to which prion contamination occurs during routine venison processing is unknown. Here, we use environmental surface swab methods to: a) experimentally test meat processing equipment (i.e., stainless steel knives and polyethylene cutting boards) before and after processing CWD-positive venison and b) test the efficacy of five different disinfectant types (i.e., Dawn dish soap, Virkon-S, Briotech, 10% bleach, and 40% bleach) to determine prion decontamination efficacy.
Materials and Methods: We used a real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) assay to determine CWD infection status of venison and to detect CWD prions in the swabs. We collected three swabs per surface and ran eight technical replicates on RT-QuIC.
Results: CWD prions were detected on all cutting boards (n= 3; replicates= 8/8, 8/8, 8/8 and knives (n= 3; replicates= 8/8, 8/8, 8/8) used in processing CWD-positive venison, but not on those used for CWD-negative venison. After processing CWD-positive venison, allowing the surfaces to dry, and washing the cutting board with Dawn dish soap, we detected CWD prions on the cutting board surface (n= 3; replicates= 8/8, 8/8, 8/8) but not on the knife (n= 3, replicates = 0/8, 0/8, 0/8). Similar patterns were observed with Briotech (cutting board: n= 3; replicates= 7/8, 1/8, 0/8; knife: n= 3; replicates = 0/8, 0/8, 0/8). We did not detect CWD prions on the knives or cutting boards after disinfecting with Virkon-S, 10% bleach, and 40% bleach.
Conclusions: These preliminary results suggest that Dawn dish soap and Briotech do not reliably decontaminate CWD prions from these surfaces. Our data suggest that Virkon-S and various bleach concentrations are more effective in reducing prion contamination of meat processing surfaces; however, surface type may also influence the ability of prions to adsorb to surfaces, preventing complete decontamination. Our results will directly inform best practices to prevent the introduction of CWD prions into the human food chain during venison processing.
Acknowledgement: Funding was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR), the Rapid Agriculture Response Fund (#95385/RR257), and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Theme: Animal prion diseases
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Prion 2023 Abstracts
8. Even though human TSE‐exposure risk through consumption of game from European cervids can be assumed to be minor, if at all existing, no final conclusion can be drawn due to the overall lack of scientific data.
***> In particular the US data do not clearly exclude the possibility of human (sporadic or familial) TSE development due to consumption of venison.
The Working Group thus recognizes a potential risk to consumers if a TSE would be present in European cervids. It might be prudent considering appropriate measures to reduce such a risk, e.g. excluding tissues such as CNS and lymphoid tissues from the human food chain, which would greatly reduce any potential risk for consumers.. However, it is stressed that currently, no data regarding a risk of TSE infections from cervid products are available.
Research Paper
Cellular prion protein distribution in the vomeronasal organ, parotid, and scent glands of white-tailed deer and mule deer
Anthony Ness, Aradhana Jacob, Kelsey Saboraki, Alicia Otero, Danielle Gushue, Diana Martinez Moreno, Melanie de Peña, Xinli Tang, Judd Aiken, Susan Lingle & Debbie McKenzieORCID Icon show less
Pages 40-57 | Received 03 Feb 2022, Accepted 13 May 2022, Published online: 29 May 2022
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ABSTRACT
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a contagious and fatal transmissible spongiform encephalopathy affecting species of the cervidae family. CWD has an expanding geographic range and complex, poorly understood transmission mechanics. CWD is disproportionately prevalent in wild male mule deer and male white-tailed deer. Sex and species influences on CWD prevalence have been hypothesized to be related to animal behaviours that involve deer facial and body exocrine glands. Understanding CWD transmission potential requires a foundational knowledge of the cellular prion protein (PrPC) in glands associated with cervid behaviours. In this study, we characterized the presence and distribution of PrPC in six integumentary and two non-integumentary tissues of hunter-harvested mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and white-tailed deer (O. virginianus). We report that white-tailed deer expressed significantly more PrPC than their mule deer in the parotid, metatarsal, and interdigital glands. Females expressed more PrPC than males in the forehead and preorbital glands. The distribution of PrPC within the integumentary exocrine glands of the face and legs were localized to glandular cells, hair follicles, epidermis, and immune cell infiltrates. All tissues examined expressed sufficient quantities of PrPC to serve as possible sites of prion initial infection, propagation, and shedding.
ARS RESEARCH Generation of human chronic wasting disease in transgenic mice
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/8/2021
Research Project: Pathobiology, Genetics, and Detection of Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies Location: Virus and Prion Research
Title: Generation of human chronic wasting disease in transgenic mice
Author item WANG, ZERUI - Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) item QIN, KEFENG - University Of Chicago item CAMACHO, MANUEL - Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) item SHEN, PINGPING - Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) item YUAN, JUE - Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) item Greenlee, Justin item CUI, LI - Jilin University item KONG, QINGZHONG - Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) item MASTRIANNI, JAMES - University Of Chicago item ZOU, WEN-QUAN - Case Western Reserve University (CWRU)
Submitted to: Acta Neuropathologica Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 9/8/2021 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A
Interpretive Summary: Prion diseases are invariably fatal neurologic diseases for which there is no known prevention or cure. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is the prion disease of deer and elk and is present in farmed and free ranging herds throughout North America. To date there is no clear evidence that the CWD agent could be transmitted to humans. This manuscript describes the use of an in vitro technique, cell-free serial protein misfolding cyclic amplification (sPMCA), to generate a CWD prion that is infectious to transgenic mice expressing the human prion protein. This study provides the first evidence that CWD prions may be able to cause misfolding in the human prion protein. This information will impact medical experts and those involved in making policy for farmed cervids and wildlife.
Technical Abstract: Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a cervid spongiform encephalopathy or prion disease caused by the infectious prion or PrPSc, a misfolded conformer of cellular prion protein (PrPC). It has rapidly spread in North America and also has been found in Asia and Europe. In contrast to the zoonotic mad cow disease that is the first animal prion disease found transmissible to humans, the transmissibility of CWD to humans remains uncertain although most previous studies have suggested that humans may not be susceptible to CWD. Here we report the generation of an infectious human PrPSc by seeding CWD PrPSc in normal human brain PrPC through the in vitro cell-free serial protein misfolding cyclic amplification (sPMCA). Western blotting confirms that the sPMCA-induced proteinase K-resistant PrPSc is a human form, evidenced by a PrP-specific antibody that recognizes human but not cervid PrP. Remarkably, two lines of humanized transgenic (Tg) mice expressing human PrP-129Val/Val (VV) or -129Met/Met (MM) polymorphism develop prion disease at 233 ± 6 (mean ± SE) days post-inoculation (dpi) and 552 ± 27 dpi, respectively, upon intracerebral inoculation with the sPMCA-generated PrPSc. The brain of diseased Tg mice reveals the electrophoretic profile of PrPSc similar to sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) MM1 or VV2 subtype but different neuropathological patterns. We believe that our study provides the first evidence that CWD PrPSc is able to convert human PrPC into PrPSc in vitro and the CWD-derived human PrPSc mimics atypical sCJD subtypes in humanized Tg mice.
''The brain of diseased Tg mice reveals the electrophoretic profile of PrPSc similar to sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) MM1 or VV2 subtype but different neuropathological patterns.''
''We believe that our study provides the first evidence that CWD PrPSc is able to convert human PrPC into PrPSc in vitro and the CWD-derived human PrPSc mimics atypical sCJD subtypes in humanized Tg mice.''
Published: 26 September 2021
Generation of human chronic wasting disease in transgenic mice
Zerui Wang, Kefeng Qin, Manuel V. Camacho, Ignazio Cali, Jue Yuan, Pingping Shen, Justin Greenlee, Qingzhong Kong, James A. Mastrianni & Wen-Quan Zou
Acta Neuropathologica Communications volume 9, Article number: 158 (2021)
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a cervid prion disease caused by the accumulation of an infectious misfolded conformer (PrPSc) of cellular prion protein (PrPC). It has been spreading rapidly in North America and also found in Asia and Europe. Although bovine spongiform encephalopathy (i.e. mad cow disease) is the only animal prion disease known to be zoonotic, the transmissibility of CWD to humans remains uncertain. Here we report the generation of the first CWD-derived infectious human PrPSc by elk CWD PrPSc-seeded conversion of PrPC in normal human brain homogenates using in vitro protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA). Western blotting with human PrP selective antibody confirmed that the PMCA-generated protease-resistant PrPSc was derived from the human PrPC substrate. Two lines of humanized transgenic mice expressing human PrP with either Val or Met at the polymorphic codon 129 developed clinical prion disease following intracerebral inoculation with the PMCA-generated CWD-derived human PrPSc. Diseased mice exhibited distinct PrPSc patterns and neuropathological changes in the brain. Our study, using PMCA and animal bioassays, provides the first evidence that CWD PrPSc can cross the species barrier to convert human PrPC into infectious PrPSc that can produce bona fide prion disease when inoculated into humanized transgenic mice.
Snip...
It is worth noting that the annual number of sporadic CJD (sCJD) cases in the USA has increased, with the total number of suspected and confirmed sCJD cases rising from 284 in 2003 to 511 in 2017 (https://www.cdc.gov/prions/cjd/occurrence-transmission.html). The greatly enhanced CJD surveillance and an aging population in the USA certainly contributed to the observed increase in annual sCJD case numbers in recent years, but the possibility cannot be excluded that some of the increased sCJD prevalence is linked to CWD exposure.
In the present study, using serial protein misfolding cyclic amplification (sPMCA) assay we generate PrPSc by seeding CWD prions in normal human brain homogenates. Importantly, we reveal that two lines of humanized Tg mice expressing human PrP-129VV and 129MM develop prion diseases upon intracerebral inoculation of the abnormal PrP generated by sPMCA. We believe that our study provides the first opportunity to dissect the clinical, pathological and biochemical features of the CWD-derived human prion disease in two lines of humanized Tg mice expressing two major human PrP genotypes, respectively.
i thought i might share some news about cwd zoonosis that i got, that i cannot share or post to the public yet, i promised for various reasons, one that it will cause a shit storm for sure, but it was something i really already knew from previous studies, but, i was told that ;
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''As you can imagine, 2 and 5 (especially 5) may raise alarms. The evidence we have for 4 are not as strong or tight as I would like to have. At this point, please do not post any of the points publicly yet, but you can refer to points 1-3 in private discussions and all 5 points when discussing with relevant public officials to highlight the long-term risks of CWD zoonosis.''
====================
so, i figure your as about as official as it gets, and i think this science is extremely important for you to know and to converse about with your officials. it's about to burn a whole in my pocket. this is about as close as it will ever get for cwd zoonosis to be proven in my time, this and what Canada Czub et al found with the Macaques, plus an old study from cjd surveillance unit back that showed cjd and a 9% increase in risk from folks that eat venison, i will post all this below for your files Sir. i remember back in the BSE nvCJD days, from when the first BSE case in bovine was confirmed around 1984 maybe 83, i forget the good vets named that screwed it up first, Carol something, but from 83ish to 95 96 when nvCJD was linked to humans from BSE in cattle, so that took 10 to 15 years. hell, at that rate, especially with Texas and cwd zoonsis, hell, i'll be dead before it's official, if ever, so here ya go Sir. there was a grant study on cwd zoonosis that had been going on for some time, i followed it over the years, then the grant date for said study had expired, so, i thought i would write the good Professor about said study i.e. Professor Kong, CWRU et al. i will post the grant study abstract first, and then after that, what reply i got back, about said study that i was told not to post/publish...
CWD ZOONOSIS GRANT FIRST;
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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.
Funding Agency Agency National Institute of Health (NIH) Institute National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Type Research Project (R01) Project # 1R01NS088604-01A1 Application # 9037884 Study Section Cellular and Molecular Biology of Neurodegeneration Study Section (CMND) Program Officer Wong, May Project Start 2015-09-30 Project End 2019-07-31 Budget Start 2015-09-30 Budget End 2016-07-31 Support Year 1 Fiscal Year 2015 Total Cost $337,507 Indirect Cost $118,756
snip...
Professor Kongs reply to me just this month about above grant study that has NOT been published in peer reveiw yet...
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Here is a brief summary of our findings:
snip...can't post, made a promise...tss
On Sat, Apr 3, 2021 at 12:19 PM Terry Singeltary <flounder9@verizon.net> wrote:
snip...
end...tss
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CWD ZOONOSIS THE FULL MONTY TO DATE
International Conference on Emerging Diseases, Outbreaks & Case Studies & 16th Annual Meeting on Influenza March 28-29, 2018 | Orlando, USA
Qingzhong Kong
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, USA
Zoonotic potential of chronic wasting disease prions from cervids
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is the prion disease in cervids (mule deer, white-tailed deer, American elk, moose, and reindeer). It has become an epidemic in North America, and it has been detected in the Europe (Norway) since 2016. The widespread CWD and popular hunting and consumption of cervid meat and other products raise serious public health concerns, but questions remain on human susceptibility to CWD prions, especially on the potential difference in zoonotic potential among the various CWD prion strains. We have been working to address this critical question for well over a decade. We used CWD samples from various cervid species to inoculate transgenic mice expressing human or elk prion protein (PrP). We found infectious prions in the spleen or brain in a small fraction of CWD-inoculated transgenic mice expressing human PrP, indicating that humans are not completely resistant to CWD prions; this finding has significant ramifications on the public health impact of CWD prions. The influence of cervid PrP polymorphisms, the prion strain dependence of CWD-to-human transmission barrier, and the characterization of experimental human CWD prions will be discussed.
Speaker Biography Qingzhong Kong has completed his PhD from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Post-doctoral studies at Yale University. He is currently an Associate Professor of Pathology, Neurology and Regenerative Medicine. He has published over 50 original research papers in reputable journals (including Science Translational Medicine, JCI, PNAS and Cell Reports) and has been serving as an Editorial Board Member on seven scientific journals. He has multiple research interests, including public health risks of animal prions (CWD of cervids and atypical BSE of cattle), animal modeling of human prion diseases, mechanisms of prion replication and pathogenesis, etiology of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (CJD) in humans, normal cellular PrP in the biology and pathology of multiple brain and peripheral diseases, proteins responsible for the α-cleavage of cellular PrP, as well as gene therapy and DNA vaccination.
qxk2@case.edu
SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2021
North American and Norwegian Chronic Wasting Disease prions exhibit different potential for interspecies transmission and zoonotic risk
''Our data suggest that reindeer and red deer from Norway could be the most transmissible CWD prions to other mammals, whereas North American CWD prions were more prone to generate human prions in vitro.''
MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021
***> U Calgary researchers at work on a vaccine against a fatal infectious disease affecting deer and potentially people
Prion Conference 2018 Abstracts
BSE aka MAD COW DISEASE, was first discovered in 1984, and it took until 1995 to finally admit that BSE was causing nvCJD, the rest there is history, but that science is still evolving i.e. science now shows that indeed atypical L-type BSE, atypical Nor-98 Scrapie, and typical Scrapie are all zoonosis, zoonotic for humans, there from.
HOW long are we going to wait for Chronic Wasting Disease, CWD TSE Prion of Cervid, and zoonosis, zoonotic transmission to humans there from?
Studies have shown since 1994 that humans are susceptible to CWD TSE Prion, so, what's the hold up with making CWD a zoonotic zoonosis disease, the iatrogenic transmissions there from is not waiting for someone to make a decision.
Prion Conference 2018 Abstracts
P190 Human prion disease mortality rates by occurrence of chronic wasting disease in free ranging cervids, United States
Abrams JY (1), Maddox RA (1), Schonberger LB (1), Person MK (1), Appleby BS (2), Belay ED (1)
(1) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Atlanta, GA, USA (2) Case Western Reserve University, National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center (NPDPSC), Cleveland, OH, USA.
Background
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease of deer and elk that has been identified in free ranging cervids in 23 US states. While there is currently no epidemiological evidence for zoonotic transmission through the consumption of contaminated venison, studies suggest the CWD agent can cross the species barrier in experimental models designed to closely mimic humans. We compared rates of human prion disease in states with and without CWD to examine the possibility of undetermined zoonotic transmission.
Methods
Death records from the National Center for Health Statistics, case records from the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, and additional state case reports were combined to create a database of human prion disease cases from 2003-2015. Identification of CWD in each state was determined through reports of positive CWD tests by state wildlife agencies. Age- and race-adjusted mortality rates for human prion disease, excluding cases with known etiology, were determined for four categories of states based on CWD occurrence: highly endemic (>16 counties with CWD identified in free-ranging cervids); moderately endemic (3-10 counties with CWD); low endemic (1-2 counties with CWD); and no CWD states. States were counted as having no CWD until the year CWD was first identified. Analyses stratified by age, sex, and time period were also conducted to focus on subgroups for which zoonotic transmission would be more likely to be detected: cases <55 years old, male sex, and the latter half of the study (2010-2015).
Results
Highly endemic states had a higher rate of prion disease mortality compared to non-CWD states (rate ratio [RR]: 1.12, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.01 - 1.23), as did low endemic states (RR: 1.15, 95% CI = 1.04 - 1.27). Moderately endemic states did not have an elevated mortality rate (RR: 1.05, 95% CI = 0.93 - 1.17). In age-stratified analyses, prion disease mortality rates among the <55 year old population were elevated for moderately endemic states (RR: 1.57, 95% CI = 1.10 – 2.24) while mortality rates were elevated among those ≥55 for highly endemic states (RR: 1.13, 95% CI = 1.02 - 1.26) and low endemic states (RR: 1.16, 95% CI = 1.04 - 1.29). In other stratified analyses, prion disease mortality rates for males were only elevated for low endemic states (RR: 1.27, 95% CI = 1.10 - 1.48), and none of the categories of CWD-endemic states had elevated mortality rates for the latter time period (2010-2015).
Conclusions
While higher prion disease mortality rates in certain categories of states with CWD in free-ranging cervids were noted, additional stratified analyses did not reveal markedly elevated rates for potentially sensitive subgroups that would be suggestive of zoonotic transmission. Unknown confounding factors or other biases may explain state-by-state differences in prion disease mortality.
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P172 Peripheral Neuropathy in Patients with Prion Disease
Wang H(1), Cohen M(1), Appleby BS(1,2)
(1) University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio (2) National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Cleveland, Ohio.
Prion disease is a fatal progressive neurodegenerative disease due to deposition of an abnormal protease-resistant isoform of prion protein. Typical symptoms include rapidly progressive dementia, myoclonus, visual disturbance and hallucinations. Interestingly, in patients with prion disease, the abnormal protein canould also be found in the peripheral nervous system. Case reports of prion deposition in peripheral nerves have been reported. Peripheral nerve involvement is thought to be uncommon; however, little is known about the exact prevalence and features of peripheral neuropathy in patients with prion disease.
We reviewed autopsy-proven prion cases from the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center that were diagnosed between September 2016 to March 2017. We collected information regarding prion protein diagnosis, demographics, comorbidities, clinical symptoms, physical exam, neuropathology, molecular subtype, genetics lab, brain MRI, image and EMG reports. Our study included 104 patients. Thirteen (12.5%) patients had either subjective symptoms or objective signs of peripheral neuropathy. Among these 13 patients, 3 had other known potential etiologies of peripheral neuropathy such as vitamin B12 deficiency or prior chemotherapy. Among 10 patients that had no other clear etiology, 3 (30%) had familial CJD. The most common sCJD subtype was MV1-2 (30%), followed by MM1-2 (20%). The Majority of cases wasere male (60%). Half of them had exposure to wild game. The most common subjective symptoms were tingling and/or numbness of distal extremities. The most common objective finding was diminished vibratory sensation in the feet. Half of them had an EMG with the findings ranging from fasciculations to axonal polyneuropathy or demyelinating polyneuropathy.
Our study provides an overview of the pattern of peripheral neuropathy in patients with prion disease. Among patients with peripheral neuropathy symptoms or signs, majority has polyneuropathy. It is important to document the baseline frequency of peripheral neuropathy in prion diseases as these symptoms may become important when conducting surveillance for potential novel zoonotic prion diseases.
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P177 PrP plaques in methionine homozygous Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease patients as a potential marker of iatrogenic transmission
Abrams JY (1), Schonberger LB (1), Cali I (2), Cohen Y (2), Blevins JE (2), Maddox RA (1), Belay ED (1), Appleby BS (2), Cohen ML (2)
(1) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Atlanta, GA, USA (2) Case Western Reserve University, National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center (NPDPSC), Cleveland, OH, USA.
Background
Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is widely believed to originate from de novo spontaneous conversion of normal prion protein (PrP) to its pathogenic form, but concern remains that some reported sporadic CJD cases may actually be caused by disease transmission via iatrogenic processes. For cases with methionine homozygosity (CJD-MM) at codon 129 of the PRNP gene, recent research has pointed to plaque-like PrP deposition as a potential marker of iatrogenic transmission for a subset of cases. This phenotype is theorized to originate from specific iatrogenic source CJD types that comprise roughly a quarter of known CJD cases.
Methods
We reviewed scientific literature for studies which described PrP plaques among CJD patients with known epidemiological links to iatrogenic transmission (receipt of cadaveric human grown hormone or dura mater), as well as in cases of reported sporadic CJD. The presence and description of plaques, along with CJD classification type and other contextual factors, were used to summarize the current evidence regarding plaques as a potential marker of iatrogenic transmission. In addition, 523 cases of reported sporadic CJD cases in the US from January 2013 through September 2017 were assessed for presence of PrP plaques.
Results
We identified four studies describing 52 total cases of CJD-MM among either dura mater recipients or growth hormone recipients, of which 30 were identified as having PrP plaques. While sporadic cases were not generally described as having plaques, we did identify case reports which described plaques among sporadic MM2 cases as well as case reports of plaques exclusively in white matter among sporadic MM1 cases. Among the 523 reported sporadic CJD cases, 0 of 366 MM1 cases had plaques, 2 of 48 MM2 cases had kuru plaques, and 4 of 109 MM1+2 cases had either kuru plaques or both kuru and florid plaques. Medical chart review of the six reported sporadic CJD cases with plaques did not reveal clinical histories suggestive of potential iatrogenic transmission.
Conclusions
PrP plaques occur much more frequently for iatrogenic CJD-MM cases compared to sporadic CJDMM cases. Plaques may indicate iatrogenic transmission for CJD-MM cases without a type 2 Western blot fragment. The study results suggest the absence of significant misclassifications of iatrogenic CJD as sporadic. To our knowledge, this study is the first to describe grey matter kuru plaques in apparently sporadic CJD-MM patients with a type 2 Western blot fragment.
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P180 Clinico-pathological analysis of human prion diseases in a brain bank series
Ximelis T (1), Aldecoa I (1,2), Molina-Porcel L (1,3), Grau-Rivera O (4), Ferrer I (5), Nos C (6), Gelpi E (1,7), Sánchez-Valle R (1,4)
(1) Neurological Tissue Bank of the Biobanc-Hospital ClÃnic-IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain (2) Pathological Service of Hospital ClÃnic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain (3) EAIA Trastorns Cognitius, Centre Emili Mira, Parc de Salut Mar, Barcelona, Spain (4) Department of Neurology of Hospital ClÃnic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain (5) Institute of Neuropathology, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona (6) General subdirectorate of Surveillance and Response to Emergencies in Public Health, Department of Public Health in Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain (7) Institute of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Background and objective:
The Neurological Tissue Bank (NTB) of the Hospital Clínic-Institut d‘Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain is the reference center in Catalonia for the neuropathological study of prion diseases in the region since 2001. The aim of this study is to analyse the characteristics of the confirmed prion diseases registered at the NTB during the last 15 years.
Methods:
We reviewed retrospectively all neuropathologically confirmed cases registered during the period January 2001 to December 2016.
Results:
176 cases (54,3% female, mean age: 67,5 years and age range: 25-86 years) of neuropathological confirmed prion diseases have been studied at the NTB. 152 cases corresponded to sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), 10 to genetic CJD, 10 to Fatal Familial Insomnia, 2 to GerstmannSträussler-Scheinker disease, and 2 cases to variably protease-sensitive prionopathy (VPSPr). Within sCJD subtypes the MM1 subtype was the most frequent, followed by the VV2 histotype.
Clinical and neuropathological diagnoses agreed in 166 cases (94%). The clinical diagnosis was not accurate in 10 patients with definite prion disease: 1 had a clinical diagnosis of Fronto-temporal dementia (FTD), 1 Niemann-Pick‘s disease, 1 Lewy Body‘s Disease, 2 Alzheimer‘s disease, 1 Cortico-basal syndrome and 2 undetermined dementia. Among patients with VPSPr, 1 had a clinical diagnosis of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and the other one with FTD.
Concomitant pathologies are frequent in older age groups, mainly AD neuropathological changes were observed in these subjects.
Discussion:
A wide spectrum of human prion diseases have been identified in the NTB being the relative frequencies and main characteristics like other published series. There is a high rate of agreement between clinical and neuropathological diagnoses with prion diseases. These findings show the importance that public health has given to prion diseases during the past 15 years. Continuous surveillance of human prion disease allows identification of new emerging phenotypes. Brain tissue samples from these donors are available to the scientific community. For more information please visit:
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P192 Prion amplification techniques for the rapid evaluation of surface decontamination procedures
Bruyere-Ostells L (1), Mayran C (1), Belondrade M (1), Boublik Y (2), Haïk S (3), Fournier-Wirth C (1), Nicot S (1), Bougard D (1)
(1) Pathogenesis and control of chronic infections, Etablissement Français du Sang, Inserm, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France. (2) Centre de Recherche en Biologie cellulaire de Montpellier, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France. (3) Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université Paris 06 UMR S 1127, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, ICM, Paris, France.
Aims:
Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSE) or prion diseases are a group of incurable and always fatal neurodegenerative disorders including Creutzfeldt-Jakob diseases (CJD) in humans. These pathologies include sporadic (sCJD), genetic and acquired (variant CJD) forms. By the past, sCJD and vCJD were transmitted by different prion contaminated biological materials to patients resulting in more than 400 iatrogenic cases (iCJD). The atypical nature and the biochemical properties of the infectious agent, formed by abnormal prion protein or PrPTSE, make it particularly resistant to conventional decontamination procedures. In addition, PrPTSE is widely distributed throughout the organism before clinical onset in vCJD and can also be detected in some peripheral tissues in sporadic CJD. Risk of iatrogenic transmission of CJD by contaminated medical device remains thus a concern for healthcare facilities. Bioassay is the gold standard method to evaluate the efficacy of prion decontamination procedures but is time-consuming and expensive. Here, we propose to compare in vitro prion amplification techniques: Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification (PMCA) and Real-Time Quaking Induced Conversion (RT-QuIC) for the detection of residual prions on surface after decontamination.
Methods:
Stainless steel wires, by mimicking the surface of surgical instruments, were proposed as a carrier model of prions for inactivation studies. To determine the sensitivity of the two amplification techniques on wires (Surf-PMCA and Surf-QuIC), steel wires were therefore contaminated with serial dilutions of brain homogenates (BH) from a 263k infected hamster and from a patient with sCJD (MM1 subtype). We then compared the different standard decontamination procedures including partially and fully efficient treatments by detecting the residual seeding activity on 263K and sCJD contaminated wires. We completed our study by the evaluation of marketed reagents endorsed for prion decontamination.
Results:
The two amplification techniques can detect minute quantities of PrPTSE adsorbed onto a single wire. 8/8 wires contaminated with a 10-6 dilution of 263k BH and 1/6 with the 10-8 dilution are positive with Surf-PMCA. Similar performances were obtained with Surf-QuIC on 263K: 10/16 wires contaminated with 10-6 dilution and 1/8 wires contaminated with 10-8 dilution are positive. Regarding the human sCJD-MM1 prion, Surf-QuIC allows us to detect 16/16 wires contaminated with 10-6 dilutions and 14/16 with 10-7 . Results obtained after decontamination treatments are very similar between 263K and sCJD prions. Efficiency of marketed treatments to remove prions is lower than expected.
Conclusions:
Surf-PMCA and Surf-QuIC are very sensitive methods for the detection of prions on wires and could be applied to prion decontamination studies for rapid evaluation of new treatments. Sodium hypochlorite is the only product to efficiently remove seeding activity of both 263K and sCJD prions.
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WA2 Oral transmission of CWD into Cynomolgus macaques: signs of atypical disease, prion conversion and infectivity in macaques and bio-assayed transgenic mice
Schatzl HM (1, 2), Hannaoui S (1, 2), Cheng Y-C (1, 2), Gilch S (1, 2), Beekes M (3), SchulzSchaeffer W (4), Stahl-Hennig C (5) and Czub S (2, 6)
(1) University of Calgary, Calgary Prion Research Unit, Calgary, Canada (2) University of Calgary, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Calgary, Canada, (3) Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany, (4) University of Homburg/Saar, Homburg, Germany, (5) German Primate Center, Goettingen, Germany, (6) Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), Lethbridge, Canada.
To date, BSE is the only example of interspecies transmission of an animal prion disease into humans. The potential zoonotic transmission of CWD is an alarming issue and was addressed by many groups using a variety of in vitro and in vivo experimental systems. Evidence from these studies indicated a substantial, if not absolute, species barrier, aligning with the absence of epidemiological evidence suggesting transmission into humans. Studies in non-human primates were not conclusive so far, with oral transmission into new-world monkeys and no transmission into old-world monkeys. Our consortium has challenged 18 Cynomolgus macaques with characterized CWD material, focusing on oral transmission with muscle tissue. Some macaques have orally received a total of 5 kg of muscle material over a period of 2 years. After 5-7 years of incubation time some animals showed clinical symptoms indicative of prion disease, and prion neuropathology and PrPSc deposition were found in spinal cord and brain of euthanized animals. PrPSc in immunoblot was weakly detected in some spinal cord materials and various tissues tested positive in RT-QuIC, including lymph node and spleen homogenates. To prove prion infectivity in the macaque tissues, we have intracerebrally inoculated 2 lines of transgenic mice, expressing either elk or human PrP. At least 3 TgElk mice, receiving tissues from 2 different macaques, showed clinical signs of a progressive prion disease and brains were positive in immunoblot and RT-QuIC. Tissues (brain, spinal cord and spleen) from these and preclinical mice are currently tested using various read-outs and by second passage in mice. Transgenic mice expressing human PrP were so far negative for clear clinical prion disease (some mice >300 days p.i.). In parallel, the same macaque materials are inoculated into bank voles. Taken together, there is strong evidence of transmissibility of CWD orally into macaques and from macaque tissues into transgenic mouse models, although with an incomplete attack rate. The clinical and pathological presentation in macaques was mostly atypical, with a strong emphasis on spinal cord pathology. Our ongoing studies will show whether the transmission of CWD into macaques and passage in transgenic mice represents a form of non-adaptive prion amplification, and whether macaque-adapted prions have the potential to infect mice expressing human PrP. The notion that CWD can be transmitted orally into both new-world and old-world non-human primates asks for a careful reevaluation of the zoonotic risk of CWD.
See also poster P103
***> The notion that CWD can be transmitted orally into both new-world and old-world non-human primates asks for a careful reevaluation of the zoonotic risk of CWD.
=====
WA16 Monitoring Potential CWD Transmission to Humans
Belay ED
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Atlanta, GA, USA.
The spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in animals has raised concerns about increasing human exposure to the CWD agent via hunting and venison consumption, potentially facilitating CWD transmission to humans. Several studies have explored this possibility, including limited epidemiologic studies, in vitro experiments, and laboratory studies using various types of animal models. Most human exposures to the CWD agent in the United States would be expected to occur in association with deer and elk hunting in CWD-endemic areas. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) collaborated with state health departments in Colorado, Wisconsin, and Wyoming to identify persons at risk of CWD exposure and to monitor their vital status over time. Databases were established of persons who hunted in Colorado and Wyoming and those who reported consumption of venison from deer that later tested positive in Wisconsin. Information from the databases is periodically cross-checked with mortality data to determine the vital status and causes of death for deceased persons. Long-term follow-up of these hunters is needed to assess their risk of development of a prion disease linked to CWD exposure.
=====
P166 Characterization of CJD strain profiles in venison consumers and non-consumers from Alberta and Saskatchewan
Stephanie Booth (1,2), Lise Lamoureux (1), Debra Sorensen (1), Jennifer L. Myskiw (1,2), Megan Klassen (1,2), Michael Coulthart (3), Valerie Sim (4)
(1) Zoonotic Diseases and Special Pathogens, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg (2) Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg (3) Canadian CJD Surveillance System, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa (4) Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton.
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is spreading rapidly through wild cervid populations in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. While this has implications for tourism and hunting, there is also concern over possible zoonotic transmission to humans who eat venison from infected deer. Whilst there is no evidence of any human cases of CWD to date, the Canadian CJD Surveillance System (CJDSS) in Canada is staying vigilant. When variant CJD occurred following exposure to BSE, the unique biochemical fingerprint of the pathologic PrP enabled a causal link to be confirmed. However, we cannot be sure what phenotype human CWD prions would present with, or indeed, whether this would be distinct from that see in sporadic CJD. Therefore we are undertaking a systematic analysis of the molecular diversity of CJD cases of individuals who resided in Alberta and Saskatchewan at their time of death comparing venison consumers and non-consumers, using a variety of clinical, imaging, pathological and biochemical markers. Our initial objective is to develop novel biochemical methodologies that will extend the baseline glycoform and genetic polymorphism typing that is already completed by the CJDSS. Firstly, we are reviewing MRI, EEG and pathology information from over 40 cases of CJD to select clinically affected areas for further investigation. Biochemical analysis will include assessment of the levels of protease sensitive and resistant prion protein, glycoform typing using 2D gel electrophoresis, testing seeding capabilities and kinetics of aggregation by quaking-induced conversion, and determining prion oligomer size distributions with asymmetric flow field fractionation with in-line light scattering. Progress and preliminary data will be presented. Ultimately, we intend to further define the relationship between PrP structure and disease phenotype and establish a baseline for the identification of future atypical CJD cases that may arise as a result of exposure to CWD.
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Source Prion Conference 2018 Abstracts
Volume 24, Number 8—August 2018
Research Susceptibility of Human Prion Protein to Conversion by Chronic Wasting Disease Prions
Marcelo A. BarriaComments to Author , Adriana Libori, Gordon Mitchell, and Mark W. Head Author affiliations: National CJD Research and Surveillance Unit, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK (M.A. Barria, A. Libori, M.W. Head); National and OIE Reference Laboratory for Scrapie and CWD, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (G. Mitchell)
Abstract Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a contagious and fatal neurodegenerative disease and a serious animal health issue for deer and elk in North America. The identification of the first cases of CWD among free-ranging reindeer and moose in Europe brings back into focus the unresolved issue of whether CWD can be zoonotic like bovine spongiform encephalopathy. We used a cell-free seeded protein misfolding assay to determine whether CWD prions from elk, white-tailed deer, and reindeer in North America can convert the human prion protein to the disease-associated form. We found that prions can convert, but the efficiency of conversion is affected by polymorphic variation in the cervid and human prion protein genes. In view of the similarity of reindeer, elk, and white-tailed deer in North America to reindeer, red deer, and roe deer, respectively, in Europe, a more comprehensive and thorough assessment of the zoonotic potential of CWD might be warranted.
snip...
Discussion Characterization of the transmission properties of CWD and evaluation of their zoonotic potential are important for public health purposes. Given that CWD affects several members of the family Cervidae, it seems reasonable to consider whether the zoonotic potential of CWD prions could be affected by factors such as CWD strain, cervid species, geographic location, and Prnp–PRNP polymorphic variation. We have previously used an in vitro conversion assay (PMCA) to investigate the susceptibility of the human PrP to conversion to its disease-associated form by several animal prion diseases, including CWD (15,16,22). The sensitivity of our molecular model for the detection of zoonotic conversion depends on the combination of 1) the action of proteinase K to degrade the abundant human PrPC that constitutes the substrate while only N terminally truncating any human PrPres produced and 2) the presence of the 3F4 epitope on human but not cervid PrP. In effect, this degree of sensitivity means that any human PrPres formed during the PMCA reaction can be detected down to the limit of Western blot sensitivity. In contrast, if other antibodies that detect both cervid and human PrP are used, such as 6H4, then newly formed human PrPres must be detected as a measurable increase in PrPres over the amount remaining in the reaction product from the cervid seed. Although best known for the efficient amplification of prions in research and diagnostic contexts, the variation of the PMCA method employed in our study is optimized for the definitive detection of zoonotic reaction products of inherently inefficient conversion reactions conducted across species barriers. By using this system, we previously made and reported the novel observation that elk CWD prions could convert human PrPC from human brain and could also convert recombinant human PrPC expressed in transgenic mice and eukaryotic cell cultures (15).
A previous publication suggested that mule deer PrPSc was unable to convert humanized transgenic substrate in PMCA assays (23) and required a further step of in vitro conditioning in deer substrate PMCA before it was able to cross the deer–human molecular barrier (24). However, prions from other species, such as elk (15) and reindeer affected by CWD, appear to be compatible with the human protein in a single round of amplification (as shown in our study). These observations suggest that different deer species affected by CWD could present differing degrees of the olecular compatibility with the normal form of human PrP.
The contribution of the polymorphism at codon 129 of the human PrP gene has been extensively studied and is recognized as a risk factor for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (4). In cervids, the equivalent codon corresponds to the position 132 encoding methionine or leucine. This polymorphism in the elk gene has been shown to play an important role in CWD susceptibility (25,26). We have investigated the effect of this cervid Prnp polymorphism on the conversion of the humanized transgenic substrate according to the variation in the equivalent PRNP codon 129 polymorphism. Interestingly, only the homologs methionine homozygous seed–substrate reactions could readily convert the human PrP, whereas the heterozygous elk PrPSc was unable to do so, even though comparable amounts of PrPres were used to seed the reaction. In addition, we observed only low levels of human PrPres formation in the reactions seeded with the homozygous methionine (132 MM) and the heterozygous (132 ML) seeds incubated with the other 2 human polymorphic substrates (129 MV and 129 VV). The presence of the amino acid leucine at position 132 of the elk Prnp gene has been attributed to a lower degree of prion conversion compared with methionine on the basis of experiments in mice made transgenic for these polymorphic variants (26). Considering the differences observed for the amplification of the homozygous human methionine substrate by the 2 polymorphic elk seeds (MM and ML), reappraisal of the susceptibility of human PrPC by the full range of cervid polymorphic variants affected by CWD would be warranted.
In light of the recent identification of the first cases of CWD in Europe in a free-ranging reindeer (R. tarandus) in Norway (2), we also decided to evaluate the in vitro conversion potential of CWD in 2 experimentally infected reindeer (18). Formation of human PrPres was readily detectable after a single round of PMCA, and in all 3 humanized polymorphic substrates (MM, MV, and VV). This finding suggests that CWD prions from reindeer could be more compatible with human PrPC generally and might therefore present a greater risk for zoonosis than, for example, CWD prions from white-tailed deer. A more comprehensive comparison of CWD in the affected species, coupled with the polymorphic variations in the human and deer PRNP–Prnp genes, in vivo and in vitro, will be required before firm conclusions can be drawn. Analysis of the Prnp sequence of the CWD reindeer in Norway was reported to be identical to the specimens used in our study (2). This finding raises the possibility of a direct comparison of zoonotic potential between CWD acquired in the wild and that produced in a controlled laboratory setting. (Table).
The prion hypothesis proposes that direct molecular interaction between PrPSc and PrPC is necessary for conversion and prion replication. Accordingly, polymorphic variants of the PrP of host and agent might play a role in determining compatibility and potential zoonotic risk. In this study, we have examined the capacity of the human PrPC to support in vitro conversion by elk, white-tailed deer, and reindeer CWD PrPSc. Our data confirm that elk CWD prions can convert the human PrPC, at least in vitro, and show that the homologous PRNP polymorphisms at codon 129 and 132 in humans and cervids affect conversion efficiency. Other species affected by CWD, particularly caribou or reindeer, also seem able to convert the human PrP. It will be important to determine whether other polymorphic variants found in other CWD-affected Cervidae or perhaps other factors (17) exert similar effects on the ability to convert human PrP and thus affect their zoonotic potential.
Dr. Barria is a research scientist working at the National CJD Research and Surveillance Unit, University of Edinburgh. His research has focused on understanding the molecular basis of a group of fatal neurologic disorders called prion diseases.
Acknowledgments We thank Aru Balachandran for originally providing cervid brain tissues, Abigail Diack and Jean Manson for providing mouse brain tissue, and James Ironside for his critical reading of the manuscript at an early stage.
This report is independent research commissioned and funded by the United Kingdom’s Department of Health Policy Research Programme and the Government of Scotland. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Department of Health or the Government of Scotland.
Author contributions: The study was conceived and designed by M.A.B. and M.W.H. The experiments were conducted by M.A.B. and A.L. Chronic wasting disease brain specimens were provided by G.M. The manuscript was written by M.A.B. and M.W.H. All authors contributed to the editing and revision of the manuscript.
Prion 2017 Conference Abstracts
First evidence of intracranial and peroral transmission of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) into Cynomolgus macaques: a work in progress
Stefanie Czub1, Walter Schulz-Schaeffer2, Christiane Stahl-Hennig3, Michael Beekes4, Hermann Schaetzl5 and Dirk Motzkus6 1 University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine/Canadian Food Inspection Agency; 2Universitatsklinikum des Saarlandes und Medizinische Fakultat der Universitat des Saarlandes; 3 Deutsches Primaten Zentrum/Goettingen; 4 Robert-Koch-Institut Berlin; 5 University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine; 6 presently: Boehringer Ingelheim Veterinary Research Center; previously: Deutsches Primaten Zentrum/Goettingen
This is a progress report of a project which started in 2009.
21 cynomolgus macaques were challenged with characterized CWD material from white-tailed deer (WTD) or elk by intracerebral (ic), oral, and skin exposure routes. Additional blood transfusion experiments are supposed to assess the CWD contamination risk of human blood product. Challenge materials originated from symptomatic cervids for ic, skin scarification and partially per oral routes (WTD brain). Challenge material for feeding of muscle derived from preclinical WTD and from preclinical macaques for blood transfusion experiments. We have confirmed that the CWD challenge material contained at least two different CWD agents (brain material) as well as CWD prions in muscle-associated nerves. Here we present first data on a group of animals either challenged ic with steel wires or per orally and sacrificed with incubation times ranging from 4.5 to 6.9 years at postmortem. Three animals displayed signs of mild clinical disease, including anxiety, apathy, ataxia and/or tremor. In four animals wasting was observed, two of those had confirmed diabetes. All animals have variable signs of prion neuropathology in spinal cords and brains and by supersensitive IHC, reaction was detected in spinal cord segments of all animals. Protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA), real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuiC) and PET-blot assays to further substantiate these findings are on the way, as well as bioassays in bank voles and transgenic mice. At present, a total of 10 animals are sacrificed and read-outs are ongoing. Preclinical incubation of the remaining macaques covers a range from 6.4 to 7.10 years. Based on the species barrier and an incubation time of > 5 years for BSE in macaques and about 10 years for scrapie in macaques, we expected an onset of clinical disease beyond 6 years post inoculation.
PRION 2017 DECIPHERING NEURODEGENERATIVE DISORDERS ABSTRACTS REFERENCE
8. Even though human TSE‐exposure risk through consumption of game from European cervids can be assumed to be minor, if at all existing, no final conclusion can be drawn due to the overall lack of scientific data. In particular the US data do not clearly exclude the possibility of human (sporadic or familial) TSE development due to consumption of venison. The Working Group thus recognizes a potential risk to consumers if a TSE would be present in European cervids. It might be prudent considering appropriate measures to reduce such a risk, e.g. excluding tissues such as CNS and lymphoid tissues from the human food chain, which would greatly reduce any potential risk for consumers. However, it is stressed that currently, no data regarding a risk of TSE infections from cervid products are available.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2019
Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion and THE FEAST 2003 CDC an updated review of the science 2019
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 04, 2014
Six-year follow-up of a point-source exposure to CWD contaminated venison in an Upstate New York community: risk behaviours and health outcomes 2005–2011 Authors, though, acknowledged the study was limited in geography and sample size and so it couldn't draw a conclusion about the risk to humans. They recommended more study. Dr. Ermias Belay was the report's principal author but he said New York and Oneida County officials are following the proper course by not launching a study. "There's really nothing to monitor presently. No one's sick," Belay said, noting the disease's incubation period in deer and elk is measured in years. "
Transmission Studies Mule deer transmissions of CWD were by intracerebral inoculation and compared with natural cases {the following was written but with a single line marked through it ''first passage (by this route)}....TSS resulted in a more rapidly progressive clinical disease with repeated episodes of synocopy ending in coma. One control animal became affected, it is believed through contamination of inoculum (?saline). Further CWD transmissions were carried out by Dick Marsh into ferret, mink and squirrel monkey. Transmission occurred in ALL of these species with the shortest incubation period in the ferret.
snip....
Prion Infectivity in Fat of Deer with Chronic Wasting Disease▿
Brent Race#, Kimberly Meade-White#, Richard Race and Bruce Chesebro* + Author Affiliations 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.
http://jvi.asm.org/content/83/18/9608.full Prions in Skeletal Muscles of Deer with Chronic Wasting Disease 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.
*** now, let’s see what the authors said about this casual link, personal communications years ago, and then the latest on the zoonotic potential from CWD to humans from the TOKYO PRION 2016 CONFERENCE.
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 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 ;
> However, to date, no CWD infections have been reported in people.
sporadic, spontaneous CJD, 85%+ of all human TSE, did not just happen. never in scientific literature has this been proven. if one looks up the word sporadic or spontaneous at pubmed, you will get a laundry list of disease that are classified in such a way;
sporadic = 54,983 hits
spontaneous = 325,650 hits
key word here is 'reported'. science has shown that CWD in humans will look like sporadic CJD.
SO, how can one assume that CWD has not already transmitted to humans? they can't, and it's as simple as that. from all recorded science to date, CWD has already transmitted to humans, and it's being misdiagnosed as sporadic CJD. ...terry
*** LOOKING FOR CWD IN HUMANS AS nvCJD or as an ATYPICAL CJD, LOOKING IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES $$$ ***
> However, to date, no CWD infections have been reported in people. key word here is ‘reported’. science has shown that CWD in humans will look like sporadic CJD. SO, how can one assume that CWD has not already transmitted to humans? they can’t, and it’s as simple as that. from all recorded science to date, CWD has already transmitted to humans, and it’s being misdiagnosed as sporadic CJD. …terry
*** 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).***
CWD TSE PRION AND ZOONOTIC, ZOONOSIS, FACTORS
Subject: Re: DEER SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY SURVEY & HOUND STUDY
Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2002 23:12:22 +0100
From: Steve Dealler
Reply-To: Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Organization: Netscape Online member
To: BSE-L@ References:
Dear Terry,
An excellent piece of review as this literature is desperately difficult to get back from Government sites.
What happened with the deer was that an association between deer meat eating and sporadic CJD was found in about 1993. The evidence was not great but did not disappear after several years of asking CJD cases what they had eaten. I think that the work into deer disease largely stopped because it was not helpful to the UK industry...and no specific cases were reported. Well, if you dont look adequately like they are in USA currenly then you wont find any!
Steve Dealler
====
''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).''
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 ;
http://web.archive.org/web/20090506050043/http://www.bseinquiry.gov.uk/files/yb/1994/08/00004001.pdf
http://web.archive.org/web/20090506050007/http://www.bseinquiry.gov.uk/files/yb/1994/10/00003001.pdf
http://web.archive.org/web/20090506050244/http://www.bseinquiry.gov.uk/files/yb/1994/07/00001001.pdf
Stephen Dealler is a consultant medical microbiologist deal@airtime.co.uk
BSE Inquiry Steve Dealler
Management In Confidence
BSE: Private Submission of Bovine Brain Dealler
snip...see full text;
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2019
***> MAD DOGS AND ENGLISHMEN BSE, SCRAPIE, CWD, CJD, TSE PRION A REVIEW 2019
***> ''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).''
***> In conclusion, sensory symptoms and loss of reflexes in Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome can be explained by neuropathological changes in the spinal cord. We conclude that the sensory symptoms and loss of lower limb reflexes in Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome is due to pathology in the caudal spinal cord. <***
***> The clinical and pathological presentation in macaques was mostly atypical, with a strong emphasis on spinal cord pathology.<***
***> The notion that CWD can be transmitted orally into both new-world and old-world non-human primates asks for a careful reevaluation of the zoonotic risk of CWD. <***
***> All animals have variable signs of prion neuropathology in spinal cords and brains and by supersensitive IHC, reaction was detected in spinal cord segments of all animals.<***
***> In particular the US data do not clearly exclude the possibility of human (sporadic or familial) TSE development due to consumption of venison. The Working Group thus recognizes a potential risk to consumers if a TSE would be present in European cervids.'' Scientific opinion on chronic wasting disease (II) <***
***Moreover, sporadic disease has never been observed in breeding colonies or primate research laboratories, most notably among hundreds of animals over several decades of study at the National Institutes of Health25, and in nearly twenty older animals continuously housed in our own facility.***
Even if the prevailing view is that sporadic CJD is due to the spontaneous formation of CJD prions, it remains possible that its apparent sporadic nature may, at least in part, result from our limited capacity to identify an environmental origin.
Cattle with the EK211 PRNP polymorphism are susceptible to the H-type bovine spongiform encephalopathy agent from either E211K or wild type donors after oronasal inoculation
Justin J. Greenleea, Eric D. Cassmanna, S. Jo Moorea,b, and M. Heather West Greenleec
aVirus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, ARS, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, USA; bOak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), U.S. Department of Energy, Oak Ridge, TN, US; cDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ames, IA, US
Aims: In 2006, a case of H-type bovine spongiform encephalopathy (H-BSE) was reported in a cow with a previously unreported prion protein polymorphism (E211K). The E211K polymorphism is heritable and homologous to the E200K mutation in humans that is the most frequent PRNP mutation associated with familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Although the prevalence of the E211K polymorphism is low, cattle carrying the K211 allele develop H-type BSE with a rapid onset after experimental inoculation by the intracranial route. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the agents of H-type BSE or H-type BSE associated with the E211K polymorphism transmit to wild type cattle or cattle with the K211 allele after oronasal exposure.
Material and Methods: Wild type (EE211) or heterozygous (EK211) cattle were oronasally inoculated with the H-BSE agent from either the US 2004 case (wild type donor; n = 3) or from the US 2006 case with the E211K polymorphism (n = 4). Cattle were observed daily throughout the course of the experiment for the development of clinical signs. When signs were noted, animals were euthanized and necropsied. Cattle were confirmed positive for abnormal BSE prions by enzyme immunoassay (EIA; Idexx HerdChek BSE Ag Test), anti-PrP immunohistochemistry (IHC) on brainstem, and microscopic examination for vacuolation.
Results: Three-out-of-four (75%) calves with the EK211 genotype developed clinical signs of H-BSE including inattentiveness, loss of body condition, weakness, ataxia, and muscle fasciculations and were euthanized. Two of the positive EK211 steers received H-BSE US 2004 inoculum (Incubation Period (IP): 59.3 and 72.3 months) while the other positive steer received the E211K H-BSE inoculum (IP: 49.7 months). EIA confirmed that abundant misfolded protein (O.D. 2.57–4.0) in the brainstem, and IHC demonstrated PrPScthroughout the brain. All wild type recipient cattle and a single EK211 steer remained asymptomatic for the duration of the experiment (approximately 7 years post-inoculation) and no abnormal prion protein was detected in these cattle by EIA.
Conclusions: This study demonstrates that the H-type BSE agent is transmissible by the oronasal route. Cattle with the EK211 genotype are oronasally susceptible to small doses of the H-BSE agent from either EK211 or EE211 (wild type) donors. Wild-type EE211 cattle remained asymptomatic for the duration of the experiment with this small dose (0.1 g) of inoculum. These results reinforce the need for ongoing surveillance for classical and atypical BSE to minimize the risk of potentially infectious tissues entering the animal or human food chains.
Funded by: US Department of Agriculture
How in the hell do you make a complete recall of 27,694,240 lbs of feed that was manufactured from materials that may have been contaminated with mammalian protein, in one state, Michigan, 2006? Wonder how much was fed out?
RECALLS AND FIELD CORRECTIONS: VETERINARY MEDICINE -- CLASS II
______________________________
PRODUCT
a) CO-OP 32% Sinking Catfish, Recall # V-100-6;
b) Performance Sheep Pell W/Decox/A/N, medicated,
net wt. 50 lbs, Recall # V-101-6;
c) Pro 40% Swine Conc Meal -- 50 lb, Recall # V-102-6;
d) CO-OP 32% Sinking Catfish Food Medicated,
Recall # V-103-6;
e) "Big Jim’s" BBB Deer Ration, Big Buck Blend,
Recall # V-104-6;
f) CO-OP 40% Hog Supplement Medicated Pelleted,
Tylosin 100 grams/ton, 50 lb. bag, Recall # V-105-6;
g) Pig Starter Pell II, 18% W/MCDX Medicated 282020,
Carbadox -- 0.0055%, Recall # V-106-6;
h) CO-OP STARTER-GROWER CRUMBLES, Complete
Feed for Chickens from Hatch to 20 Weeks, Medicated,
Bacitracin Methylene Disalicylate, 25 and 50 Lbs,
Recall # V-107-6;
i) CO-OP LAYING PELLETS, Complete Feed for Laying
Chickens, Recall # 108-6;
j) CO-OP LAYING CRUMBLES, Recall # V-109-6;
k) CO-OP QUAIL FLIGHT CONDITIONER MEDICATED,
net wt 50 Lbs, Recall # V-110-6;
l) CO-OP QUAIL STARTER MEDICATED, Net Wt. 50 Lbs,
Recall # V-111-6;
m) CO-OP QUAIL GROWER MEDICATED, 50 Lbs,
Recall # V-112-6
CODE
Product manufactured from 02/01/2005 until 06/06/2006
RECALLING FIRM/MANUFACTURER
Alabama Farmers Cooperative, Inc., Decatur, AL, by telephone, fax, email and visit on June 9, 2006.
FDA initiated recall is complete.
REASON
Animal and fish feeds which were possibly contaminated with ruminant based protein not labeled as "Do not feed to ruminants".
VOLUME OF PRODUCT IN COMMERCE
125 tons
DISTRIBUTION
AL and FL
______________________________
PRODUCT
Bulk custom dairy feds manufactured from concentrates, Recall # V-113-6
CODE
All dairy feeds produced between 2/1/05 and 6/16/06 and containing H. J. Baker recalled feed products.
RECALLING FIRM/MANUFACTURER
Vita Plus Corp., Gagetown, MI, by visit beginning on June 21, 2006.
Firm initiated recall is complete.
REASON
The feed was manufactured from materials that may have been contaminated with mammalian protein.
VOLUME OF PRODUCT IN COMMERCE
27,694,240 lbs
DISTRIBUTION
MI
______________________________
PRODUCT
Bulk custom made dairy feed, Recall # V-114-6
CODE
None
RECALLING FIRM/MANUFACTURER
Burkmann Feeds LLC, Glasgow, KY, by letter on July 14, 2006. Firm initiated recall is ongoing.
REASON
Custom made feeds contain ingredient called Pro-Lak, which may contain ruminant derived meat and bone meal.
VOLUME OF PRODUCT IN COMMERCE
???
DISTRIBUTION
KY
END OF ENFORCEMENT REPORT FOR AUGUST 2, 2006
###
USA 50 State Emergency BSE Conference Call 2001
Monday, November 13, 2023
Food and Drug Administration's BSE Feed Regulation (21 CFR 589.2000) Singeltary Another Request for Update 2023
FRIDAY, JULY 07, 2023
***> TME, 589.2000 (21 C.F.R. 589.2000), atypical L-BSE, who’s testing MINK for TSE?
Prion 2023 Experimental Oronasal Inoculation of the Chronic Wasting Disease Agent into White Tailed Deer
Author list: Sarah Zurbuchena,b , S. Jo Moorea,b , Jifeng Biana , Eric D. Cassmanna , and Justin J. Greenleea . a. Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, ARS, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA, US b. Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), U.S. Department of Energy, Oak Ridge, TN, United States
Aims: The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether white-tailed deer (WTD) are susceptible to inoculation of chronic wasting disease (CWD) via oronasal exposure.
Materials and methods: Six male, neutered WTD were oronasally inoculated with brainstem material (10% w/v) from a CWD-positive wild-type WTD. The genotypes of five inoculated deer were Q95/G96 (wild-type). One inoculated deer was homozygous S at codon 96 (96SS). Cervidized (Tg12; M132 elk PrP) mice were inoculated with 1% w/v brainstem homogenate from either a 96GG WTD (n=10) or the 96SS WTD (n=10).
Results: All deer developed characteristic clinical signs of CWD including weight loss, regurgitation, and ataxia. The 96SS individual had a prolonged disease course and incubation period compared to the other deer. Western blots of the brainstem on all deer yielded similar molecular profiles. All deer had widespread lymphoid distribution of PrPCWD and neuropathologic lesions associated with transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. Both groups of mice had a 100% attack rate and developed clinical signs, including loss of body condition, ataxia, and loss of righting reflex. Mice inoculated with material from the 96SS deer had a significantly shorter incubation period than mice inoculated with material from 96GG deer (Welch two sample T-test, P<0.05). Serial dilutions of each inocula suggests that differences in incubation period were not due to a greater concentration of PrPCWD in the 96SS inoculum. Molecular profiles from western blot of brain homogenates from mice appeared similar regardless of inoculum and appear similar to those of deer used for inoculum.
Conclusions: This study characterizes the lesions and clinical course of CWD in WTD inoculated in a similar manner to natural conditions. It supports previous findings that 96SS deer have a prolonged disease course. Further, it describes a first pass of inoculum from a 96SS deer in cervidized mice which shortened the incubation period.
Funded by: This research was funded in its entirety by congressionally appropriated funds to the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. The funders of the work did not influence study design, data collection, analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Acknowledgement: We thank Ami Frank and Kevin Hassall for their technical contributions to this project.
=====end
PRION 2023 CONTINUED;
Friday, December 14, 2012
DEFRA U.K. What is the risk of Chronic Wasting Disease CWD being introduced into Great Britain? A Qualitative Risk Assessment October 2012
snip.....
In the USA, under the Food and Drug Administration's 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. Animals considered at high risk for CWD include:
1) animals from areas declared to be endemic for CWD and/or to be CWD eradication zones and
2) deer and elk that at some time during the 60-month period prior to slaughter were in a captive herd that contained a CWD-positive animal.
Therefore, in the USA, materials from cervids other than CWD positive animals may be used in animal feed and feed ingredients for non-ruminants.
The amount of animal PAP that is of deer and/or elk origin imported from the USA to GB can not be determined, however, as it is not specified in TRACES.
It may constitute a small percentage of the 8412 kilos of non-fish origin processed animal proteins that were imported from US into GB in 2011.
Overall, therefore, it is considered there is a __greater than negligible risk___ that (nonruminant) animal feed and pet food containing deer and/or elk protein is imported into GB.
There is uncertainty associated with this estimate given the lack of data on the amount of deer and/or elk protein possibly being imported in these products.
snip.....
Docket No. FDA-2003-D-0432 (formerly 03D-0186) Use of Material from Deer and Elk in Animal Feed
PUBLIC SUBMISSION
Comment from Terry Singeltary Sr.
Posted by the Food and Drug Administration on May 17, 2016 Comment
Docket No. FDA-2003-D-0432 (formerly 03D-0186) Use of Material from Deer and Elk in Animal Feed Singeltary Submission
Contains Nonbinding Recommendations
2
Guidance for Industry
Use of Material from Deer and Elk
in Animal Feed
This guidance represents the current thinking of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) on this topic. It does not establish any rights for any person and is not binding on FDA or the public. You can use an alternative approach if it satisfies the requirements of the applicable statutes and regulations. To discuss an alternative approach, contact the FDA office responsible for this guidance as listed on the title page.
I. Introduction
Under FDA’s BSE feed regulation (21 CFR 589.2000) most material from deer and elk is prohibited for use in feed for ruminant animals. This guidance document describes FDA’s recommendations regarding the use in all animal feed of all material from deer and elk that are positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) or are considered at high risk for CWD. The potential risks from CWD to humans or non-cervid animals such as poultry and swine are not well understood. However, because of recent recognition that CWD is spreading rapidly in white-tailed deer, and because CWD’s route of transmission is poorly understood, FDA is making recommendations regarding the use in animal feed of rendered materials from deer and elk that are CWD-positive or that are at high risk for CWD.
In general, FDA’s guidance documents do not establish legally enforceable responsibilities. Instead, guidances describe the Agency’s current thinking on a topic and should be viewed only as recommendations, unless specific regulatory or statutory requirements are cited. The use of the word should in Agency guidances means that something is suggested or recommended, but not required.
II. Background
CWD is a neurological (brain) disease of farmed and wild deer and elk that belong in the animal family cervidae (cervids). Only deer and elk are known to be susceptible to CWD by natural transmission. The disease has been found in farmed and wild mule deer, white-tailed deer, North American elk, and in farmed black-tailed deer. CWD belongs to a family of animal and human diseases called transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). These include bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE or “mad cow” disease) in cattle; scrapie in sheep and goats; and classical and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob diseases (CJD and vCJD) in humans. There is no known treatment for these diseases, and there is no vaccine to prevent them. In addition, although validated postmortem diagnostic tests are available, there are no validated diagnostic tests for CWD that can be used to test for the disease in live animals.
Contains Nonbinding Recommendations
3
III. Use in animal feed of material from CWD-positive deer and elk
Material from CWD-positive animals may not be used in any animal feed or feed ingredients. Pursuant to Sec. 402(a)(5) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, animal feed and feed ingredients containing material from a CWD-positive animal would be considered adulterated. FDA recommends that any such adulterated feed or feed ingredients be recalled or otherwise removed from the marketplace.
IV. Use in animal feed of material from deer and elk considered at high risk for CWD Deer and elk considered at high risk for CWD include: (1) animals from areas declared by State officials to be endemic for CWD and/or to be CWD eradication zones; and (2) deer and elk that at some time during the 60-month period immediately before the time of slaughter were in a captive herd that contained a CWD-positive animal.
FDA recommends that materials from deer and elk considered at high risk for CWD no longer be entered into the animal feed system. Under present circumstances, FDA is not recommending that feed made from deer and elk from a non-endemic area be recalled if a State later declares the area endemic for CWD or a CWD eradication zone. In addition, at this time, FDA is not recommending that feed made from deer and elk believed to be from a captive herd that contained no CWD-positive animals be recalled if that herd is subsequently found to contain a CWD-positive animal.
V. Use in animal feed of material from deer and elk NOT considered at high risk for CWD
FDA continues to consider materials from deer and elk NOT considered at high risk for CWD to be acceptable for use in NON-RUMINANT animal feeds in accordance with current agency regulations, 21 CFR 589.2000. Deer and elk not considered at high risk include: (1) deer and elk from areas not declared by State officials to be endemic for CWD and/or to be CWD eradication zones; and (2) deer and elk that were not at some time during the 60-month period immediately before the time of slaughter in a captive herd that contained a CWD-positive animal.
Sunday, March 20, 2016
Docket No. FDA-2003-D-0432 (formerly 03D-0186) Use of Material from Deer and Elk in Animal Feed ***UPDATED MARCH 2016*** Singeltary Submission
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/AnimalVeterinary/GuidanceComplianceEnforcement/GuidanceforIndustry/UCM052506.pdf?source=govdelivery&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
Singeltary comment;
https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/DownloadDocument?objectID=70082300
2003D-0186 Guidance for Industry: Use of Material From Deer and Elk In Animal Feed
EMC 1 Terry S. Singeltary Sr.
Vol #: 1
http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dailys/03/Jun03/060903/060903.htm
http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dailys/01/Oct01/101501/101501.htm
NOW, BE AWARE, OIE AND USDA HAVE NOW MADE ATYPICAL SCRAPIE AND ATYPICAL BSE A LEGAL TRADING COMMODITY, WITH NO REPORTING OF SAID ATYPICAL CASES, EXCEPT FOR A VOLUNTARY NOTE ON ANNUAL REPORT...i don't make this stuff up...terry
cwd, scrapie, transmits to pigs by oral routes, oh my!
***> However, at 51 months of incubation or greater, 5 animals were positive by one or more diagnostic methods. Furthermore, positive bioassay results were obtained from all inoculated groups (oral and intracranial; market weight and end of study) suggesting that swine are potential hosts for the agent of scrapie. <***
>*** Although the current U.S. feed ban is based on keeping tissues from TSE infected cattle from contaminating animal feed, swine rations in the U.S. could contain animal derived components including materials from scrapie infected sheep and goats. These results indicating the susceptibility of pigs to sheep scrapie, coupled with the limitations of the current feed ban, indicates that a revision of the feed ban may be necessary to protect swine production and potentially human health. <***
***> Results: PrPSc was not detected by EIA and IHC in any RPLNs. All tonsils and MLNs were negative by IHC, though the MLN from one pig in the oral <6 month group was positive by EIA. PrPSc was detected by QuIC in at least one of the lymphoid tissues examined in 5/6 pigs in the intracranial <6 months group, 6/7 intracranial >6 months group, 5/6 pigs in the oral <6 months group, and 4/6 oral >6 months group. Overall, the MLN was positive in 14/19 (74%) of samples examined, the RPLN in 8/18 (44%), and the tonsil in 10/25 (40%).
***> Conclusions: This study demonstrates that PrPSc accumulates in lymphoid tissues from pigs challenged intracranially or orally with the CWD agent, and can be detected as early as 4 months after challenge. CWD-infected pigs rarely develop clinical disease and if they do, they do so after a long incubation period. This raises the possibility that CWD-infected pigs could shed prions into their environment long before they develop clinical disease. Furthermore, lymphoid tissues from CWD-infected pigs could present a potential source of CWD infectivity in the animal and human food chains.
Conclusions: This study demonstrates that PrPSc accumulates in lymphoid tissues from pigs challenged intracranially or orally with the CWD agent, and can be detected as early as 4 months after challenge. CWD-infected pigs rarely develop clinical disease and if they do, they do so after a long incubation period. This raises the possibility that CWD-infected pigs could shed prions into their environment long before they develop clinical disease. Furthermore, lymphoid tissues from CWD-infected pigs could present a potential source of CWD infectivity in the animal and human food chains.
CONFIDENTIAL
EXPERIMENTAL PORCINE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY
LINE TO TAKE
3. If questions on pharmaceuticals are raised at the Press conference, the suggested line to take is as follows:-
"There are no medicinal products licensed for use on the market which make use of UK-derived porcine tissues with which any hypothetical “high risk" ‘might be associated. The results of the recent experimental work at the CSM will be carefully examined by the CSM‘s Working Group on spongiform encephalopathy at its next meeting.
DO Hagger RM 1533 MT Ext 3201
While this clearly is a cause for concern we should not jump to the conclusion that this means that pigs will necessarily be infected by bone and meat meal fed by the oral route as is the case with cattle. ...
we cannot rule out the possibility that unrecognised subclinical spongiform encephalopathy could be present in British pigs though there is no evidence for this: only with parenteral/implantable pharmaceuticals/devices is the theoretical risk to humans of sufficient concern to consider any action.
May I, at the outset, reiterate that we should avoid dissemination of papers relating to this experimental finding to prevent premature release of the information. ...
3. It is particularly important that this information is not passed outside the Department, until Ministers have decided how they wish it to be handled. ...
But it would be easier for us if pharmaceuticals/devices are not directly mentioned at all. ...
Our records show that while some use is made of porcine materials in medicinal products, the only products which would appear to be in a hypothetically ''higher risk'' area are the adrenocorticotrophic hormone for which the source material comes from outside the United Kingdom, namely America China Sweden France and Germany. The products are manufactured by Ferring and Armour. A further product, ''Zenoderm Corium implant'' manufactured by Ethicon, makes use of porcine skin - which is not considered to be a ''high risk'' tissue, but one of its uses is described in the data sheet as ''in dural replacement''. This product is sourced from the United Kingdom.....
Transmission of scrapie prions to primate after an extended silent incubation period
*** 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.
***Transmission data also revealed that several scrapie prions propagate in HuPrP-Tg mice with efficiency comparable to that of cattle BSE. While the efficiency of transmission at primary passage was low, subsequent passages resulted in a highly virulent prion disease in both Met129 and Val129 mice.
***Transmission of the different scrapie isolates in these mice leads to the emergence of prion strain phenotypes that showed similar characteristics to those displayed by MM1 or VV2 sCJD prion.
***These results demonstrate that scrapie prions have a zoonotic potential and raise new questions about the possible link between animal and human prions.
***Moreover, sporadic disease has never been observed in breeding colonies or primate research laboratories, most notably among hundreds of animals over several decades of study at the National Institutes of Health25, and in nearly twenty older animals continuously housed in our own facility.***
Even if the prevailing view is that sporadic CJD is due to the spontaneous formation of CJD prions, it remains possible that its apparent sporadic nature may, at least in part, result from our limited capacity to identify an environmental origin.
O.05: Transmission of prions to primates after extended silent incubation periods: Implications for BSE and scrapie risk assessment in human populations
*** 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 long 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.
==============
PRION 2015 CONFERENCE
PRION 2016 TOKYO
Saturday, April 23, 2016
SCRAPIE WS-01: Prion diseases in animals and zoonotic potential 2016
Prion. 10:S15-S21. 2016 ISSN: 1933-6896 1933-690X
WS-01: Prion diseases in animals and zoonotic potential
Transmission of the different scrapie isolates in these mice leads to the emergence of prion strain phenotypes that showed similar characteristics to those displayed by MM1 or VV2 sCJD prion.
These results demonstrate that scrapie prions have a zoonotic potential and raise new questions about the possible link between animal and human prions.
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Evidence for zoonotic potential of ovine scrapie prions
Hervé Cassard,1, n1 Juan-Maria Torres,2, n1 Caroline Lacroux,1, Jean-Yves Douet,1, Sylvie L. Benestad,3, Frédéric Lantier,4, Séverine Lugan,1, Isabelle Lantier,4, Pierrette Costes,1, Naima Aron,1, Fabienne Reine,5, Laetitia Herzog,5, Juan-Carlos Espinosa,2, Vincent Beringue5, & Olivier Andréoletti1, Affiliations Contributions Corresponding author Journal name: Nature Communications
Volume: 5, Article number: 5821 DOI: doi:10.1038/ncomms6821 Received 07 August 2014 Accepted 10 November 2014 Published 16 December 2014
Abstract
Although Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) is the cause of variant Creutzfeldt Jakob disease (vCJD) in humans, the zoonotic potential of scrapie prions remains unknown. Mice genetically engineered to overexpress the human prion protein (tgHu) have emerged as highly relevant models for gauging the capacity of prions to transmit to humans. These models can propagate human prions without any apparent transmission barrier and have been used used to confirm the zoonotic ability of BSE. Here we show that a panel of sheep scrapie prions transmit to several tgHu mice models with an efficiency comparable to that of cattle BSE.
***The serial transmission of different scrapie isolates in these mice led to the propagation of prions that are phenotypically identical to those causing sporadic CJD (sCJD) in humans.
***These results demonstrate that scrapie prions have a zoonotic potential and raise new questions about the possible link between animal and human prions.
Subject terms: Biological sciences• Medical research At a glance
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
1: J Infect Dis 1980 Aug;142(2):205-8
Oral transmission of kuru, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and scrapie to nonhuman primates
Gibbs CJ Jr, Amyx HL, Bacote A, Masters CL, Gajdusek DC.
Kuru and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease of humans and scrapie disease of sheep and goats were transmitted to squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) that were exposed to the infectious agents only by their nonforced consumption of known infectious tissues. The asymptomatic incubation period in the one monkey exposed to the virus of kuru was 36 months; that in the two monkeys exposed to the virus of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease was 23 and 27 months, respectively; and that in the two monkeys exposed to the virus of scrapie was 25 and 32 months, respectively. Careful physical examination of the buccal cavities of all of the monkeys failed to reveal signs or oral lesions. One additional monkey similarly exposed to kuru has remained asymptomatic during the 39 months that it has been under observation.
snip...
The successful transmission of kuru, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and scrapie by natural feeding to squirrel monkeys that we have reported provides further grounds for concern that scrapie-infected meat may occasionally give rise in humans to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. PMID: 6997404
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=6997404&dopt=Abstract
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 emphasised by the finding that some strains of scrapie produce lesions identical to the once which characterise 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
Nature. 1972 Mar 10;236(5341):73-4.
Transmission of scrapie to the cynomolgus monkey (Macaca fascicularis)
Gibbs CJ Jr, Gajdusek DC. Nature 236, 73 - 74 (10 March 1972); doi:10.1038/236073a0
Transmission of Scrapie to the Cynomolgus Monkey (Macaca fascicularis)
C. J. GIBBS jun. & D. C. GAJDUSEK National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
SCRAPIE has been transmitted to the cynomolgus, or crab-eating, monkey (Macaca fascicularis) with an incubation period of more than 5 yr from the time of intracerebral inoculation of scrapie-infected mouse brain. The animal developed a chronic central nervous system degeneration, with ataxia, tremor and myoclonus with associated severe scrapie-like pathology of intensive astroglial hypertrophy and proliferation, neuronal vacuolation and status spongiosus of grey matter. The strain of scrapie virus used was the eighth passage in Swiss mice (NIH) of a Compton strain of scrapie obtained as ninth intracerebral passage of the agent in goat brain, from Dr R. L. Chandler (ARC, Compton, Berkshire).
Detection of classical BSE prions in asymptomatic cows after inoculation with atypical/Nor98 scrapie
* Marina Betancor, Belén Marín, Alicia Otero, Carlos Hedman, Antonio Romero, Tomás Barrio, Eloisa Sevilla, Jean-Yves Douet, Alvina Huor, Juan José Badiola, Olivier Andréoletti & Rosa Bolea * Veterinary Research volume 54, Article number: 89 (2023)
Abstract
The emergence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) prions from atypical scrapie has been recently observed upon experimental transmission to rodent and swine models. This study aimed to assess whether the inoculation of atypical scrapie could induce BSE-like disease in cattle. Four calves were intracerebrally challenged with atypical scrapie. Animals were euthanized without clinical signs of prion disease and tested negative for PrPSc accumulation by immunohistochemistry and western blotting. However, an emergence of BSE-like prion seeding activity was detected during in vitro propagation of brain samples from the inoculated animals. These findings suggest that atypical scrapie may represent a potential source of BSE infection in cattle.
Snip…
Further in vivo experiments challenging different mouse lines have been started in order to confirm the infectivity of the PMCA products obtained in this study. However, in conclusion, our findings show that the propagation of atypical scrapie in cattle leads to the emergence of BSE-like seeding activity. This is a concerning issue with far-reaching implications for public health and food safety. The possibility of interspecies transmission of prion diseases and the emergence of new prion strains highlight the critical need for continued surveillance and monitoring of these diseases in both animal and human populations. Early detection of prion diseases is crucial, and highly sensitive detection techniques such as PMCA can play an important role in this regard.
Research Project: Elucidating the Pathobiology and Transmission of Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies Location: Virus and Prion Research
Title: Disease phenotype of classical sheep scrapie is changed upon experimental passage through white-tailed deer
Author item Kokemuller, Robyn item MOORE, S.JO - Oak Ridge Institute For Science And Education (ORISE) item Bian, Jifeng item WEST GREENLEE, HEATHER - Iowa State University item Greenlee, Justin
Submitted to: PLoS Pathogens Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 11/9/2023 Publication Date: 12/4/2023 Citation: Kokemuller, R., Moore, S., Bian, J., West Greenlee, H.M., Greenlee, J.J. 2023. Disease phenotype of classical sheep scrapie is changed upon experimental passage through white-tailed deer. PLoS Pathogens. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1011815. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1011815
Interpretive Summary: Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are a group of fatal diseases caused by the accumulation of misfolded prion protein in the brain. Ruminant species such as sheep, deer, and elk can get prion diseases. In sheep the disease is called scrapie. In deer and elk, the disease is called chronic wasting disease (CWD). The source of CWD is unknown, but one possibility is that scrapie jumped from sheep to deer. When we experimentally exposed white-tailed deer to the sheep scrapie agent, all deer developed scrapie. The purpose of the current experiment was to determine if sheep can get scrapie derived from white-tailed deer. Some sheep developed scrapie after oronasal exposure to the scrapie agent from white-tailed deer. Passage through white-tailed deer results in a scrapie isolate with different strain properties than the original inoculum. The detection of new strain properties was an unexpected result that will be the subject of further studies. These results indicate that sheep could be susceptible to the scrapie agent after passage through deer if exposed to the agent in natural or agricultural settings, which could be a confounding factor to the scrapie eradication program. National and state regulatory and wildlife officials should consider this information when developing plans to reduce or eliminate TSEs.
Technical Abstract: Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) agents have strain variations that influence disease phenotype and may affect the potential for interspecies transmission. Since deer and sheep may use the same grazing land, it is important to understand the potential transmission of TSEs between these species. The US scrapie isolate (No.13-7) had a 100% attack rate in white-tailed deer after oronasal challenge. The purpose of this study was to determine if sheep are susceptible to oronasal challenge with the scrapie agent from white-tailed deer. Suffolk lambs of various prion protein genotypes were challenged by the oronasal route with a 10% brain homogenate from scrapie-affected white-tailed deer. Sheep were euthanized and necropsied upon development of clinical signs or at the end of the experiment (72 months post-inoculation). Tissues were tested for PrPSc by enzyme immunoassay, western blot, and immunohistochemistry. The first sheep (2/2) to develop clinical signs at approximately 29 months post-inoculation (MPI) had the VRQ/VRQ genotype. One of the two sheep with the ARQ/ARQ genotype also developed clinical signs at 48 MPI. This is in contrast to the original No.13-7 inoculum that has a faster incubation period in sheep with the ARQ/ARQ genotype compared to sheep of the VRQ/VRQ genotype. The shorter incubation period in VRQ/VRQ sheep than ARQ/ARQ sheep after passage through deer indicates a phenotype change. This is important because scrapie infected deer could transmit disease to sheep resulting in new scrapie strain properties. This work raises the concern that scrapie infected deer could serve as a confounding factor to scrapie eradication programs as the scrapie agent from deer is transmissible to sheep by the oronasal route.
Research Project: Elucidating the Pathobiology and Transmission of Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies Location: Virus and Prion Research
Title: The chronic wasting disease agent from white-tailed deer is highly infectious to humanized mice after passage through raccoons
Author item Cassmann, Eric item QI, XU - Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) item KONG, QINGZHONG - Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) item Greenlee, Justin
Submitted to: Meeting Abstract Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 3/15/2023 Publication Date: 5/30/2023 Citation: Cassmann, E.D., Qi, X., Kong, Q., Greenlee, J.J. 2023. The chronic wasting disease agent from white-tailed deer is highly infectious to humanized mice after passage through raccoons (abstract). Meeting Abstract. 4th International Chronic Wasting Disease Symposium, May 30-June 3, 2023, Denver, Colorado. Interpretive Summary:
Technical Abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate the zoonotic potential of the raccoon passaged chronic wasting disease (CWD) agent in humanized transgenic mice in comparison with the North American CWD agent from the original white-tailed deer (WTD) host. Pooled brain (GG96) from CWD positive deer was used to intracranially inoculate two WTD and one raccoon. Brain homogenates (10% w/v) from the raccoon and the WTD were used to intracranially inoculate transgenic mice (Tg40h) expressing the methionine 109 human prion protein. Brains and spleens were collected from mice at experimental endpoints of clinical disease or approximately 700 days post-inoculation. Tissues were divided and homogenized or fixed in 10% buffered neutral formalin. Immunohistochemistry, enzyme immunoassay, and western blot were used to detect misfolded prion protein (PrPSc) in tissue. Tg40h mice inoculated with the raccoon passaged CWD agent from WTD exhibited a 100% (12/12) attack rate with an average incubation period of 605 days. PrPSc was detected in brain tissue by enzyme immunoassay with an average optical density of 3.6/4.0 for positive brains. PrPSc also was detected in brain tissue by western blot and immunohistochemistry. No PrPSc was detected in the spleens of mice inoculated with the raccoon passaged CWD agent. Humanized mice inoculated with the CWD agent from WTD did not have detectable PrPSc using conventional immunoassay techniques. These results demonstrated that the host range of the CWD agent from WTD was expanded in our experimental model after one passage through raccoons.
2023
OIE Conclusions on transmissibility of atypical BSE among cattle
Given that cattle have been successfully infected by the oral route, at least for L-BSE, it is reasonable to conclude that atypical BSE is potentially capable of being recycled in a cattle population if cattle are exposed to contaminated feed. In addition, based on reports of atypical BSE from several countries that have not had C-BSE, it appears likely that atypical BSE would arise as a spontaneous disease in any country, albeit at a very low incidence in old cattle. In the presence of livestock industry practices that would allow it to be recycled in the cattle feed chain, it is likely that some level of exposure and transmission may occur. As a result, since atypical BSE can be reasonably considered to pose a potential background level of risk for any country with cattle, the recycling of both classical and atypical strains in the cattle and broader ruminant populations should be avoided.
Annex 7 (contd) AHG on BSE risk assessment and surveillance/March 2019
34 Scientific Commission/September 2019
3. Atypical BSE
The Group discussed and endorsed with minor revisions an overview of relevant literature on the risk of atypical BSE being recycled in a cattle population and its zoonotic potential that had been prepared ahead of the meeting by one expert from the Group. This overview is provided as Appendix IV and its main conclusions are outlined below. With regard to the risk of recycling of atypical BSE, recently published research confirmed that the L-type BSE prion (a type of atypical BSE prion) may be orally transmitted to calves1 . In light of this evidence, and the likelihood that atypical BSE could arise as a spontaneous disease in any country, albeit at a very low incidence, the Group was of the opinion that it would be reasonable to conclude that atypical BSE is potentially capable of being recycled in a cattle population if cattle were to be exposed to contaminated feed. Therefore, the recycling of atypical strains in cattle and broader ruminant populations should be avoided.
4. Definitions of meat-and-bone meal (MBM) and greaves
Wednesday, May 24, 2023
***> WAHIS, WOAH, OIE, United States of America Bovine spongiform encephalopathy Immediate notification
https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/5067
https://woahoie.blogspot.com/2023/05/wahis-woah-oie-united-states-of-america.html
https://prpsc.proboards.com/thread/125/wahis-woah-oie-immediate-notification
SATURDAY, MAY 20, 2023
***> Tennessee State Veterinarian Alerts Cattle Owners to Disease Detection Mad Cow atypical L-Type BSE
https://bse-atypical.blogspot.com/2023/05/tennessee-state-veterinarian-alerts.html
https://prpsc.proboards.com/thread/123/tennessee-veterinarian-alerts-cattle-confirmed
MAY 19, 2023
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/newsroom/stakeholder-info/sa_by_date/sa-2023/bse
2 weeks before the announcement of this recent mad cow case in the USA, i submitted this to the APHIS et al;
***> APPRX. 2 weeks before the recent mad cow case was confirmed in the USA, in Tennessee, atypical L-Type BSE, I submitted this to the APHIS et al;
Document APHIS-2023-0027-0001 BSE Singeltary Comment Submission May 2, 2023
''said 'burden' cost, will be a heavy burden to bear, if we fail with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy BSE TSE Prion disease, that is why this information collection is so critical''...
https://www.regulations.gov/comment/APHIS-2023-0027-0002
https://downloads.regulations.gov/APHIS-2023-0027-0002/attachment_1.pdf
spontaneous my ass, big outbreak of spontaneous mad cow disease evidently, around the same time, strange;
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 08, 2023
Ireland Atypical BSE confirmed November 3 2023
https://bse-atypical.blogspot.com/2023/11/ireland-atypical-bse-confirmed-november.html
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2023
Ireland Atypical BSE case, 3 progeny of case cow to be culled
https://bse-atypical.blogspot.com/2023/11/ireland-atypical-bse-case-3-progeny-of.html
SUNDAY, JULY 16, 2023
Switzerland Atypical BSE detected in a cow in the canton of St. Gallen
https://bse-atypical.blogspot.com/2023/07/switzerland-atypical-bse-detected-in.html
WAHIS, WOAH, OIE, REPORT Switzerland Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Atypical L-Type
Switzerland Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Atypical L-Type
Switzerland - Bovine spongiform encephalopathy - Immediate notification
https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/4962
https://bse-atypical.blogspot.com/2020/02/switzerland-oie-bovine-spongiform.html
Monday, March 20, 2023
WAHIS, WOAH, OIE, REPORT United Kingdom Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Atypical H-Type
https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/4977
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/single-case-of-atypical-bse-confirmed-on-a-farm-in-cornwall
https://woahoie.blogspot.com/2023/03/wahis-woah-oie-report-united-kingdom.html
https://woahoie.blogspot.com/2023/03/wahis-woah-oie-report-united-kingdom.html
BRAZIL BSE START DATE 2023/01/18
BRAZIL BSE CONFIRMATION DATE 2023/02/22
BRAZIL BSE END DATE 2023/03/03
https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/4918
https://bse-atypical.blogspot.com/2019/06/brazil-reports-another-cases-of-mad-cow.html
SPAIN BSE START DATE 2023/01/21
SPAIN BSE CONFIRMATION DATE 2023/02/03
SPAIN BSE END DATE 2023/02/06
https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/4888
https://bse-atypical.blogspot.com/2023/02/spain-bovine-spongiform-encephalopathy.html
NETHERLANDS BSE START DATE 2023/02/01
NETHERLANDS BSE CONFIRMATION DATE 2023/02/01
NETHERLANDS BSE END DATE 2023/03/13
https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/4876
https://bse-atypical.blogspot.com/2023/02/netherlands-bovine-spongiform.html
PLEASE NOTE, USDA ET AL ONLY TESTING <25k CATTLE FOR MAD COW DISEASE, woefully inadequate, yet USDA just documented a case Atypical L-Type BSE, the most virulent strain to date...
Monday, May 22, 2023
***> BSE TSE Prion MAD COW TESTING IN THE USA COMPARED TO OTHER COUNTRIES?
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2023
EFSA TSE Report 2022 First published 28 November 2023 The European Union summary report on surveillance for the presence of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) in 2022
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2023
Chronic Wasting Disease CWD TSE Prion Cervid Update By State December 2023 (Long Version)
(Short Version)
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2024
GAO-02-183 Mad Cow Disease: Improvements in the Animal Feed Ban and Other Regulatory Areas Would Strengthen U.S. Prevention Efforts February 26, 2002
Professor John Collinge on tackling prion diseases, sCJD accounts for around 1 in 5000 deaths worldwide
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2023
Professor John Collinge on tackling prion diseases
“The best-known human prion disease is sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), a rapidly progressive dementia which accounts for around 1 in 5000 deaths worldwide.”
There is accumulating evidence also for iatrogenic AD. Understanding prion biology, and in particular how propagation of prions leads to neurodegeneration, is therefore of central research importance in medicine.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2023
Change in Epidemiology of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease in the US, 2007-2020
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2023
CREUTZFELDT JAKOB DISEASE TSE PRION DISEASE UPDATE USA DECEMBER 2023
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2023
The role of environmental factors on sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease mortality: evidence from an age-period-cohort analysis
Terry S. Singeltary Sr.
posted by Terry S. Singeltary Sr. at
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