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Journal of Virology, December 2009, p. 12552-12558, Vol. 83, No. 23
0022-538X/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JVI.00311-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Detection of PrPsc in Blood from Sheep Infected with the Scrapie and Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Agents{triangledown}

L. A. Terry,1* L. Howells,1 J. Hawthorn,1 J. C. Edwards,1 S. J. Moore,2 S. J. Bellworthy,2 H. Simmons,3 S. Lizano,4 L. Estey,4 V. Leathers,4 and S. J. Everest1

Department of Molecular Pathogenesis and Genetics,1 Department of Neuropathology,2 Animal Service Unit, Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Woodham Lane, New Haw, Surrey KT15 3NB, United Kingdom,3 IDEXX Corporation, Westbrook Drive, Portland, Maine4

Received 12 February 2009/ Accepted 31 August 2009

The role of blood in the iatrogenic transmission of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) or prion disease has become an increasing concern since the reports of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) transmission through blood transfusion from humans with subclinical infection. The development of highly sensitive rapid assays to screen for prion infection in blood is of high priority in order to facilitate the prevention of transmission via blood and blood products. In the present study we show that PrPsc, a surrogate marker for TSE infection, can be detected in cells isolated from the blood from naturally and experimentally infected sheep by using a rapid ligand-based immunoassay. In sheep with clinical disease, PrPsc was detected in the blood of 55% of scrapie agent-infected animals (n = 80) and 71% of animals with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (n = 7). PrPsc was also detected several months before the onset of clinical signs in a subset of scrapie agent-infected sheep, followed from 3 months of age to clinical disease. This study confirms that PrPsc is associated with the cellular component of blood and can be detected in preclinical sheep by an immunoassay in the absence of in vitro or in vivo amplification.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Molecular Pathogenesis and Genetics, Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Woodham Lane, New Haw, Surrey KT15 3NB, United Kingdom. Phone: (44) 1932-357533. Fax: (44) 1932-359525. E-mail: l.terry{at}vla.defra.gsi.gov.uk

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 9 September 2009.

Journal of Virology, December 2009, p. 12552-12558, Vol. 83, No. 23
0022-538X/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JVI.00311-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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