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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Animal Disease Center » Virus and Prion Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #183606
Title: PRION INFECTION OF MUCOSAL TISSUE

Author
item BESSEN, RICHARD - MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY
item DEJOIA, CRISTA - MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY
item DLAKIC, WENDY - MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY
item SORG, REBECCA - MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY
item O'CONNELL, KIMBERLY - MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY
item TUCKER, TAMMY - MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY
item Hamir, Amirali
item Richt, Juergen
item ROCKE, TONIE - NAT WILDLIFE HEALTH CTR

Submitted to: Chronic Wasting Disease Symposium Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/15/2005
Publication Date: 7/12/2005
Citation: Bessen, R.A., Dejoia, C., Dlakic, W., Sorg, R., O'Connell, K., Tucker, T., Hamir, A.N., Richt, J.A., Rocke, T. 2005. Prion infection of mucosal tissue [abstract]. 2nd International Chronic Wasting Disease Symposium. p. 38.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: To investigate the site(s) of prion agent shedding in chronic wasting disease (CWD), we examined the distribution of the prion agent in mucosal tissue from ruminants and rodents with experimental prion disease. We chose the tongue as a peripheral target of prion infection since is a densely innervated tissue at the oral mucosa that we postulate can be a site of CWD agent shedding. The prion agent, PrP**Sc, was present in tongues from elk infected with the CWD agent and sheep infected with the scrapie agent. In hamsters infected with the prion agent, PrP**Sc was found in nerve fibers and skeletal muscle cells as well as in taste cells. In fungiform papillae on the tongue, the distribution of PrP**Sc was consistent with deposition in the taste bud and the surrounding stratified squamous epithelium. These findings suggest that the prion agent can spread from the brain to the tongue along sensory and motor fibers. The presence of the prion agent in the tongue of ruminants and rodents indicates that 1) ingestion of tongue or tongue derived food products can pose a risk to human and animal health, and 2) the localization of the prion agent at the mucosal surface of the tongue could provide a site for prion agent shedding and subsequent transmission to naive hosts.