Mad-Cow Prions Found Living in Soil

CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE, CERVID - USA (07): (KANSAS)
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[1]
Date: 12 Mar 2010
From: Amy Peterson



While prion persistence in soil is problematic to assess since assays
and models rely on adapted strains such as the hamster scrapie model,
there seems to be good evidence both that prions bind to soil and
persist in soil and that soil bound prions can be infective for a
long time afterwards, and can be present in water run-off from such
soils. Deer studies placing naive animals on soils from infected and
pre-clinical infected deer have also shown transmission even after 15
months -- which is I think pretty good "natural transmission"
evidence for both environmental persistence and environmental
infectivity.

Below are some articles of possible interest.

References:
-----------
1) Direct detection of soil-bound prions. Genovesi S, Leita L, Sequi
P, Andrighetto I, Sorgato MC, Bertoli A. PLoS One. 2007 Oct
24;2(10):e1069.


2) Prion stability and infectivity in the environment. Neurochem Res.
2009 Jan;34(1):158-68. Epub 16 May 2008.
Wiggins RC.: National Health and Environmental Effects Research
Laboratory, US EPA/Office of Research and Development, MD B305-02,
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA.


--
Amy E. Peterson, DVM
Doctoral Candidate
Dept. of Epidemiology
Johns Hopkins School of Public Health


******
[2]
Date: 12 Mar 2010
From: Terry S. Singeltary Sr.



References of interest regarding the prion relocation and the prions
in the soil.

References:
-----------
1) The Environment As A Reservoir Of Prion Infectivity. IAiken,
Judd(a,b), Chris Johnson(d), Debbie McKenzie(a,c) and Joel Pedersen(e)
(a)1 Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases
(b)2 Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutritional Sciences
(c)3 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta,
Edmonton, Alberta Canada
(d)4 National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, WI
(e)5 Department of Soil Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison

II International Symposium on The new prion biology: basic science,
diagnosis and therapy 2 - 4 Apr 2009, Venezia (Italy)

2) Fate of Prions in Soil: Detergent Extraction of PrP from Soils.
Cindy M. Cooke, Joanne Rodger, Allister Smith, Karen Fernie, George
Shaw, and Robert A. Somerville
(a)Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London, Silwood
Park, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, Berkshire, SL5 7PY, U.K.,
(b)Institute for Animal Health, Neuropathogenesis Unit, West Mains
Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JF, U.K., and
(c)Division of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University
Park, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, U.K.
Environ. Sci. Technol., 2007, 41 (3), pp 811-817 DOI:
10.1021/es0618189 Publication Date (Web): 13 Dec 2006 Copyright 2007
American Chemical Society


3) As The Crow Flies, So Does CWD
Pg 198-199
Presented to USAHA Sun 1 Nov 2009
American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) and potential spreading of CWD
through feces of digested infectious carcases

This article is more rapidly accessed at:


3) Deer Carcass Decomposition and Potential Scavenger Exposure to
Chronic Wasting Disease
Journal of Wildlife Management 73(5):655-662. 2009 doi: 10.2193/2008-282
Christopher S. Jennelle1(a), Michael D. Samuel(b), Cherrie A.
Nolden(c), and Elizabeth A. Berkley(d)
(a)Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of
Wisconsin, 1630 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA
(b)United States Geological Survey, Wisconsin Cooperative Wildlife
Research Unit, University of Wisconsin, 1630 Linden Drive, Madison,
WI 53706, USA
(c)Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of
Wisconsin, 1630 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA
(d)Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of
Wisconsin, 1630 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA

--
Terry S. Singeltary Sr.


[I wish to express my appreciation to our readers for their efforts
in providing references regarding the transmissibility of prions and
the issue of prions in the soil. ProMED-mail cannot post the
abstracts of each of these, but the references and/or web locations
are there for those who wish to follow up on this fascinating topic.
As always, I am grateful when my readers provide me the opportunity
to view articles I may have missed and keep me up to date on
findings. However, I believe this thread had ample evidence now
regarding prions in soil and that crows and gut piles being consumed
by cervids and possibly other animals may play a role in the
transmission of CWD. Therefore this thread is cut. - Mod.TG]

[see also:
Chronic wasting disease, cervid - USA (06): (KS) 20100312.0801
Chronic wasting disease, cervid - USA (05): (KS) 20100311.0790]
....................tg/ejp/lm

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