NR AAXB
AU Baker,H.F.; Ridley,R.M.
TI Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and bovine spongiform encephalopathy. Study so far provides no evidence for maternal and horizontal transmission.
QU British Medical Journal 1996 Mar 30; 312(7034): 843
KZ BMJ. 1996 Jan 20;312(7024):180-1. PMID: 8563545
KI BMJ. 1996 Mar 30;312(7034):790-1. PMID: 8608273 BMJ. 1996 Mar 30;312(7034):791-3. PMID: 8608274
PT comment; letter
VT
EDITOR - R W Lacey admonishes us for failing "to provide any of the evidence supporting the occurrence of vertical and horizontal] transmission of the infectious agent for bovine spongiform encephalopathy under farm conditions." [i]The data from commercial farms regarding the occurrence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in the offspring of cows that themselves developed the disease can be found in Hoinville et al's paper.[ii]
These veterinary epidemiologists carried out a case-control study of 477 animals with bovine spongiform encephalopathy and 1,294 matched, unaffected animals all born after the ban on feed containing recycled animal remains was introduced in 1988 and retained in the same 349 farms. The results showed that 94.4% of the animals with bovine spongiform encephalopathy and 95.7% of the control animals were born to dams that did not subsequently develop the disease. This difference is not significant, and the data provide strong evidence that maternal transmission is not a risk factor. The possibility of horizontal transmission is being assessed by looking for bovine spongiform encephalopathy in the indigenous members of herds that have never been exposed to the foodborne source of infectivity but into which purchased animals that subsequently developed bovine spongiform encephalopathy have been introduced. This assessment is incomplete but to date provides no evidence for horizontal transmission.[iii]
Readers might be forgiven for thinking that the data on conjunctival transmission of scrapie provided by Janet R Fraser and colleagues imply that scrapie could be eradicated if sheep were fitted with goggles.[iv] In 1794 Crook of Tytherton argued that the best way to get rid of the goggles (an archaic name for scrapie) is to buy a new ram.[v] We agree with him.
H F BAKER Senior scientific officer
R M RIDLEY Head of team
MRC Comparative Cognition Team, Department of Experimental Psychology, School of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Cambridge CEO 0ES
i. Lacey RW. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and bovine spongiform encephalopathy. - BMJ 1996;312:180-1. (20 January)
ii. Hoinville LJ, Wilesmith JW, Richards MS. An investigation of risk factors for cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy born after the introduction of the "feed ban." Vet Rec 1995;136:312-8.
iii. Wells GAH, Wilesmith JW. The neuropathology and epidemiology of bovine spongiform encephalopathy. Brain Pathol 1995;5:91-103.
iv. Fraser JR, Foster JD, Fraser H. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and bovine spongiform encephalopathy. BMJ 1996;313:181. (20 January.)
v. Davis T. General view of the agriculture of Wiltshire. London: Richard Phillips, 1811:140-9.
ZR 5 Zitate
IN Nicht der Rede wert
MH Animal; Cattle; Creutzfeldt-Jakob Syndrome/*transmission; Disease Transmission, Horizontal; Disease Transmission, Vertical; Encephalopathy, Bovine Spongiform/*transmission; Human
SP englisch
PO England
OR Prion-Krankheiten 1