NR ARCK
AU Lasmezas,C.I.; Herzog,C.; Sales,N.; Lescoutra-Etchegaray,N.; Riviere,J.; Deslys,J.P.
TI Pathogenesis of TSEs in Primates
QU TSE-Forum, 4. Kongress - Nationale TSE-Forschungsplattform, Düsseldorf 28.10.-29.10.2004, Vortrag V-01
PT Konferenz-Vortrag
AB
The occurrence of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) linked to human contamination with the BSE agent by tainted food has posed a new challenge to medical authorities in charge of protecting human health against iatrogenic disease transmission. The specific concerns raised by vCJD (large tissue distribution of the infectious agent) have been compounded recently by the detection of even very low amounts of PrPres in muscle in different species and in peripheral organs of sCJD patients.
The context of uncertainty regarding the number of vCJD patients including possible secondary cases due to interhuman transmission, the infective dose for humans as well as the exact pathogenesis of the infection renders risk assessments very difficult. Using the non-human primate species cynomolgus macaque which has been shown to faithfully reproduce several of the characteristics of vCJD when inoculated with the BSE agent, we aim at laying the foundations of an experimental model of the human disease to provide basic data useful to this endeavour.
We will report over the efficiency of the various routes of transmission of the BSE agent in primates and the tissue distribution of PrPres after intravenous or oral infection. PrPres levels have been determined using a highly sensitive ELISA detection method. Specificities of the peripheral replication phase of the BSE agent in the lymphoid tissues of primates will be described in comparison with other transmitted human TSEs. A picture will be drawn of the advances made with regards to our understanding of the cattle to human interspecies transmission of the BSE agent and vCJD pathogenesis.
AD C. Lasmézas, CEA, Départment de Recherche, France
SP englisch
PO Deutschland
OR Tagungsband