NR AWPS
AU Vascellari,M.; Bregoli,M.; Trevisiol,K.; Bozzato,E.; Lombardo,D.; Pasolli,C.; Granato,A.; Nonno,R.; Agrimi,U.; Mutinelli,F.
TI Three years of Chronic Wasting Disease surveillance in wild ruminants of the Stelvio National Park in Northern Italy
QU International Conference - Prion 2006: Strategies, advances and trends towards protection of society - 3.10.-6.10.2006, Torino, Italy, Lingotto Conference Centre - Poster sessions EPI-25
PT Konferenz-Poster
AB Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) of both captive and wild ranging cervids such as deer and elk in North America. Until now, there is no evidence that CWD exists in wild ruminants in Italy or any other European country. However, the European Commission strongly recommends the surveillance for CWD (Regulation (EC) No 999/01 and further amendments). In the present work 200 hunted or found dead wild ruminants - European red deer (Cervus elaphus) and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) - from the Stelvio Natural Park (northern Italy) underwent CWD investigations between 2004 and 2006. Medulla oblongata, palatine tonsils and retropharyngeal lymph nodes were collected from each animal. The obex was sectioned longitudinally and one half was used for the diagnosis by rapid test (Prionics(R) Check-Western, Bio-Rad TeSeE(R) ELISA), while the other was immediately fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin for histological and IHC examination. Tonsils and retropharyngeal lymph nodes were also fixed for IHC. The Mab F99/97.6.1 was used as primary antibody. This antibody recognises a conserved epitope (residues QYQRES) of the prion protein of sheep, cattle, mule deer and Rocky Mountain elk. All the animals investigated resulted negative by rapid test on the obex. By histological examination, no vacuolisation was observed in the obex. By IHC no positive immunolabelling was observed in the obex, and in lymphoid follicles of the tonsil and retropharyngeal lymph node. In our survey no evidence of prion infection in wild ruminants was observed. Our results are in accordance with those obtained in previous investigations carried out in other Italian alpine regions. In conclusion, the existence of TSE in wild ruminants in Italy and a risk of TSE transmission to humans resulting from the consumption of their venison are rather unlikely.
AD M. Vascellari, M. Bregoli, K. Trevisiol, E. Bozzato, D. Lombardo, C. Pasolli, A. Granato, F. Mutinelli: 1Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Viale dell'Università 10, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy; R. Nonno, U. Agrimi: Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Roma, Italy. E-mail: mvascellari@izsvenezie.it
SP englisch
PO Italien