SCRAPIE

Scrapie.

A detailed review is presented of the history, geographical distribution, cause, epidemiology, clinical features, pathogenesis, pathology, diagnosis, prevention, control and economic effects of scrapie in sheep. Brief mention is made of the disease in goats and moufflon. The nature of the agent causing scrapie, the genetic control of the incubation period in sheep and the natural transmission o...

Scrapie Agent

Although scrapie has been studied for many years, the nature of the scrapie agent remains obscure (14). In spite of a number of unusual properties, this agent has been generally considered to be a virus (9, 13). In a previous study, repeated daily injections of 6,000 units of interferon failed to protect mice challenged intracerebrally (ic) with about 5,000 median lethal dose (LD50) of the scra...

Scrapie-associated prion protein accumulates in astrocytes during scrapie infection.

In the course of scrapie, a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy caused by an unconventional agent, a normal cellular protein is converted to an abnormal form that copurifies with infectivity and aggregates to form deposits of amyloid. We have used immunocytochemistry and methods that enhance detection of amyloidogenic proteins to investigate the types of cells in the central nervous system ...

Advances in scrapie research.

The bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) crisis clearly demonstrated the need to keep animal transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) under control in order to protect animal and human health. Scrapie is the most widespread TSE of livestock in the world. For this reason, health authorities in different countries have elaborated plans that aim towards scrapie eradication. The unusual na...

Scrapie--a personal view.