Chronic Wasting Disease: A working hypothesis, the Agent and its Transmission Observations on TSE Transmissibility PART IIc: Transmissible Postulates

(Part IIc) Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSE) and in particular, Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) are devastating neuropathologic diseases caused by a unique, but unknown infective agent with high degree of disinfectant refractivity. Collective literature review and animal observational data has defined two prospective varieties or stains of the infective CWD agent, both suspected to be caused by Spiroplasma bacteria. Strain “CWDe” is ensconced in an insect vector, most likely astigmatid grain, forage, or hay mites common in pastures or hay fields. CWDe affects both young and old cervids and is fully dosage dependant, environmentally resilient, and capable of sustaining cervid infections over many years. CWDe has few symptoms apparent prior to clinical disease. “CWDr” is more of a classic respiratory infection mechanism either as a direct Spiroplasma bacterial infection or S. spp. attendant with a mycoplasma commensal agent. Symptoms are pronounced in young animals resulting in severe neonate mortality and runting syndrome prior to demonstrating terminal CWD symptoms many months later. Astigmatid mites give the CWDe strain a second plausible infection route via ecto-parasitic mites of the genus Psoroptes. P. ovis and P. cuniculi are believed to be the same species and P. cuniculi has been found at all heavily infected CWD facilities. As Spiroplasma is believed to be present in lymph, the Psoroptes spp. can collect CWD infectivity, harbor and reproduce infectivity, and then deliver it to a new host, thereby spreading disease. The consistent presence of Psoroptes infestations coincident with CWD infections must place Psoroptes as a serious potential TSE transmission vector.