Prion Disease Cases in Texas
by Year, 2003-2012
|
Case report Sporadic fatal insomnia in a young woman: A diagnostic
challenge: Case Report
Karen M Moody , Lawrence B Schonberger , Ryan A Maddox , Wen-Quan Zou ,
Laura Cracco and Ignazio Cali
BMC Neurology 2011, 11:136doi:10.1186/1471-2377-11-136
Published:
31 October 2011
Abstract (provisional)
Background
Sporadic fatal insomnia (sFI) and fatal familial insomnia (FFI) are rare
human prion diseases.
Case presentation
We report a case of a 33-year-old female who died of a prion disease for
whom the diagnosis of sFI or FFI was not considered clinically. Following death
of this patient, an interview with a close family member indicated the patient's
illness included a major change in her sleep pattern, corroborating the reported
autopsy diagnosis of sFI. Genetic tests identified no prion protein (PrP) gene
mutation, but neuropathological examination and molecular study showed
protease-resistant PrP (PrPres) in several brain regions and severe atrophy of
the anterior-ventral and medial-dorsal thalamic nuclei similar to that described
in FFI.
Conclusions
In patients with suspected prion disease, a characteristic change in sleep
pattern can be an important clinical clue for identifying sFI or FFI;
polysomnography (PSG), genetic analysis, and nuclear imaging may aid in
diagnosis.
snip...
Case presentation
Clinical findings In February 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) and the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center
(NPDPSC) notified the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) of a
32-year-old woman with an 18-month history of progressive neurological symptoms
suggestive of CJD. (Table 1) Based on the medical record and her neurologist,
her illness began in August 2005 with attention deficits and progressive memory
loss. In June 2006, she demonstrated anisocoria and bizarre behavior, including
talking incoherently to herself, and she was then referred to psychiatry. On a
mini-mental state examination, she scored abnormally low in the measure of
attention and calculation and she had reduced ability to repeat the names of
three unrelated objects [14]. Later in 2006 she was described as being in
constant motion, having unfocused hand gestures, and continued difficulty with
ambulation. She was reported as alert, but confused, sad, and having difficulty
with her thought process. Physicians caring for the case patient discussed the
possibility of several diagnoses such as viral encephalopathy, paranoid
schizophrenia, and subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, yet the overall etiology
remained unclear. By February 2007, the patient was unable to ambulate and
became bed-bound. She continued to demonstrate bizarre behavior, inability to
follow commands, and unintelligible speech. The patient expired in June 2007, 22
months after the onset of illness.
Over the course of her illness, she had EEGs, magnetic resonance imaging
(MRI) studies, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tests. The EEG study performed in
July 2006 showed generalized slowing with bilateral periodic lateralized
epileptiform discharges. A second EEG performed two to three weeks later was
unsuccessful due to excessive movements of the patient. In April 2006, an MRI
study was negative for intracranial abnormalities. Another MRI study was
completed in February 2007 and it showed supratentorial parenchymal atrophy with
no other acute intracranial findings. CSF studies performed in March 2007 were
normal, including the amount of the 14-3-3 protein determined.
Because of the age of the patient and the potential for variant or
iatrogenic CJD, in July 2007 an investigator from the DSHS (KMM) interviewed a
family member to obtain additional information about the patient’s travel
history, past medical history, and the symptoms of the present illness. The
patient had a history of travel outside the continental United States to Puerto
Rico during 1995-96 where she had lived approximately one year. Her surgical
history included two back surgeries for internal disc disruption and
degenerative disc disease. An anterior lumbar discectomy with interbody fusion
at L4-5 was performed in November 2000 utilizing cadaver donated bone and in
August 2001 another fusion was performed at L5-S1 utilizing autologous bone. The
donor of cadaver bone was pre-screened minimizing the possibility of iatrogenic
transmission. There was no familial history of progressive neurological disease
or dementia-like illness. The family member also confirmed the clinical history
including the onset in August 2005 of progressive memory loss and, in February
2006, bizarre behavior that included the patient’s sitting in a chair for hours
making noises that progressively got louder.
Following preliminary autopsy results, the NPDPSC requested the DSHS
re-interview the family to ask specifically about the patient’s pattern of
sleep. When questioned about insomnia, the family member recalled that the
patient had experienced disturbed sleep at the time of her disease onset. The
family member also reported that the patient’s sleep pattern progressively
deteriorated throughout her illness. Some nights, for example, the patient did
not sleep. On other nights when she did appear to be sleeping, her sleep was
intermittent. During nights that the patient did not sleep, she would roam the
house at all hours, unable to calm down. By August of 2006, four hours was the
maximum amount of sleep the patient would get in one stretch and at times she
would go two to three days without sleep. Medications were prescribed to help
her sleep but they were not beneficial.
Genetic analysis Sequencing of the PrP gene open reading frame revealed
methionine homozygosity at codon 129, with no pathogenic mutation.
snip...
see full text ;
===================
Clinical findings In February 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) and the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center
(NPDPSC) notified the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) of a
32-year-old woman with an 18-month history of progressive neurological symptoms
suggestive of CJD. (Table 1) Based on the medical record and her neurologist,
her illness began in August 2005 with attention deficits and progressive memory
loss. In June 2006, she demonstrated anisocoria and bizarre behavior, including
talking incoherently to herself, and she was then referred to psychiatry.
=====================
AND THAT MY FRIENDS, IS HOW YOU EXPLAIN SOMETHING AWAY INTO NOTHING. IT'S
THE USDA ET AL MAD COW WAY $$$
how many times have we seen this happen? time and time again.
sporadic FFI or nvCJD Texas style ???
Sunday, July 11, 2010
CJD or prion disease 2 CASES McLennan County Texas population 230,213 both
cases in their 40s
2 mysterious cases of disease in McLennan County a rarity, but no cause for
alarm
By Cindy V. Culp Tribune-Herald staff writer
Friday July 9, 2010
Two likely cases of a mysterious, fatal brain disorder have been reported
in McLennan County — a statistical anomaly considering that only one in 1
million people worldwide is affected by the condition in any given year.
Adding to the peculiarity is that the noncontagious disorder belongs to the
same family as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
One of its forms is believed to be triggered by people eating meat from
cattle infected with mad cow disease.
As frightening as that might sound, officials said residents shouldn’t be
alarmed.
One of the local cases definitely is not the type associated with mad cow
disease, and there is no evidence the other one is, either. More importantly,
the disorder cannot be transmitted from person to person, officials said.
“To have potentially two cases this close together is statistically
unusual,” said Dr. Farley Verner, an infectious disease specialist who advises
the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District. “But because of the type of
disorder it is, and because of what we know about how it develops, it’s not a
worrisome coincidence. It’s just a coincidence.”
Because of privacy laws, health officials can release only limited details
about the local cases. Both were reported in May.
The first case involved a 49-year-old man from McGregor, Hammad Akram, the
health district’s epidemiologist, said. The man has since died.
Initial results from an autopsy show he had some type of human prion
disease, a family of diseases involving an abnormal protein.
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, or CJD, is the most common type of human prion
disease. The autopsy ruled out CJD, however, Akram said.
The second case involves a Waco woman in her late 40s, Akram said. Her
symptoms point to CJD, but since the only way to confirm the disease is to study
brain tissue after death, that diagnosis is not confirmed, he said.
No apparent link
There is no apparent link between the two local victims, Akram said.
Prion disease usually occurs in people older than age 60.
Doctors give patients a “working diagnosis” of human prion disease based on
certain symptoms, combined with results from a blood test, Farley said.
The symptoms are similar to those of other neurological conditions:
confusion, difficulty remembering recent events, loss of feeling in certain body
parts, balance problems, difficulty walking and muscle jerks and spasms.
If a physician rules out other causes for such symptoms, a blood test can
be done that indicates whether the person has a genetic mutation associated with
human prion disease. The test cannot confirm it, but positive results make the
diagnosis more likely, Verner said.
The name of the disease category comes from a protein called a prion.
People have normal prions, which are concentrated in the brain. But in some
instances, there is abnormal prion protein, which causes normal prions to be
converted to abnormal form.
That destroys brain tissue and is eventually fatal. The process can take
years, but most people die within three months to a year of having
symptoms.
There are three main categories of human prion disease — sporadic, familial
and acquired.
Sporadic cases start spontaneously, without a clearly identifiable cause.
They account for about 85 percent of all human prion disease, according to the
National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center.
Familial cases are inherited and are caused by a defect in the prion
protein gene, the center said.
Acquired cases are transmitted by infection, which can occur if a person
receives a transplant infected with prion disease or undergoes surgery where
contaminated instruments are used, according to the center.
Another avenue of infection is when someone eats contaminated beef, the
center said. That’s where the connection to mad cow disease comes in.
Only three cases linked to contaminated beef have been found in the United
States, according to health officials. In all three cases, the victims are
thought to have been infected while living overseas.
In Texas, about 120 people died from human prion disease between 2000-08,
according to state data.
Last year, there were 19 probable or confirmed cases of sporadic CJD and
two familial CJD cases statewide.
McLennan County has not had any human prion disease cases in the past
decade, according to state records. Verner said he can only recall two or three
cases in the 25 years he has been here.
cculp@wacotrib.com
757-5744
> "It’s just a coincidence.”
r i g h t. $$$
cjd = one-in-a-million ???
McLennan County, Texas population 2008 230,213
CJD TEXAS 38 YEAR OLD FEMALE WORKED SLAUGHTERING CATTLE EXPOSED TO BRAIN
AND SPINAL CORD MATTER
>>> Up until about 6 years ago, the pt worked at Tyson foods where
she worked on the assembly line, slaughtering cattle and preparing them for
packaging. She was exposed to brain and spinal cord matter when she would
euthanize the cattle. <<<
>>> Up until about 6 years ago, the pt worked at Tyson foods where
she worked on the assembly line, slaughtering cattle and preparing them for
packaging. She was exposed to brain and spinal cord matter when she would
euthanize the cattle. <<<
CJD TEXAS 38 YEAR OLD FEMALE WORKED SLAUGHTERING CATTLE EXPOSED TO BRAIN
AND SPINAL CORD MATTER
PPS POLITICAL PRION SCIENCE $$$
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance in Texas
Sunday, July 11, 2010
CJD or prion disease 2 CASES McLennan County Texas population 230,213 both
cases in their 40s
see the continuing rise of sporadic CJD in Texas here ;
Monday, September 26, 2011
Variably Protease-Sensitive Prionopathy, Prionpathy, Prionopathy, FFI, GSS,
gCJD, hvCJD, sCJD, TSE, PRION, update 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
Comparison of Sheep Nor98 with Human Variably Protease-Sensitive
Prionopathy and Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker Disease
Thursday, July 10, 2008
A New Prionopathy update July 10, 2008
Thursday, July 10, 2008
A Novel Human Disease with Abnormal Prion Protein Sensitive to Protease
update July 10, 2008 Friday, June 20, 2008
Sunday, August 10, 2008
A New Prionopathy OR more of the same old BSe and sporadic CJD
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Sporadic Fatal Insomnia with Unusual Biochemical and Neuropathological
Findings
Here we go folks. AS predicted. THIS JUST OUT ! as i predicted, more BSe.
...
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
Variably protease-sensitive prionopathy: A new sporadic disease of the
prion protein
Monday, August 9, 2010
Variably protease-sensitive prionopathy: A new sporadic disease of the
prion protein or just more PRIONBALONEY ?
snip...see full text ;
O.K. let's compare some recent cases of this prionpathy in other countries
besides Gambetti's first 10 recently, that he claims is a spontaneous event,
from a genetic disorder, that is not genetic, but sporadic, that is related to
no animal TSE in North America, or the world. ...
> but the possibility that a small proportion of human cases so far
classified as "sporadic" CJD are of zoonotic origin could not be excluded.
> Also, a link is suspected between atypical BSE and some apparently
sporadic cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans. These atypical BSE cases
constitute an unforeseen first threat that could sharply modify the European
approach to prion diseases.
>Recently, however, so-called atypical forms of prion diseases have been
discovered in sheep (atypical/Nor98 scrapie) and in cattle, BSE-H and BSE-L.
These maladies resemble sporadic or genetic human prion diseases and might be
their animal equivalents. > This hypothesis also raises the significant
public health question of possible epidemiological links between these diseases
and their counterparts in humans.
>2.66 Dr Fahey also told the committee that in the last two years a link
has been established between forms of atypical CJD and atypical BSE. Dr Fahey
said that: They now believe that those atypical BSEs overseas are in fact
causing sporadic Creutzfeldt->Jakob disease. They were not sure if it was due
to mad sheep disease or a different form.
>The pathology features of Nor98 in the cerebellum of the affected sheep
showed similarities with those of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans.
>Intriguingly, these conclusions suggest that some pathological features of
Nor98 are reminiscent of Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease.
>These observations support the view that a truly infectious TSE agent,
unrecognized until recently, infects sheep and goat flocks and may have
important implications in terms of scrapie control and public health.
>These findings raise some interrogation on the concept of TSE strain
and on the origin of the diversity of the TSE agents and could have consequences
on field TSE control measures.
>In summary, we have transmitted one atypical form of BSE (BASE) to a
cynomolgus macaque monkey that had a shorter incubation period than monkeys
infected with classical BSE, with distinctive clinical, neuropathological, and
>biochemical features; and have shown that the molecular biological
signature resembled that seen in a comparatively uncommon subtype of sporadic
CJD.
Monday, October 10, 2011
EFSA Journal 2011 The European Response to BSE: A Success Story
snip...
EFSA and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)
recently delivered a scientific opinion on any possible epidemiological or
molecular association between TSEs in animals and humans (EFSA Panel on
Biological Hazards (BIOHAZ) and ECDC, 2011). This opinion confirmed Classical
BSE prions as the only TSE agents demonstrated to be zoonotic so far ***but the
possibility that a small proportion of human cases so far classified as
"sporadic" CJD are of zoonotic origin could not be excluded. Moreover,
transmission experiments to non-human primates suggest that some TSE agents in
addition to Classical BSE prions in cattle (namely L-type Atypical BSE,
Classical BSE in sheep, transmissible mink encephalopathy (TME) and chronic
wasting disease (CWD) agents) might have zoonotic potential.
snip...
Thursday, August 12, 2010 Seven main threats for the future linked to
prions First threat The TSE road map defining the evolution of European policy
for protection against prion diseases is based on a certain numbers of
hypotheses some of which may turn out to be erroneous. In particular, a form of
BSE (called atypical Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy), recently identified by
systematic testing in aged cattle without clinical signs, may be the origin of
classical BSE and thus potentially constitute a reservoir, which may be
impossible to eradicate if a sporadic origin is confirmed.
***Also, a link is suspected between atypical BSE and some apparently
sporadic cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans. These atypical BSE cases
constitute an unforeseen first threat that could sharply modify the European
approach to prion diseases.
Second threat
snip...
Monday, May 23, 2011
Atypical Prion Diseases in Humans and Animals 2011
Top Curr Chem (2011)
DOI: 10.1007/128_2011_161
# Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2011
Michael A. Tranulis, Sylvie L. Benestad, Thierry Baron, and Hans
Kretzschmar
Abstract
Although prion diseases, such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans
and scrapie in sheep, have long been recognized, our understanding of their
epidemiology and pathogenesis is still in its early stages. Progress is hampered
by the lengthy incubation periods and the lack of effective ways of monitoring
and characterizing these agents. Protease-resistant conformers of the prion
protein (PrP), known as the "scrapie form" (PrPSc), are used as disease markers,
and for taxonomic purposes, in correlation with clinical, pathological, and
genetic data. In humans, prion diseases can arise sporadically (sCJD) or
genetically (gCJD and others), caused by mutations in the PrP-gene (PRNP), or as
a foodborne infection, with the agent of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)
causing variant CJD (vCJD). Person-to-person spread of human prion disease has
only been known to occur following cannibalism (kuru disease in Papua New
Guinea) or through medical or surgical treatment (iatrogenic CJD, iCJD). In
contrast, scrapie in small ruminants and chronic wasting disease (CWD) in
cervids behave as infectious diseases within these species. Recently, however,
so-called atypical forms of prion diseases have been discovered in sheep
(atypical/Nor98 scrapie) and in cattle, BSE-H and BSE-L. These maladies resemble
sporadic or genetic human prion diseases and might be their animal equivalents.
This hypothesis also raises the significant public health question of possible
epidemiological links between these diseases and their counterparts in
humans.
M.A. Tranulis (*)
Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, Oslo, Norway
e-mail: Michael.Tranulis@nvh.no
S.L. Benestad
Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Oslo, Norway
T. Baron
Agence Nationale de Se´curite´ Sanitaire, ANSES, Lyon, France
H. Kretzschmar
Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Munich, Germany
Keywords Animal Atypical Atypical/Nor98 scrapie BSE-H BSE-L Human Prion
disease Prion strain Prion type
Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee
The possible impacts and consequences for public health, trade and
agriculture of the Government's decision to relax import restrictions on beef
Final report June 2010
2.66 Dr Fahey also told the committee that in the last two years a link has
been established between forms of atypical CJD and atypical BSE. Dr Fahey said
that: They now believe that those atypical BSEs overseas are in fact causing
sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. They were not sure if it was due to mad
sheep disease or a different form. If you look in the textbooks it looks like
this is just arising by itself. But in my research I have a summary of a
document which states that there has never been any proof that sporadic
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease has arisen de novo-has arisen of itself. There is no
proof of that. The recent research is that in fact it is due to atypical forms
of mad cow disease which have been found across Europe, have been found in
America and have been found in Asia. These atypical forms of mad cow disease
typically have even longer incubation periods than the classical mad cow
disease.50
Atypical BSE (BASE) Transmitted from Asymptomatic Aging Cattle to a Primate
Emmanuel E. Comoy1*, Cristina Casalone2, Nathalie Lescoutra-Etchegaray1,
Gianluigi Zanusso3, Sophie Freire1, Dominique Marcé1, Frédéric Auvré1,
Marie-Magdeleine Ruchoux1, Sergio Ferrari3, Salvatore Monaco3, Nicole Salès4,
Maria Caramelli2, Philippe Leboulch1,5, Paul Brown1, Corinne I. Lasmézas4,
Jean-Philippe Deslys1
1 Institute of Emerging Diseases and Innovative Therapies, CEA,
Fontenay-aux-Roses, France, 2 Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del
Piemonte, Turin, Italy, 3 Policlinico G.B. Rossi, Verona, Italy, 4 Scripps
Florida, Jupiter, Florida, United States of America, 5 Genetics Division,
Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts,
United States of America
Abstract Top Background
Human variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) results from foodborne
transmission of prions from slaughtered cattle with classical Bovine Spongiform
Encephalopathy (cBSE). Atypical forms of BSE, which remain mostly asymptomatic
in aging cattle, were recently identified at slaughterhouses throughout Europe
and North America, raising a question about human susceptibility to these new
prion strains.
Methodology/Principal Findings
Brain homogenates from cattle with classical BSE and atypical (BASE)
infections were inoculated intracerebrally into cynomolgus monkeys (Macacca
fascicularis), a non-human primate model previously demonstrated to be
susceptible to the original strain of cBSE. The resulting diseases were compared
in terms of clinical signs, histology and biochemistry of the abnormal prion
protein (PrPres). The single monkey infected with BASE had a shorter survival,
and a different clinical evolution, histopathology, and prion protein (PrPres)
pattern than was observed for either classical BSE or vCJD-inoculated animals.
Also, the biochemical signature of PrPres in the BASE-inoculated animal was
found to have a higher proteinase K sensitivity of the octa-repeat region. We
found the same biochemical signature in three of four human patients with
sporadic CJD and an MM type 2 PrP genotype who lived in the same country as the
infected bovine.
Conclusion/Significance
Our results point to a possibly higher degree of pathogenicity of BASE
than classical BSE in primates and also raise a question about a possible link
to one uncommon subset of cases of apparently sporadic CJD. Thus, despite the
waning epidemic of classical BSE, the occurrence of atypical strains should
temper the urge to relax measures currently in place to protect public health
from accidental contamination by BSE-contaminated products.
Citation: Comoy EE, Casalone C, Lescoutra-Etchegaray N, Zanusso G, Freire
S, et al. (2008) Atypical BSE (BASE) Transmitted from Asymptomatic Aging Cattle
to a Primate. PLoS ONE 3(8): e3017. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0003017
Editor: Neil Mabbott, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Received: April 24, 2008; Accepted: August 1, 2008; Published: August 20,
2008
Copyright: © 2008 Comoy et al. This is an open-access article distributed
under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits
unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the
original author and source are credited.
Funding: This work has been supported by the Network of Excellence
NeuroPrion.
Competing interests: CEA owns a patent covering the BSE diagnostic tests
commercialized by the company Bio-Rad.
* E-mail: emmanuel.comoy@cea.fr
snip...
In summary, we have transmitted one atypical form of BSE (BASE) to a
cynomolgus macaque monkey that had a shorter incubation period than monkeys
infected with classical BSE, with distinctive clinical, neuropathological, and
biochemical features; and have shown that the molecular biological signature
resembled that seen in a comparatively uncommon subtype of sporadic CJD. We
cannot yet say whether BASE is more pathogenic for primates (including humans)
than cBSE, nor can we predict whether its molecular biological features
represent a clue to one cause of apparently sporadic human CJD. However, the
evidence presented here and by others justifies concern about a potential human
health hazard from undetected atypical forms of BSE, and despite the waning
epizoonosis of classical BSE, it would be premature to abandon the precautionary
measures that have been so successful in reversing the impact of cBSE. We would
instead urge a gradual, staged reduction that takes into account the evolving
knowledge about atypical ruminant diseases, and both a permanent ban on the use
of bovine central nervous system tissue for either animal or human use, and its
destruction so as to eliminate any risk of environmental contamination.
atypical L-type BASE BSE California
SUMMARY REPORT CALIFORNIA BOVINE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY CASE
INVESTIGATION JULY 2012
Summary Report BSE 2012
Executive Summary
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Final Feed Investigation Summary - California BSE Case - July 2012
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Update from APHIS Regarding Release of the Final Report on the BSE
Epidemiological Investigation
2009 UPDATE ON ALABAMA AND TEXAS MAD COWS 2005 and 2006
USDA INC. BSE surveillance
this also was a complete failure as well, to a point that the GAO caught
the USDA et al in their BSE testing surveillance program, red handed testing
cattle they knew were healthy, free of BSE. yes, up to 100 farms testing for mad
cow disease, but the animals in question, were all healthy animal brains, and
they knew it. but that was not the only failures in the BSE testing program,
that was just part of it. the USDA covered up two mad cows in Texas, one finally
confirmed after an act of Congress by the OIG made the USDA retest that cow,
some 7 months later, and finally confirm, what they already knew with a SECRET
test that had tested positive 7 months previously, and finally were forced to
confirm this second mad cow in Texas. it got so bad around 2005, that the top
prion scientist at the NIH Paul Brown, said "Everything they did on the Texas
cow makes everything they did before 2005 suspect," Brown said.
THE OTHER TEXAS MAD COW THEY DID SUCCEED IN COVERING UP ;
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Statement May 4, 2004 Media Inquiries: 301-827-6242
Consumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDA
Statement on Texas Cow With Central Nervous System Symptoms
On Friday, April 30 th , the Food and Drug Administration learned that a
cow with central nervous system symptoms had been killed and shipped to a
processor for rendering into animal protein for use in animal feed.
FDA, which is responsible for the safety of animal feed, immediately began
an investigation. On Friday and throughout the weekend, FDA investigators
inspected the slaughterhouse, the rendering facility, the farm where the animal
came from, and the processor that initially received the cow from the
slaughterhouse.
FDA's investigation showed that the animal in question had already been
rendered into "meat and bone meal" (a type of protein animal feed). Over the
weekend FDA was able to track down all the implicated material. That material is
being held by the firm, which is cooperating fully with FDA.
Cattle with central nervous system symptoms are of particular interest
because cattle with bovine spongiform encephalopathy or BSE, also known as "mad
cow disease," can exhibit such symptoms. In this case, there is no way now to
test for BSE. But even if the cow had BSE, FDA's animal feed rule would prohibit
the feeding of its rendered protein to other ruminant animals (e.g., cows,
goats, sheep, bison).
FDA is sending a letter to the firm summarizing its findings and informing
the firm that FDA will not object to use of this material in swine feed only. If
it is not used in swine feed, this material will be destroyed. Pigs have been
shown not to be susceptible to BSE. If the firm agrees to use the material for
swine feed only, FDA will track the material all the way through the supply
chain from the processor to the farm to ensure that the feed is properly
monitored and used only as feed for pigs.
To protect the U.S. against BSE, FDA works to keep certain mammalian
protein out of animal feed for cattle and other ruminant animals. FDA
established its animal feed rule in 1997 after the BSE epidemic in the U.K.
showed that the disease spreads by feeding infected ruminant protein to
cattle.
Under the current regulation, the material from this Texas cow is not
allowed in feed for cattle or other ruminant animals. FDA's action specifying
that the material go only into swine feed means also that it will not be fed to
poultry.
FDA is committed to protecting the U.S. from BSE and collaborates closely
with the U.S. Department of Agriculture on all BSE issues. The animal feed rule
provides crucial protection against the spread of BSE, but it is only one of
several such firewalls. FDA will soon be improving the animal feed rule, to make
this strong system even stronger.
####
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Clinical Heidenhain Variant Of Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD)
With Co-occurrence Of Prion Protein Types 1 and 2
P03.141
Aspects of the Cerebellar Neuropathology in Nor98
Gavier-Widén, D1; Benestad, SL2; Ottander, L1; Westergren, E1 1National
Veterinary Insitute, Sweden; 2National Veterinary Institute,
Norway Nor98 is a prion disease of old sheep and goats. This atypical form
of scrapie was first described in Norway in 1998. Several features of Nor98 were
shown to be different from classical scrapie including the distribution of
disease associated prion protein (PrPd) accumulation in the brain. The
cerebellum is generally the most affected brain area in Nor98. The study here
presented aimed at adding information on the neuropathology in the cerebellum of
Nor98 naturally affected sheep of various genotypes in Sweden and Norway. A
panel of histochemical and immunohistochemical (IHC) stainings such as IHC for
PrPd, synaptophysin, glial fibrillary acidic protein, amyloid, and cell markers
for phagocytic cells were conducted. The type of histological lesions and tissue
reactions were evaluated. The types of PrPd deposition were characterized. The
cerebellar cortex was regularly affected, even though there was a variation in
the severity of the lesions from case to case. Neuropil vacuolation was more
marked in the molecular layer, but affected also the granular cell layer. There
was a loss of granule cells. Punctate deposition of PrPd was characteristic. It
was morphologically and in distribution identical with that of synaptophysin,
suggesting that PrPd accumulates in the synaptic structures. PrPd was also
observed in the granule cell layer and in the white matter. The pathology
features of Nor98 in the cerebellum of the affected sheep showed similarities
with those of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans.
***The pathology features of Nor98 in the cerebellum of the affected sheep
showed similarities with those of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in
humans.
PR-26
NOR98 SHOWS MOLECULAR FEATURES REMINISCENT OF GSS
R. Nonno1, E. Esposito1, G. Vaccari1, E. Bandino2, M. Conte1, B.
Chiappini1, S. Marcon1, M. Di Bari1, S.L. Benestad3, U. Agrimi1 1 Istituto
Superiore di Sanità, Department of Food Safety and Veterinary Public Health,
Rome, Italy ( romolo.nonno@iss.it); 2 Istituto Zooprofilattico della Sardegna,
Sassari, Italy; 3 National Veterinary Institute, Department of Pathology, Oslo,
Norway
Molecular variants of PrPSc are being increasingly investigated in sheep
scrapie and are generally referred to as "atypical" scrapie, as opposed to
"classical scrapie". Among the atypical group, Nor98 seems to be the best
identified. We studied the molecular properties of Italian and Norwegian Nor98
samples by WB analysis of brain homogenates, either untreated, digested with
different concentrations of proteinase K, or subjected to enzymatic
deglycosylation. The identity of PrP fragments was inferred by means of
antibodies spanning the full PrP sequence. We found that undigested brain
homogenates contain a Nor98-specific PrP fragment migrating at 11 kDa (PrP11),
truncated at both the C-terminus and the N-terminus, and not N-glycosylated.
After mild PK digestion, Nor98 displayed full-length PrP (FL-PrP) and
N-glycosylated C-terminal fragments (CTF), along with increased levels of PrP11.
Proteinase K digestion curves (0,006-6,4 mg/ml) showed that FL-PrP and CTF are
mainly digested above 0,01 mg/ml, while PrP11 is not entirely digested even at
the highest concentrations, similarly to PrP27-30 associated with classical
scrapie. Above 0,2 mg/ml PK, most Nor98 samples showed only PrP11 and a fragment
of 17 kDa with the same properties of PrP11, that was tentatively identified as
a dimer of PrP11. Detergent solubility studies showed that PrP11 is insoluble in
2% sodium laurylsorcosine and is mainly produced from detergentsoluble,
full-length PrPSc. Furthermore, among Italian scrapie isolates, we found that a
sample with molecular and pathological properties consistent with Nor98 showed
plaque-like deposits of PrPSc in the thalamus when the brain was analysed by
PrPSc immunohistochemistry. Taken together, our results show that the
distinctive pathological feature of Nor98 is a PrP fragment spanning amino acids
~ 90-155. This fragment is produced by successive N-terminal and C-terminal
cleavages from a full-length and largely detergent-soluble PrPSc, is produced in
vivo and is extremely resistant to PK digestion.
*** Intriguingly, these conclusions suggest that some pathological features
of Nor98 are reminiscent of Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease.
119
A newly identified type of scrapie agent can naturally infect sheep with
resistant PrP genotypes
Annick Le Dur*,?, Vincent Béringue*,?, Olivier Andréoletti?, Fabienne
Reine*, Thanh Lan Laï*, Thierry Baron§, Bjørn Bratberg¶, Jean-Luc Vilotte?,
Pierre Sarradin**, Sylvie L. Benestad¶, and Hubert Laude*,? +Author
Affiliations
*Virologie Immunologie Moléculaires and ?Génétique Biochimique et
Cytogénétique, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, 78350
Jouy-en-Josas, France; ?Unité Mixte de Recherche, Institut National de la
Recherche Agronomique-Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse, Interactions Hôte
Agent Pathogène, 31066 Toulouse, France; §Agence Française de Sécurité Sanitaire
des Aliments, Unité Agents Transmissibles Non Conventionnels, 69364 Lyon,
France; **Pathologie Infectieuse et Immunologie, Institut National de la
Recherche Agronomique, 37380 Nouzilly, France; and ¶Department of Pathology,
National Veterinary Institute, 0033 Oslo, Norway
***Edited by Stanley B. Prusiner, University of California, San Francisco,
CA (received for review March 21, 2005)
Abstract Scrapie in small ruminants belongs to transmissible spongiform
encephalopathies (TSEs), or prion diseases, a family of fatal neurodegenerative
disorders that affect humans and animals and can transmit within and between
species by ingestion or inoculation. Conversion of the host-encoded prion
protein (PrP), normal cellular PrP (PrPc), into a misfolded form, abnormal PrP
(PrPSc), plays a key role in TSE transmission and pathogenesis. The intensified
surveillance of scrapie in the European Union, together with the improvement of
PrPSc detection techniques, has led to the discovery of a growing number of
so-called atypical scrapie cases. These include clinical Nor98 cases first
identified in Norwegian sheep on the basis of unusual pathological and PrPSc
molecular features and "cases" that produced discordant responses in the rapid
tests currently applied to the large-scale random screening of slaughtered or
fallen animals. Worryingly, a substantial proportion of such cases involved
sheep with PrP genotypes known until now to confer natural resistance to
conventional scrapie. Here we report that both Nor98 and discordant cases,
including three sheep homozygous for the resistant PrPARR allele (A136R154R171),
efficiently transmitted the disease to transgenic mice expressing ovine PrP, and
that they shared unique biological and biochemical features upon propagation in
mice. *** These observations support the view that a truly infectious TSE agent,
unrecognized until recently, infects sheep and goat flocks and may have
important implications in terms of scrapie control and public health.
Monday, December 1, 2008
When Atypical Scrapie cross species barriers
Authors
Andreoletti O., Herva M. H., Cassard H., Espinosa J. C., Lacroux C., Simon
S., Padilla D., Benestad S. L., Lantier F., Schelcher F., Grassi J., Torres, J.
M., UMR INRA ENVT 1225, Ecole Nationale Veterinaire de Toulouse.France;
ICISA-INlA, Madrid, Spain; CEA, IBiTec-5, DSV, CEA/Saclay, Gif sur Yvette cedex,
France; National Veterinary Institute, Postboks 750 Sentrum, 0106 Oslo, Norway,
INRA IASP, Centre INRA de Tours, 3738O Nouzilly, France.
Content
Atypical scrapie is a TSE occurring in small ruminants and harbouring
peculiar clinical, epidemiological and biochemical properties. Currently this
form of disease is identified in a large number of countries. In this study we
report the transmission of an atypical scrapie isolate through different species
barriers as modeled by transgenic mice (Tg) expressing different species PRP
sequence.
The donor isolate was collected in 1995 in a French commercial sheep flock.
inoculation into AHQ/AHQ sheep induced a disease which had all
neuro-pathological and biochemical characteristics of atypical scrapie.
Transmitted into Transgenic mice expressing either ovine or PrPc, the isolate
retained all the described characteristics of atypical scrapie.
Surprisingly the TSE agent characteristics were dramatically different
v/hen passaged into Tg bovine mice. The recovered TSE agent had biological and
biochemical characteristics similar to those of atypical BSE L in the same mouse
model. Moreover, whereas no other TSE agent than BSE were shown to transmit into
Tg porcine mice, atypical scrapie was able to develop into this model, albeit
with low attack rate on first passage.
Furthermore, after adaptation in the porcine mouse model this prion showed
similar biological and biochemical characteristics than BSE adapted to this
porcine mouse model. Altogether these data indicate.
(i) the unsuspected potential abilities of atypical scrapie to cross
species barriers
(ii) the possible capacity of this agent to acquire new characteristics
when crossing species barrier
These findings raise some interrogation on the concept of TSE strain and on
the origin of the diversity of the TSE agents and could have consequences on
field TSE control measures.
The epidemiological data are too limited to conclude whether the Atypical
scrapie agent has a zoonotic potential. Transmission experiments to human PrP
transgenic mice or primates suggest that some TSE agents other than the
Classical BSE agent in cattle (namely L-type Atypical BSE, Classical BSE in
sheep, TME, CWD agents) might have zoonotic potential and indicate that that of
the L-type Atypical BSE agent appears similar or even higher than that of the
Classical BSE agent. A single study reported efficient transmission of a natural
sheep Classical scrapie isolate to primates. © European Food Safety Authority,
2011
http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/doc/1945.pdf
1: J Infect Dis 1980 Aug;142(2):205-8
Oral transmission of kuru, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and scrapie to
nonhuman primates.
Gibbs CJ Jr, Amyx HL, Bacote A, Masters CL, Gajdusek DC.
Kuru and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease of humans and scrapie disease of sheep
and goats were transmitted to squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) that were
exposed to the infectious agents only by their nonforced consumption of known
infectious tissues. The asymptomatic incubation period in the one monkey exposed
to the virus of kuru was 36 months; that in the two monkeys exposed to the virus
of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease was 23 and 27 months, respectively; and that in the
two monkeys exposed to the virus of scrapie was 25 and 32 months, respectively.
Careful physical examination of the buccal cavities of all of the monkeys failed
to reveal signs or oral lesions. One additional monkey similarly exposed to kuru
has remained asymptomatic during the 39 months that it has been under
observation.
snip...
The successful transmission of kuru, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and scrapie
by natural feeding to squirrel monkeys that we have reported provides further
grounds for concern that scrapie-infected meat may occasionally give rise in
humans to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
PMID: 6997404
12/10/76
AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH COUNCIL REPORT OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTE ON
SCRAPIE
Office Note CHAIRMAN: PROFESSOR PETER WILDY
snip...
A The Present Position with respect to Scrapie A] The Problem Scrapie is a
natural disease of sheep and goats. It is a slow and inexorably progressive
degenerative disorder of the nervous system and it ia fatal. It is enzootic in
the United Kingdom but not in all countries. The field problem has been reviewed
by a MAFF working group (ARC 35/77). It is difficult to assess the incidence in
Britain for a variety of reasons but the disease causes serious financial loss;
it is estimated that it cost Swaledale breeders alone $l.7 M during the five
years 1971-1975. A further inestimable loss arises from the closure of certain
export markets, in particular those of the United States, to British sheep. It
is clear that scrapie in sheep is important commercially and for that reason
alone effective measures to control it should be devised as quickly as possible.
Recently the question has again been brought up as to whether scrapie is
transmissible to man. This has followed reports that the disease has been
transmitted to primates.
One particularly lurid speculation (Gajdusek 1977) conjectures that the
agents of scrapie, kuru, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and transmissible
encephalopathy of mink are varieties of a single "virus". The U.S. Department of
Agriculture concluded that it could "no longer justify or permit scrapie-blood
line and scrapie-exposed sheep and goats to be processed for human or animal
food at slaughter or rendering plants" (ARC 84/77)" The problem is emphasised by
the finding that some strains of scrapie produce lesions identical to the once
which characterise the human dementias" Whether true or not. the hypothesis that
these agents might be transmissible to man raises two considerations. First, the
safety of laboratory personnel requires prompt attention. Second, action such as
the "scorched meat" policy of USDA makes the solution of the acrapie problem
urgent if the sheep industry is not to suffer grievously.
snip...
76/10.12/4.6
Nature. 1972 Mar 10;236(5341):73-4.
Transmission of scrapie to the cynomolgus monkey (Macaca fascicularis).
Gibbs CJ Jr, Gajdusek DC. Nature 236, 73 - 74 (10 March 1972);
doi:10.1038/236073a0
Transmission of Scrapie to the Cynomolgus Monkey (Macaca fascicularis)
C. J. GIBBS jun. & D. C. GAJDUSEK National Institute of Neurological
Diseases and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
SCRAPIE has been transmitted to the cynomolgus, or crab-eating, monkey
(Macaca fascicularis) with an incubation period of more than 5 yr from the time
of intracerebral inoculation of scrapie-infected mouse brain. The animal
developed a chronic central nervous system degeneration, with ataxia, tremor and
myoclonus with associated severe scrapie-like pathology of intensive astroglial
hypertrophy and proliferation, neuronal vacuolation and status spongiosus of
grey matter. The strain of scrapie virus used was the eighth passage in Swiss
mice (NIH) of a Compton strain of scrapie obtained as ninth intracerebral
passage of the agent in goat brain, from Dr R. L. Chandler (ARC, Compton,
Berkshire).
Nature. 1972 Mar 10;236(5341):73-4.
Transmission of scrapie to the cynomolgus monkey (Macaca fascicularis).
Gibbs CJ Jr, Gajdusek DC. Nature 236, 73 - 74 (10 March 1972);
doi:10.1038/236073a0
Transmission of Scrapie to the Cynomolgus Monkey (Macaca fascicularis)
C. J. GIBBS jun. & D. C. GAJDUSEK National Institute of Neurological
Diseases and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
SCRAPIE has been transmitted to the cynomolgus, or crab-eating, monkey
(Macaca fascicularis) with an incubation period of more than 5 yr from the time
of intracerebral inoculation of scrapie-infected mouse brain. The animal
developed a chronic central nervous system degeneration, with ataxia, tremor and
myoclonus with associated severe scrapie-like pathology of intensive astroglial
hypertrophy and proliferation, neuronal vacuolation and status spongiosus of
grey matter. The strain of scrapie virus used was the eighth passage in Swiss
mice (NIH) of a Compton strain of scrapie obtained as ninth intracerebral
passage of the agent in goat brain, from Dr R. L. Chandler (ARC, Compton,
Berkshire).
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
IN CONFIDENCE
SCRAPIE TRANSMISSION TO CHIMPANZEES
IN CONFIDENCE
why do we not want to do TSE transmission studies on chimpanzees $
snip...
5. A positive result from a chimpanzee challenged severly would likely
create alarm in some circles even if the result could not be interpreted for
man. I have a view that all these agents could be transmitted provided a large
enough dose by appropriate routes was given and the animals kept long enough.
Until the mechanisms of the species barrier are more clearly understood it might
be best to retain that hypothesis.
snip...
R. BRADLEY
Thursday, March 29, 2012
atypical Nor-98 Scrapie has spread from coast to coast in the USA 2012
NIAA Annual Conference April 11-14, 2011San Antonio, Texas
I ask Professor Kong ;
Thursday, December 04, 2008 3:37 PM Subject: RE: re--Chronic Wating Disease
(CWD) and Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathies (BSE): Public Health Risk
Assessment
''IS the h-BSE more virulent than typical BSE as well, or the same as cBSE,
or less virulent than cBSE? just curious.....''
Professor Kong reply ;
.....snip
''As to the H-BSE, we do not have sufficient data to say one way or
another, but we have found that H-BSE can infect humans. I hope we could publish
these data once the study is complete. Thanks for your interest.''
Best regards, Qingzhong Kong, PhD Associate Professor Department of
Pathology Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH 44106 USA
END...TSS
Thursday, December 04, 2008 2:37 PM
"we have found that H-BSE can infect humans."
personal communication with Professor Kong. ...TSS
BSE-H is also transmissible in our humanized Tg mice.
The possibility of more than two atypical BSE strains will be discussed.
Supported by NINDS NS052319, NIA AG14359, and NIH AI 77774.
please see below from PRION2013 ;
*** This study imply the possibility that the novel BSE prions with high
virulence in cattle will be emerged during intraspecies transmission.
AD.56: The emergence of novel BSE prions by serial passages of H-type BSE
in bovinized mice
Kentaro Masujin, Naoko Tabeta, Ritsuko Miwa, Kohtaro Miyazawa, Hiroyuki
Okada, Shirou Mohri and Takashi Yokoyama
National Institute of Animal Health; Tsukuba, Japan
H-type bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is an atypical form of BSE,
and has been detected in several European countries, and North America.
Transmission studies of H-type BSE led to the emergence of the classical BSE
(C-BSE) phenotypes during passages in inbred wild type and bovinized
PrP-overexpressing transgenic mice. In this study, we conducted serial passages
of Canadian H-type BSE isolate in bovinized PrP-overexpressing transgenic mice
(TgBoPrP). H-type BSE isolate was transmitted to TgBoPrP with incubation periods
of 320 ± 12.2 d at primary passage. The incubation period of 2nd and 3rd passage
were constant (~= 220 d), no clear differences were observed in their biological
and biochemical properties. However, at the forth passage, 2 different BSE
phenotypes were confirmed; one is shorter survival times (109 ± 4 d) and the
other is longer survival times. TgBoPrP mice with longer incubation period
showed the H-type phenotype of PrPsc profile and pathology. However, those of
shorter incubation period were different phenotypes from previously existed BSE
prions (C-BSE, L-type BSE, and H-type BSE). *** This study imply the possibility
that the novel BSE prions with high virulence in cattle will be emerged during
intraspecies transmission.
please see ;
Thursday, August 15, 2013
The emergence of novel BSE prions by serial passages of H-type BSE in
bovinized mice
Monday, September 02, 2013
Atypical BSE: role of the E211K prion polymorphism
Research Project: TRANSMISSION, DIFFERENTIATION, AND PATHOBIOLOGY OF
TRANSMISSIBLE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHIES
Location: Virus and Prion Research Unit
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Evaluation of the Zoonotic Potential of Transmissible Mink Encephalopathy
We previously described the biochemical similarities between PrPres derived
from L-BSE infected macaque and cortical MM2 sporadic CJD: those observations
suggest a link between these two uncommon prion phenotypes in a primate model
(it is to note that such a link has not been observed in other models less
relevant from the human situation as hamsters or transgenic mice overexpressing
ovine PrP [28]). We speculate that a group of related animal prion strains
(L-BSE, c-BSE and TME) would have a zoonotic potential and lead to prion
diseases in humans with a type 2 PrPres molecular signature (and more
specifically type 2B for vCJD)
snip...
Together with previous experiments performed in ovinized and bovinized
transgenic mice and hamsters [8,9] indicating similarities between TME and
L-BSE, the data support the hypothesis that L-BSE could be the origin of the TME
outbreaks in North America and Europe during the mid-1900s.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
NORDION (US), INC., AND BIOAXONE BIOSCIENCES, INC., Settles $90M Mad Cow
TSE prion Contamination Suit Cethrin(R)
Case 0:12-cv-60739-RNS Document 1 Entered on FLSD Docket 04/26/2012 Page 1
of 15
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Inspections, Compliance, Enforcement, and Criminal Investigations BSE TSE
PRION 2013
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
APHIS USDA Administrator Message to Stakeholders: Agency Vision and Goals
Eliminating ALL remaining BSE barriers to export market
Thursday, October 03, 2013
TAHC ADOPTS CWD RULE THAT the amendments remove the requirement for a
specific fence height for captives
Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC)
ANNOUNCEMENT
October 3, 2013
Monday, February 11, 2013
TEXAS CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE CWD Four New Positives Found in Trans
Pecos
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Chronic Wasting Disease Detected in Far West Texas
Thursday, October 10, 2013
CJD REPORT 1994 increased risk for consumption of veal and venison and lamb
Friday, August 16, 2013
*** Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) biannual update August 2013 U.K. and
Contaminated blood products induce a highly atypical prion disease devoid of
PrPres in primates
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease CJD cases rising North America updated report
August 2013
*** Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease CJD cases rising North America with Canada
seeing an extreme increase of 48% between 2008 and 2010
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Minimise transmission risk of CJD and vCJD in healthcare settings Guidance
Wednesday, October 09, 2013
WHY THE UKBSEnvCJD ONLY THEORY IS SO POPULAR IN IT'S FALLACY, £41,078,281
in compensation REVISED
In Confidence
Perceptions of unconventional slow virus diseases of animals in the USA
G A H Wells
REPORT OF A VISIT TO THE USA APRIL-MAY 1989
3. Prof. A Robertson gave a brief account of BSE. The US approach was to
accord it a very low profile indeed. Dr. A Thiermann showed the picture in the
‘’Independent’’ with cattle being incinerated and thought this was a fanatical
incident to be avoided in the US at all costs. BSE was not reported in the
USA...
i am reminded of a few things deep throat told me
years
ago;
=================================================
The
most frightening thing I have read all day is the report of Gambetti's finding
of a new strain of sporadic cjd in young people......... Dear God, what in the
name of all that is holy is that!!! If the US has different strains of
scrapie..... why???? than the UK... then would the same mechanisms that make
different strains of scrapie here make different strains of BSE... if the
patterns are different in sheep and mice for scrapie..... could not the BSE be
different in the cattle, in the mink, in the humans....... I really think the
slides or tissues and everything from these young people with the new strain of
sporadic cjd should be put up to be analyzed by many, many experts in
cjd........ bse..... scrapie
Scrape the damn slide and put it into
mice..... wait..... chop up the mouse brain and and spinal cord........ put into
some more mice..... dammit amplify the thing and start the damned research.....
This is NOT rocket science... we need to use what we know and get off our butts
and move.... the whining about how long everything takes..... well it takes a
whole lot longer if you whine for a year and then start the
research!!!
Not sure where I read this but it was a recent press
release or something like that: I thought I would fall out of my chair when I
read about how there was no worry about infectivity from a histopath slide or
tissues because they are preserved in formic acid, or formalin or
formaldehyde..... for God's sake........ Ask any pathologist in the UK what the
brain tissues in the formalin looks like after a year....... it is a big fat
sponge... the agent continues to eat the brain ...... you can't make slides
anymore because the agent has never stopped........ and the old slides that are
stained with Hemolysin and Eosin...... they get holier and holier and degenerate
and continue... what you looked at 6 months ago is not there........ Gambetti
better be photographing every damned thing he is looking
at.....
Okay, you need to know. You don't need to pass it on as
nothing will come of it and there is not a damned thing anyone can do about it.
Don't even hint at it as it will be denied and laughed at.......... USDA is
gonna do as little as possible until there is actually a human case in the USA
of the nvcjd........ if you want to move this thing along and shake the
earth.... then we gotta get the victims families to make sure whoever is doing
the autopsy is credible, trustworthy, and a saint with the courage of Joan of
Arc........ I am not kidding!!!! so, unless we get a human death from EXACTLY
the same form with EXACTLY the same histopath lesions as seen in the UK
nvcjd........ forget any action........ it is ALL gonna be sporadic!!! And, if
there is a case....... there is gonna be every effort to link it to
international travel, international food, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. They will go
so far as to find out if a sex partner had ever traveled to the UK/europe, etc.
etc. .... It is gonna be a long, lonely, dangerous twisted journey to the truth.
They have all the cards, all the money, and are willing to threaten and carry
out those threats.... and this may be their biggest
downfall...
Thanks as always for your help. (Recently had a very
startling revelation from a rather senior person in government here..........
knocked me out of my chair........ you must keep pushing. If I was a power
person.... I would be demanding that there be at least a million bovine tested
as soon as possible and agressively seeking this disease. The big players are
coming out of the wood work as there is money to be made!!!
In short:
"FIRE AT WILL"!!! for the very dumb.... who's "will"! "Will be the burden to
bare if there is any coverup!"
again it was said years ago and it
should be taken seriously.... BSE will NEVER be found in the US!
As
for the BSE conference call... I think you did agreat service to freedom of
information and making some people feign integrity... I find it scary to see
that most of the "experts" are employed by the federal government or are
supported on the "teat" of federal funds. A scary picture! I hope there is a
confidential panel organized by the new government to really investigate this
thing.
You need to watch your back........ but keep picking at
them....... like a buzzard to the bone... you just may get to the truth!!! (You
probably have more support than you know. Too many people are afraid to show you
or let anyone else know. I have heard a few things myself... you ask the
questions that everyone else is too afraid to
ask.)
================================================
Questions linger in U.S. CJD cases
Oct. 21, 2005 | 9:49 PM
WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- French researchers have ruled out the human
form of mad cow disease in a deceased California man, even though they did not
conduct the critical test widely regarded as the only way to determine precisely
the nature of his disease, United Press International has learned. The case of
Patrick Hicks, who died last November from his condition, has remained murky
from the beginning. Dr. Ron Bailey, of Riverside, Calif., the man's neurologist,
had suspected the 49-year-old Hicks of having contracted variant Creutzfeldt
Jakob disease -- a fatal, brain-wasting illness humans can contract from eating
beef products contaminated with the mad cow pathogen -- and both he and the
family wanted an autopsy conducted to determine if Hicks had succumbed to the
disorder.
Bailey became concerned that Hicks might have contracted vCJD because he
initially had exhibited psychiatric symptoms, his illness appears to have lasted
for more than one year and he showed normal brain-wave patterns via EEGs until
the late stages -- all consistent with the disease. In addition, Hicks's
relatively young age raised concerns, because nearly all of the more than 150
cases of vCJD detected worldwide have occurred in people under age 55.
The first hint of oddness began when, according to both Hicks's brother and
mother, a team of six doctors, who they suspect were with the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, visited Patrick last October while he
was still alive and under care at Loma Linda University Medical Center in Loma
Linda, Calif.
They said they were asked to leave when the doctors arrived to examine
Patrick.
CDC officials would not confirm to UPI whether they had investigated the
case, but the agency's policy does require examining all suspected cases of vCJD
in anyone under 55.
The family also said Loma Linda refused to released Hicks's medical records
to them.
The oddities continued after Hicks's death. Bailey found it almost
impossible to get an autopsy conducted on Hicks, the only way to determine
conclusively whether he had variant or sporadic CJD -- a version of the disease
not related to mad cow. One county coroner's office referred him to another and
both refused to conduct the procedure, he said.
Then, the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center in
Cleveland, Ohio -- which was established by the CDC to investigate potential
vCJD cases in the United States -- dispatched a mobile autopsy company called
1-800-Autopsy, but the company failed to follow the center's protocol and did
not collect frozen sections of brain, which are required for tests to determine
whether the disease is vCJD or sCJD. Instead, the autopsy company fixed the
entire brain in formalin.
The NPDPSC, however, considers the collection of frozen brain tissue
essential to distinguishing vCJD from other forms of CJD.
"Only frozen brain tissue examination definitely confirms or excludes the
diagnosis of prion disease and provides the information to identify the type of
prion disease," the center's Web site says. Prions are abnormal proteins thought
to play a role in causing vCJD and sCJD.
The problem raised enough concern that both Bailey and Hicks's family
sought a second opinion.
Experts had told them that animal-injection studies could be done with
formalin-fixed tissue, so the family arranged to have a sample of Patrick's
brain sent to Dr. Jean Jacques Hauw at the Laboratoire De Neuropathologie at the
Groupe Hospitalier Pitie-Salpetriere in Paris, who they thought had agreed to do
the studies.
The NPDPSC, however, delayed sending the sample to France for two months
after the family's request last March. During the delay, Pierluigi Gambetti, the
NPDPSC's director, sent a letter to Hicks's wife.
"We can definitely rule out the diagnosis of variant CJD," the letter
stated.
Gambetti's strong conclusion sounded strange to Bailey, because the NPDPSC
had not conducted further tests since January, when they had said vCJD was
unlikely but that they were unable to rule it out entirely.
After examining the brain tissue, Hauw's team told the family the disease
was consistent with sCJD, but to date they have not explained why they did not
conduct the animal-injection studies -- the family's reason for sending samples
of his brain to France.
Asked the reasons for not following the family's wishes and conducting the
animal studies, Hauw told UPI, "I cannot answer your question," citing French
regulations that prohibited him from providing information about a specific
patient.
He did say, however, that "animal injection is not needed for the routine
diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and its various variants, at least in
France and in the United Kingdom."
That may be true, but it remains unclear why he accepted the case in the
first place, knowing that is what the family wanted.
Moreover, this was not a "routine diagnosis." If Hicks suffered from vCJD,
he potentially would have been the first person in the United States to have
acquired the disease domestically, a development with significant domestic and
international ramifications.
In addition, other experts, such as Dr. Laura Manuelidis, section chief of
surgery in the neuropathology department at Yale University, have said the only
way to know conclusively whether the disease is due to sCJD or vCJD is through
animal-injection studies.
"From what I gather, the result was merely rubber stamped," Bailey told
UPI. "I guess we will never really know for sure."
The handling of the case is noteworthy, because the NPDPSC currently is
investigating nine potential sCJD cases in Idaho. Experts suspect some of those
cases could be vCJD.
Bailey and some patient advocates said they are now skeptical of the
NPDPSC's behavior.
"How could my experience with the Hicks case ... and the interaction with
NPDPSC not lessen my confidence?" Bailey asked. "I anticipate that all of the
Idaho cluster of CJD patients will turn out to have sCJD. I cannot for a minute
see their results indicating anything but this. After all, if any patient were
to have vCJD, it would have been Patrick Hicks. The results of NPDPSC are not
definitive in excluding Hicks as not having vCJD. There certainly will always be
that question in my mind."
***Terry Singletary, a patient advocate whose mother died of a form of the
disease called Heidenhain variant, told UPI he likewise had lost confidence in
the NPDPSC.
***"I do not trust them," Singletary said. "It's all going to be sporadic.
This is the way they want it. They do not want to find out all the routes and
sources of this agent."
Both vCJD and mad cow disease are politically sensitive issues because they
can impact international trade. Dozens of nations closed their borders to
American beef after a lone U.S. cow tested positive for the disease in 2003,
resulting in more than $4.7 billion in losses for the industry, and the U.S.
Department of Agriculture delayed doing confirmatory tests for seven months on
what turned out to be a second case of mad cow.
The NPDPSC did not respond to UPI's phone call requesting comment about the
Idaho cases. The CDC referred UPI to Idaho officials.
Of the nine Idaho cases, three people have tested positive for a CJD-like
illness, but officials are conducting further tests to determine whether the
disease is sCJD. Two others tested negative and four were buried without
autopsies.
The cases could just be a statistical fluke, but the state averages about
1.2 sCJD cases per year and has never had more than three in a single year. The
disease is rare and generally is thought to occur at the rate of one case per
million people.
Several CJD clusters in other states have far exceeded that rate, however.
These included:
--southern New Jersey (2000-2003),
--Lehigh, Pa. (1986-90),
--Allentown, Pa. (1989-92),
--Tampa, Fla. (1996-97),
--Oregon (2001-02), and
--Nassau County, N.Y. (1999-2000).
Some of the clusters involved as many as 18 deaths, and ranged from a rate
of four to eight cases per million people.
A group of J.P. Morgan analysts issued an advisory last year on the impact
the clusters could have on the beef industry, and said that some of the cases
could be due to vCJD.
"The existence of clusters raises the question of 'contamination' or
'infection,' and also raises the hypothesis that rather than cases of sCJD,
these might have been cases of vCJD," the advisory said. "Given that sCJD occurs
randomly in one out of 1 million cases, it is a statistical rarity to find an
sCJD cluster -- let alone six."
If that assessment is accurate, another cluster in Idaho would be even more
unlikely.
Another possibility is some of the Idaho cases could be due to chronic
wasting disease, which is similar to mad cow disease and currently is epidemic
among deer and elk in several states, including Idaho's neighbors Wyoming and
Utah.
No human cases of CWD have ever been confirmed, but the disease has been
shown to infect human cells in a lab dish. Also, a team of researchers led by
Jason Bartz of Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., report in the November issue
of the Journal of Virology they had experimentally transmitted CWD to squirrel
monkeys --the first reported transmission of CWD to primates.
If CWD is capable of infecting humans, it is unknown whether the resulting
disease would resemble sCJD, vCJD or a novel disorder. If the disease looks like
sCJD, cases could be going undetected or misdiagnosed.
--
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QUESTIONS STILL LINGER. ...TSS
CJD QUESTIONNAIRE USA
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