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Susceptibility of Cattle to First-passage Intracerebral Inoculation with Chronic Wasting Disease Agent from White-tailed Deer

National Animal Disease Center, ARS, USDA, Ames, IA (ANH, JMM, RAK, JAR), Pathobiology Laboratory, National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Ames, IA (SMH)

Fourteen, 3-month-old calves were intracerebrally inoculated with the agent of chronic wasting disease (CWD) from white-tailed deer (CWD^wtd) to compare the clinical signs and neuropathologic findings with those of certain other transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE, prion diseases) that have been shown to be experimentally transmissible to cattle (sheep scrapie, CWD of mule deer [CWD^md], bovine spongiform encephalopathy [BSE], and transmissible mink encephalopathy). Two uninoculated calves served as controls. Within 26 months postinoculation (MPI), 12 inoculated calves had lost considerable weight and eventually became recumbent. Of the 12 inoculated calves, 11 (92%) developed clinical signs. Although spongiform encephalopathy (SE) was not observed, abnormal prion protein (PrP^d) was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Western blot (WB) in central nervous system tissues. The absence of SE with presence of PrP^d has also been observed when other TSE agents (scrapie and CWD^md) were similarly inoculated into cattle. The IHC and WB findings suggest that the diagnostic techniques currently used to confirm BSE would detect CWD^wtd in cattle, should it occur naturally. Also, the absence of SE and a distinctive IHC pattern of CWD^wtd and CWD^md in cattle suggests that it should be possible to distinguish these conditions from other TSEs that have been experimentally transmitted to cattle.

Key words: Cattle; chronic wasting disease; prion diseases; prion protein immunohistochemistry; prion protein Western blot; spongiform encephalopathy.

Request reprints from Dr. A. N. Hamir, National Animal Disease Center, ARS, USDA, 2300 Dayton AvenuePO Box 70, Ames, IA 50010 (USA). E-mail: ahamir{at}nadc.ars.usda.gov

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