RT-QuIC detection of pathological prion protein in subclinical goats following experimental oral transmission of L-type BSE.
Alessandra FavoleMaria MazzaAntonio D'AngeloGuerino LombardiClaudia PalmitessaLuana Dell'AttiGiulia CagnottiElena BerroneMarina GalloTiziana AvanzatoErika MessanaLoretta MasoeroPier Luigi AcutisDaniela MeloniFranco CardoneMaria CaramelliCristina CasaloneCristiano CoronaPublished in: BMC research notes (2021)
Despite a prolonged observation period of 80 months, all these animals and the uninfected controls did not develop clinical signs referable to TSEs and tested negative by standard diagnostics. Otherwise, RT-QuIC analysis showed seeding activity in five out of five examined brain samples. PrPsc accumulation was also detected in spinal cord and lymphoreticular system. These results indicate that caprine species are susceptible to L-BSE by oral transmission and that ultrasensitive prion tests deserve consideration to improve the potential of current surveillance systems against otherwise undetectable forms of animal prion infections.