We performed a transmission study with mice to clarify the characteristics of the most recent case of scrapie in Japan. The mice that were inoculated with the brain homogenate from a scrapie-infected sheep developed progressive neurological disease; one of the scrapie-infected mice showed unique clinical signs during primary transmission. This mouse developed obesity, polydipsia, and polyuria. In contrast, the other infected mice exhibited weight loss and hypokinesia. In subsequent passages, the mice showed distinct characteristic scrapie phenotypes. This finding may prove that different prion strains coexist in a naturally infected sheep with scrapie.
(Research Team for Prion Diseases, TEL +81-29-838-7708)
Reference:
Masujin, K. et al. (2009) Arch. Virol. 154:1929-1932.
