title: Serological evidence for an inflammatory response in murine scrapie.
abstract: Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are initiated by a novel kind of agent that produces characteristic degenerative changes in the brain without a detectable systemic inflammatory response or serological changes. A murine scrapie model was evaluated for changes in plasma concentration of serum amyloid P component (SAP), a protein that is up-regulated in infected and/or injured mice during the acute phase response (APR). C57BL10 and IRW mice inoculated with scrapie brain developed clinical scrapie 125-150 days later. At this time, concentration of plasma SAP increased in most of them. The SAP level increased > or =3-fold in >80% of the scrapie-affected C57BL10 mice and IRW male mice. A similar increase was found in <3% of respective nonscrapie control mice. The up-regulation of mouse SAP during clinical scrapie provides evidence for the activation of a systemic APR in TSE, a serological change that may be clinically useful.
authors: Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Hamilton, Montana 59840, USA. jcoe@niaid.nih.gov
authors: J E
authors: JE
authors: Coe
authors: R E
authors: RE
authors: Race
authors: M J
authors: MJ
authors: Ross
mesh_terms: D000210:Acute-Phase Reaction; D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D012608:Scrapie / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology*; D000683:Serum Amyloid P-Component / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D000683:Serum Amyloid P-Component