title: Mitigation of prion infectivity and conversion capacity by a simulated natural process--repeated cycles of drying and wetting.
abstract: Prions enter the environment from infected hosts, bind to a wide range of soil and soil minerals, and remain highly infectious. Environmental sources of prions almost certainly contribute to the transmission of chronic wasting disease in cervids and scrapie in sheep and goats. While much is known about the introduction of prions into the environment and their interaction with soil, relatively little is known about prion degradation and inactivation by natural environmental processes. In this study, we examined the effect of repeated cycles of drying and wetting on prion fitness and determined that 10 cycles of repeated drying and wetting could reduce PrP(Sc) abundance, PMCA amplification efficiency and extend the incubation period of disease. Importantly, prions bound to soil were more susceptible to inactivation by repeated cycles of drying and wetting compared to unbound prions, a result which may be due to conformational changes in soil-bound PrP(Sc) or consolidation of the bonding between PrP(Sc) and soil. This novel finding demonstrates that naturally-occurring environmental process can degrade prions.
authors: Department of Civil Engineering, Peter Kiewit Institute, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America.
authors: Qi
authors: Q
authors: Yuan
authors: Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America.
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Eckland
authors: Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Prion Research Center, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America.
authors: Glenn
authors: G
authors: Telling
authors: Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America.
authors: Jason
authors: J
authors: Bartz
authors: Department of Civil Engineering, Peter Kiewit Institute, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America.
authors: Shannon
authors: S
authors: Bartelt-Hunt
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D006224:Cricetinae; D008647:Mesocricetus; D018620:PrPSc Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D017096:Prion Diseases / Q000635:transmission*; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D018620:PrPSc Proteins; D012987:Soil