title: Progressive accumulation of the abnormal conformer of the prion protein and spongiform encephalopathy in the obex of nonsymptomatic and symptomatic Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) with chronic wasting disease.
abstract: The purpose of our study was to describe the progressive accumulation of the abnormal conformer of the prion protein (PrP(CWD)) and spongiform degeneration in a single section of brain stem in Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) with chronic wasting disease (CWD). A section of obex from 85 CWD-positive elk was scored using the presence and abundance of PrP(CWD) immunoreactivity and spongiform degeneration in 10 nuclear regions and the presence and abundance of PrP(CWD) in 10 axonal tracts, the subependymal area of the fourth ventricle, and the thin subpial astrocytic layer (glial limitans). Data was placed in a formula to generate an overall obex score. Data suggests that PrP(CWD) immunoreactivity and spongiform degeneration has a unique and relatively consistent pattern of progression throughout a section of obex. This scoring technique utilizing a single section of obex may prove useful in future work for estimating the presence and abundance of PrP(CWD) in peripheral tissues and the nervous system in elk with CWD.
authors.affiliation: Colorado State University Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO (Spraker, Cummings)National Wildlife Research Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, Fort Collins, CO (Gidlewski, Nichols, VerCauteren)National Park Service, Biological Resources Management Division, Fort Collins, CO (Powers, Wild)Canadian Food Inspection Services, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (Balachandran)USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Pullman, WA (O'Rourke) terry.spraker@colostate.edu.
authors.forename: Terry R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Spraker
authors.affiliation: Colorado State University Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO (Spraker, Cummings)National Wildlife Research Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, Fort Collins, CO (Gidlewski, Nichols, VerCauteren)National Park Service, Biological Resources Management Division, Fort Collins, CO (Powers, Wild)Canadian Food Inspection Services, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (Balachandran)USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Pullman, WA (O'Rourke).
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gidlewski
authors.affiliation: Colorado State University Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO (Spraker, Cummings)National Wildlife Research Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, Fort Collins, CO (Gidlewski, Nichols, VerCauteren)National Park Service, Biological Resources Management Division, Fort Collins, CO (Powers, Wild)Canadian Food Inspection Services, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (Balachandran)USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Pullman, WA (O'Rourke).
authors.forename: Jenny G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Powers
authors.affiliation: Colorado State University Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO (Spraker, Cummings)National Wildlife Research Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, Fort Collins, CO (Gidlewski, Nichols, VerCauteren)National Park Service, Biological Resources Management Division, Fort Collins, CO (Powers, Wild)Canadian Food Inspection Services, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (Balachandran)USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Pullman, WA (O'Rourke).
authors.forename: Tracy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nichols
authors.affiliation: Colorado State University Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO (Spraker, Cummings)National Wildlife Research Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, Fort Collins, CO (Gidlewski, Nichols, VerCauteren)National Park Service, Biological Resources Management Division, Fort Collins, CO (Powers, Wild)Canadian Food Inspection Services, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (Balachandran)USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Pullman, WA (O'Rourke).
authors.forename: Aru
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Balachandran
authors.affiliation: Colorado State University Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO (Spraker, Cummings)National Wildlife Research Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, Fort Collins, CO (Gidlewski, Nichols, VerCauteren)National Park Service, Biological Resources Management Division, Fort Collins, CO (Powers, Wild)Canadian Food Inspection Services, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (Balachandran)USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Pullman, WA (O'Rourke).
authors.forename: Bruce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cummings
authors.affiliation: Colorado State University Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO (Spraker, Cummings)National Wildlife Research Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, Fort Collins, CO (Gidlewski, Nichols, VerCauteren)National Park Service, Biological Resources Management Division, Fort Collins, CO (Powers, Wild)Canadian Food Inspection Services, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (Balachandran)USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Pullman, WA (O'Rourke).
authors.forename: Margaret A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Wild
authors.affiliation: Colorado State University Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO (Spraker, Cummings)National Wildlife Research Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, Fort Collins, CO (Gidlewski, Nichols, VerCauteren)National Park Service, Biological Resources Management Division, Fort Collins, CO (Powers, Wild)Canadian Food Inspection Services, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (Balachandran)USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Pullman, WA (O'Rourke).
authors.forename: Kurt
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: VerCauteren
authors.affiliation: Colorado State University Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO (Spraker, Cummings)National Wildlife Research Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, Fort Collins, CO (Gidlewski, Nichols, VerCauteren)National Park Service, Biological Resources Management Division, Fort Collins, CO (Powers, Wild)Canadian Food Inspection Services, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (Balachandran)USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Pullman, WA (O'Rourke).
authors.forename: Katherine I
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: O'Rourke
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D003670:Deer; D017096:Prion Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D011328:Prions / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D011487:Protein Conformation; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000378:metabolism; D034081:Wasting Disease, Chronic / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D011328:Prions; D020033:Protein Isoforms
keywords: Chronic wasting disease; elk, obex; prion protein; spongiform encephalopathy