title: In utero transmission and tissue distribution of chronic wasting disease-associated prions in free-ranging Rocky Mountain elk.
abstract: The presence of disease-associated prions in tissues and bodily fluids of chronic wasting disease (CWD)-infected cervids has received much investigation, yet little is known about mother-to-offspring transmission of CWD. Our previous work demonstrated that mother-to-offspring transmission is efficient in an experimental setting. To address the question of relevance in a naturally exposed free-ranging population, we assessed maternal and fetal tissues derived from 19 elk dam-calf pairs collected from free-ranging Rocky Mountain elk from north-central Colorado, a known CWD endemic region. Conventional immunohistochemistry identified three of 19 CWD-positive dams, whereas a more sensitive assay [serial protein misfolding cyclic amplification (sPMCA)] detected CWD prion seeding activity (PrPCWD) in 15 of 19 dams. PrPCWD distribution in tissues was widespread, and included the central nervous system (CNS), lymphoreticular system, and reproductive, secretory, excretory and adipose tissues. Interestingly, five of 15 sPMCA-positive dams showed no evidence of PrPCWD in either CNS or lymphoreticular system, sites typically assessed in diagnosing CWD. Analysis of fetal tissues harvested from the 15 sPMCA-positive dams revealed PrPCWD in 80 % of fetuses (12 of 15), regardless of gestational stage. These findings demonstrated that PrPCWD is more abundant in peripheral tissues of CWD-exposed elk than current diagnostic methods suggest, and that transmission of prions from mother to offspring may contribute to the efficient transmission of CWD in naturally exposed cervid populations.
authors.affiliation: Colorado State University, Prion Research Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.
authors.forename: Anca
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Selariu
authors.affiliation: National Park Service, Biological Resources Division, 1201 Oakridge Drive, Suite 200, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.
authors.forename: Jenny G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Powers
authors.affiliation: Colorado State University, Prion Research Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nalls
authors.affiliation: Colorado State University, Prion Research Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brandhuber
authors.affiliation: Colorado State University, Prion Research Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.
authors.forename: Amber
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mayfield
authors.affiliation: Colorado State University, Prion Research Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.
authors.forename: Stephenie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fullaway
authors.affiliation: Colorado State University, Prion Research Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.
authors.forename: Christy A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Wyckoff
authors.affiliation: Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian EH25 9RG, UK.
authors.forename: Wilfred
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Goldmann
authors.affiliation: Colorado State University, Prion Research Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.
authors.forename: Mark M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Zabel
authors.affiliation: National Park Service, Biological Resources Division, 1201 Oakridge Drive, Suite 200, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.
authors.forename: Margaret A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Wild
authors.affiliation: Colorado State University, Prion Research Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.
authors.forename: Edward A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Hoover
authors.affiliation: Colorado State University, Prion Research Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.
authors.forename: Candace K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Mathiason
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000378:metabolism*; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000378:metabolism; D003120:Colorado; D003670:Deer / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D008297:Male; D017096:Prion Diseases / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000635:transmission*; D011328:Prions / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D034081:Wasting Disease, Chronic / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000635:transmission*
chemical_list: D011328:Prions