title: Minimum Effective Dose of Cattle and Sheep BSE for Oral Sheep Infection.
abstract: The minimum dose required to cause infection of Romney and Suffolk sheep of the ARQ/ARQ or ARQ/ARR prion protein gene genotypes following oral inoculation with Romney or Suffolk a sheep Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)-derived or cattle BSE-derived agent was investigated using doses ranging from 0.0005g to 5g. ARQ/ARQ sheep which were methionine (M) / threonine (T) heterozygous or T/T homozygous at codon 112 of the Prnp gene, dosed ARQ/ARR sheep and undosed controls did not show any evidence of infection. Within groups of susceptible sheep, the minimum effective oral dose of BSE was found to be 0.05g, with higher attack rates following inoculation with the 5g dose. Surprisingly, this study found no effect of dose on survival time suggesting a possible lack of homogeneity within the inoculum. All clinical BSE cases showed PrPd accumulation in brain; however, following cattle BSE inoculation, LRS involvement within Romney recipients was found to be significantly lower than within the Suffolk sheep inoculated group which is in agreement with previous reports.
authors.affiliation: Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA-Lasswade), Pentlands Science Park, Penicuik, Midlothian, EH26 0PZ, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Gillian
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: McGovern
authors.affiliation: Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA-Lasswade), Pentlands Science Park, Penicuik, Midlothian, EH26 0PZ, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Stuart
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA-Lasswade), Pentlands Science Park, Penicuik, Midlothian, EH26 0PZ, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jeffrey
authors.affiliation: APHA-Weybridge, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Glenda
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dexter
authors.affiliation: APHA-Weybridge, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Steve A C
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Hawkins
authors.affiliation: APHA-Weybridge, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Sue J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Bellworthy
authors.affiliation: APHA-Weybridge, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Thurston
authors.affiliation: Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA-Lasswade), Pentlands Science Park, Penicuik, Midlothian, EH26 0PZ, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Lynne
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Algar
authors.affiliation: Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA-Lasswade), Pentlands Science Park, Penicuik, Midlothian, EH26 0PZ, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: González
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D016643:Encephalopathy, Bovine Spongiform / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D008297:Male; D011328:Prions / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D021381:Protein Transport; D012756:Sheep; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D011328:Prions