DAFM seeks tenders for BSE and scrapie testing equipment

DAFM seeks tenders for BSE and scrapie testing equipment

Aisling O Aisling O'Brien April 30, 2025 9:30 am

DAFM seeks tenders for BSE and scrapie testing equipment

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) is inviting tenders for testing equipment for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and scrapie.

The department operates a Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy (TSE) Surveillance Programme throughout the country.

One element of the programme involves the extraction and transportation of brain tissue matter from carcasses at knackeries and slaughter plants to a designated rapid testing laboratory for post-mortem assessment.

DAFM

DAFM said that it requires a packaging solution for the storage and transportation of brain tissue matter conforming to the packaging standards for liquid substances.

The department said that the absorbent material for inclusion within the secondary packaging must be capable of absorbing up to 600ml liquid.

The successful tenderer will also supply sampling spoons for use in the extraction of brain tissue matter from carcasses at knackeries and slaughter plants.

DAFM said that the spoons “should be capable of transferring the brain tissue via the mouth of the sample pot without spillage”.

Currently, separate designed spoons are used for BSE and scrapie sampling.

“The packaging shall be of good quality, strong enough to withstand the shocks and loadings normally encountered during carriage,” the department said.

Based on current information available, the department estimated that the following supply may be required annually:

23,000 scrapie samples (to include 10,000 factory and 10,000 knackery samples);

60,000 BSE knackery samples;

1,500 BSE samples at slaughter plants.

The closing date for the submissions of tenders for the contract worth €800,000 is 3:00p.m on May 29.

The department noted that 50 samples for each spoon type and one sample for each other item must be submitted by post by the deadline.

Related Stories:

Notifiable sheep diseases diagnosed in 2023 and 2024

DAFM confident in existing BSE controls following Scottish case

https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/dafm-seeks-tenders-for-bse-and-scrapie-testing-equipment/

Atypical BSE cases in Ireland: neurological signs, brain histopathology and Tissue distribution of PrPres

Sebas6an Alessandro Mignacca, Ann Sharpe, Emma Curley, Semsa Omerovic, Cisca Kimbembe, Máire McElroy Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine - Pathology Division, Celbridge, Co. Kildare, Ireland

Aims:

In Ireland, six atypical BSE cases, five H-type (H-1 to -5) and one L-type, have been confirmed up to May 2023. Herein, the neurological characteris6cs, brain histopathology, topographical distribu6on, and signal intensity of PrPres are described.

Material and Methods:

All cases were iden6fied through ac6ve surveillance. Clinical history was retrieved from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine archives. Whole brains/brainstems of H-type animals, and the L-type, and selected peripheral 6ssues of L-type were further studied by histopathology, immunohistochemistry (IHC - MAb F89) and immunoblotting (APHA BioRad TeSeE Hybrid). Investigations on PrPres distribution on the H-5 are in progress.

Results:

All animals were beef-breed females, aged between 11 – 18 years-old. They had vague clinical histories of depression, inappetence, incoordination, and recumbency, lasting 2-4 days. In the L-type and in H-5 intermittent signs lasted 2 and 6 weeks, respectively. H-2 was a healthy slaughtered animal.

Among the suitable obices for histopathology (H-1, -2 and -5), and the whole brain of H-5, vacuolation was only detected in H-5. Positive immunostaining was detected at the obex for H-1, in medulla, thalamus, cerebellum for H-2, and at all levels of the brain for H-3 and H-5. In the fallen H-type cases, immunoblot and Idexx EIA were consistently strong in all brain levels. In the healthy slaughter animal, PrPres levels were lower in cerebellum and cerebral cortex.

L-type showed inconclusive histopathological changes at obex, whilst neuropil vacuolation was most marked in thalamus and midbrain. PrPres was detected by IHC, immunoblotting and Idexx EIA at all levels of the brain and spinal cord, and immunoblotting only in the op6c nerve and re6na.

Conclusions:

Clinical courses were short and non-specific. PrPres intensity in all cases were generally high at all levels of the brain tested including the obex, the official target area for BSE surveillance. A

Acknowledgements: Colleagues in Regional Veterinary Laboratories for collec6ng the brain material. Colleagues in TSE Division and DVOs for clinical information on cases

https://prion2023.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Meeting-book-final-version2.pdf

Scotland Single case of disease confirmed in Dumfries and Galloway

Published 06 December 2024 12:45

Topic Farming and rural

Single case of disease confirmed in Dumfries and Galloway.

A case of atypical Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) has been confirmed in a cow on a farm in Dumfries and Galloway.

Precautionary movement restrictions have been put in place at impacted premises and cover animals which have been in contact with the case. Further investigations to identify the origin of the disease are ongoing. This is standard procedure for a confirmed case of atypical BSE.

The case was identified as a result of our routine yet intensive BSE surveillance and stringent control measures are in place. Atypical BSE is not known to be a risk to public health and the animal did not enter the human food chain. Food Standards Scotland have confirmed there is no risk to human health as a result of this isolated case.

The owners of the affected animals are working with authorities on next steps.

Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie said:

“Following confirmation of a case of atypical BSE in Dumfries and Galloway, the Scottish Government and other agencies took swift and robust action to protect the agriculture sector.

“The fact we identified this isolated case so quickly is proof that our surveillance system for detecting this type of disease is working effectively.

“I want to thank the animal’s owner for their diligence. Their decisive action has allowed us to identify and isolate the case at speed which has minimised its impact on the wider industry."

Chief Veterinary Officer Sheila Voas said:

“The fast detection of this case is proof that our surveillance system is doing its job.

“We are working closely with the Animal and Plant Health Agency, and other partners to identify where the disease came from.

“I want to reassure both farmers and the public that this is an isolated case and of the aytypical strain of BSE which is not transmissible and not connected to contaminated feed. But, if any farmers are concerned, I would urge them to seek veterinary advice."

Ian McWatt, Deputy Chief Executive of Food Standards Scotland said:

“There are strict controls in place to protect consumers from the risk of BSE and consumers can be reassured that these important protection measures remain in place and that Food Standards Scotland Official Veterinarians and Meat Hygiene Inspectors working in all abattoirs in Scotland will continue to ensure that in respect of BSE controls, the safety of consumers remains a priority.

“We will continue to work closely with Scottish Government, other agencies and industry at this time.”

Background

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE): how to spot and report the disease - gov.scot

The Animal Plant and Health Agency (APHA) is investigating the source of the disease.

All animals over four years of age that die on farm are routinely tested for BSE under our comprehensive surveillance system. Whilst the disease is not directly transmitted from animal to animal, its cohorts, including offspring, have been traced and isolated, and will be destroyed in line with our legal requirements.

In addition to the measures we have in place for fallen stock and animal feed, there is a strict control regime to protect consumers. This includes the removal of specified risk material such as the spinal column, brain and skull from carcasses destined for human consumption.

https://www.gov.scot/news/bse-2/

News BSE Published 10 May 2024 10:30 Topic Farming and rural Disease confirmed in Ayrshire.

A case of classical Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) has been confirmed on a farm in Ayrshire.

Precautionary movement restrictions have been put in place at impacted premises and cover animals which have been in contact with the case. Further investigations to identify the origin of the disease are ongoing. This is standard procedure for a confirmed case of classical BSE.

The case was identified as a result of routine surveillance and stringent control measures. The animal did not enter the human food chain. Food Standards Scotland have confirmed there is no risk to human health as a result of this isolated case.

The owners of the affected animals are working with authorities on next steps.

Read more: BSE: how to spot and report the disease. Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie said:

“Following confirmation of a case of classical BSE in Ayrshire, the Scottish Government and other agencies took swift and robust action to protect the agriculture sector. This included establishing a precautionary movement ban on the farm.

“The fact we identified this isolated case so quickly is proof that our surveillance system for detecting this type of disease is working effectively.

“I want to thank the animal’s owner for their diligence. Their decisive action has allowed us to identify and isolate the case at speed which has minimised its impact on the wider industry."

Chief Veterinary Officer Sheila Voas said:

“The fast detection of this case is proof that our surveillance system is doing its job.

“We are working closely with the Animal and Plant Health Agency, and other partners to identify where the disease came from.

“I want to reassure both farmers and the public that the risk associated with this isolated case is minimal. But, if any farmers are concerned, I would urge them to seek veterinary advice."

Ian McWatt, Deputy Chief Executive of Food Standards Scotland said:

“There are strict controls in place to protect consumers from the risk of BSE, including controls on animal feed, and removal of the parts of cattle most likely to carry BSE infectivity.

“Consumers can be reassured that these important protection measures remain in place and that Food Standards Scotland Official Veterinarians and Meat Hygiene Inspectors working in all abattoirs in Scotland will continue to ensure that in respect of BSE controls, the safety of consumers remains a priority.

“We will continue to work closely with Scottish Government, other agencies and industry at this time.”

Background

The Animal Plant and Health Agency (APHA) is investigating the source of the outbreak.

All animals over four years of age that die on farm are routinely tested for BSE under our comprehensive surveillance system. Whilst the disease is not directly transmitted from animal to animal, its cohorts, including offspring, have been traced and isolated, and will be destroyed in line with our legal requirements.

In addition to the measures we have in place for fallen stock and animal feed, there is a strict control regime to protect consumers. This includes the removal of specified risk material such as the spinal column, brain and skull from carcasses destined for human consumption.

Movement restrictions have also been put in place at three further farms – the farm of the animal’s origin and two more holdings where animals that have had access to the same feed are.

https://www.gov.scot/news/bse-1/

The European Union summary report on surveillance for the presence of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) in 2023

Published: 28 November 2024

Adopted: 29 October 2024

DOI https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2024.9097

KEYWORDS atypical, BSE, classical, CWD, scrapie, surveillance, TSE

CONTACT biohaw@efsa.europa.eu

Abstract

This report presents the results of surveillance on transmissible spongiform encephalopathies in cattle, sheep, goats, cervids and other species, and genotyping in sheep and goats, carried out in 2023 by 27 Member States (MS, EU27), the United Kingdom (in respect of Northern Ireland, (XI)) and other eight non‐EU reporting countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland (the data reported by Switzerland include those of Liechtenstein) and Türkiye. In total, 948,165 cattle were tested by EU27 and XI (−3%, compared with 2022), with five atypical BSE cases reported (four H‐type: two in Spain, one in France and one in Ireland; one L‐type in the Netherlands); and 46,096 cattle by eight non‐EU reporting countries with two atypical BSE cases reported by Switzerland. Three additional atypical BSE cases were reported by UK (1), USA (1) and Brazil (1). In total, 284,686 sheep and 102,646 goats were tested in the EU27 and XI (−3.5% and −5.9%, respectively, compared to 2022). In the other non‐EU reporting countries 26,047 sheep and 589 goats were tested. In sheep, 538 cases of scrapie were reported by 14 MS and XI: 462 classical scrapie (CS) by 4 MS (104 index cases (IC) with genotypes of susceptible groups in 93.4% of the cases), 76 atypical scrapie (AS) (76 IC) by 12 MS. In the other non‐EU reporting countries, Iceland reported 70 cases of CS while Norway reported 7 cases of ovine AS. Ovine random genotyping was reported by six MS and genotypes of susceptible groups accounted for 6.9%. In goats, 183 cases of scrapie were reported, all from EU MS: 176 CS (47 IC) by seven MS and 7 AS (7 IC) by five MS. Three cases in Cyprus and one in Spain were reported in goats carrying heterozygous alleles at codon 146 and 222, respectively. In total, 2096 cervids were tested for chronic wasting disease by ten MS, none tested positive. Norway tested 14,224 cervids with one European moose positive.

© European Food Safety Authority

https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/9097

See full report;

https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2024.9097

The European Union summary report on surveillance for the presence of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) in 2022

European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)

First published: 28 November 2023

https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2023.8384

Approved: 19 October 2023 Abstract

This report presents the results of surveillance on transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) in cattle, sheep, goats, cervids and other species, and genotyping in sheep and goats, carried out in 2022 by 27 Member States (MS, EU27), the United Kingdom (in respect of Northern Ireland [XI]) and other eight non-EU reporting countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland and Türkiye. In total, 977,008 cattle were tested by EU27 and XI (−4.3%, compared with 2021), and 52,395 cattle by eight non-EU reporting countries, with one case of H-BSE in France. In total, 295,145 sheep and 109,074 goats were tested in the EU27 and XI (−5.2% and −7.9%, respectively, compared to 2021). In the other non-EU reporting countries, 25,535 sheep and 633 goats were tested. In sheep, 557 cases of scrapie were reported by 17 MS and XI: 480 classical scrapie (CS) by five MS (93 index cases [IC] with genotypes of susceptible groups in 97.6% of the cases), 77 atypical scrapie (AS) (76 IC) by 14 MS and XI. In the other non-EU reporting countries, Norway reported 16 cases of ovine AS. Ovine random genotyping was reported by eight MS and genotypes of susceptible groups accounted for 7.3%. In goats, 224 cases of scrapie were reported, all from EU MS: 216 CS (42 IC) by six MS, and 8 AS (8 IC) by four MS. In Cyprus, two cases of CS were reported in goats carrying the heterozygous DN146 allele. In total, 3202 cervids were tested for chronic wasting disease by 10 MS. One wild European moose tested positive in Finland. Norway tested 17,583 cervids with two European moose, one reindeer and one red deer positive. In total, 154 animals from four other species tested negative in Finland.

https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2903/j.efsa.2023.8384

https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/search?s=Transmissible%20spongiform%20encephalopathy%20&sort=computed_sort_date&order=desc

Atypical BSE in cattle

THE recent diagnosis of two atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) cases in Great Britain (March 2023 in Cornwall and December 2024 in Dumfries and Galloway) and one in the Republic of Ireland (in November 2023) warrants a reminder about this notifiable disease.

Since 2005, a total of 17 cases have been detected in Great Britain.1 Unlike classical BSE, which resulted in over 180,000 cases in Great Britain and was predominantly associated with the consumption of feed contaminated with the BSE agent, and where the last case was confirmed in Ayrshire in May 2024, atypical BSE is believed to be a spontaneous disease in cattle found in approximately one in 1,000,000 tested cattle based on French data,2 similar to the sporadic Creutzfeldt- Jakob disease in people. There is currently no evidence that atypical BSE causes a disease in people, although it can be transmitted experimentally to other species by intracerebral inoculation, including primates.3–5 The World Organisation for Animal Health does not include atypical BSE in its geographical BSE risk status assessment.

Despite differences in terms of epidemiological, molecular and biological phenotype compared with classical BSE, atypical BSE is currently treated as if it were classical BSE in accordance with EU and UK legislation: once a case is identified, all cohort animals born and reared with the affected animal during the first 12 months of its life, and all offspring born within 24 months of its clinical onset, are culled and tested for BSE, which does seem to be at odds with the hypothesis that it is a spontaneous disease. This is more a precautionary measure to maintain confidence in the beef trade and protect consumers while more knowledge about this disease is obtained.

Almost all current knowledge on atypical BSE is based on experimental infection because this spontaneous

VET RECORD | 29 March–12 April 2025

disease has generally only been found in aged downer cows, which is difficult to replicate experimentally in the host species. Intracerebral inoculation of brain tissue from an affected cow causes disease in cattle in less than two years, unlike the natural disease that usually occurs in animals over eight years of age.

The vast majority of cases have been identified by active monitoring of fallen stock or emergency slaughter of cattle, where only the brain sample of various stages of autolysis is generally available. Little is known of where the atypical BSE agent can be found in natural disease, other than in the brain, because all the cases confirmed have been identified after death through active surveillance, by which time most peripheral tissue has been disposed of. Limited material from a single case of a naturally affected cow was tested in Italy by mouse bioassay, which found infectivity in muscle.6 In experimental disease generated by intracerebral inoculation of cattle, infectivity can be detected in the brain and spinal cord, ganglia, peripheral nerves and skeletal muscles, similar to classical BSE, but not in peripheral lymphoid tissue.6–8

Early reporting of clinical suspects is needed so that the live animal or the whole carcase can be delivered to an APHA regional laboratory for tissue sampling. This is made more difficult due to the subtlety of clinical signs based on experimental disease. Clinical cases may not be as over- reactive or nervous as classical BSE cases; some may, in fact, be dull, but what most cases have in common is that they have difficulty getting up and eventually end up as downer cows, and only the clinical history may reveal some prior behavioural or locomotor changes. High creatinine kinase serum levels and nibbling in response to scratching the tail head or back were some features in experimental disease,8, 9 but it is not known whether this is also seen in natural disease.

In general, BSE should be considered as a differential diagnosis in all downer cows that do not respond to treatment, where the blood results do not support the presence of a metabolic disease and where the cause cannot be determined with confidence.

Since BSE is a notifiable disease, suspected cases of BSE in Great Britain must be reported to the local APHA office.

Changes are imminent in the reporting of fallen stock cattle, which will require the owner to state whether the animal displayed signs of changes in behaviour, sensation or locomotion before death, in addition to the likely cause of death or disease. This is to obtain a better profile of the clinical history, if cattle are retrospectively diagnosed as BSE cases, which has happened in all BSE cases confirmed since 2010: none has been reported as a clinical suspect.

“BSE should be considered as a differential diagnosis in all downer cows that do not respond to treatment”

Timm Konold, TSE lead scientist

Brenda Rajanayagam, workgroup leader for the data systems group

APHA Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 3NB email: timm.konold@apha.gov.uk

Keith Meldrum, former chief veterinary officer The Orchard, Swaynes Lane, Guildford, Surrey GU1 2XX

References

1 APHA. Cattle: TSE surveillance statistics. Overview of Great Britain statistics. 2025. https://bit.ly/4ho5Nds (accessed 19 March 2025)

Atypical BSE In Cattle

https://bvajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/vetr.5400?campaign=woletoc

Volume 31, Number 5—May 2025

Dispatch

Administration of L-type Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy to Macaques to Evaluate Zoonotic Potential

Morikazu Imamura1Comments to Author , Ken’ichi Hagiwara, Minoru Tobiume, Minako Ohno, Hiromi Iguchi, Hanae Takatsuki, Tsuyoshi Mori, Ryuichiro Atarashi, Hiroaki Shibata, and Fumiko Ono1 Author affiliation: University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan (M. Imamura, M. Ohno, H. Iguchi, H. Takatsuki, T. Mori, R. Atarashi); National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan (K. Hagiwara, M. Tobiume); The Corporation for Production and Research of Laboratory Primates, Tsukuba, Japan (H. Shibata); Okayama University of Science, Imabari, Japan (F. Ono) Suggested citation for this article

Abstract

We administered L-type bovine spongiform encephalopathy prions to macaques to determine their potential for transmission to humans. After 75 months, no clinical symptoms appeared, and prions were undetectable in any tissue by Western blot or immunohistochemistry. Protein misfolding cyclic amplification, however, revealed prions in the nerve and lymphoid tissues.

Worldwide emergence of classical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (C-BSE) is associated with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans (1). Two other naturally occurring BSE variants have been identified, L-type (L-BSE) and H-type. Studies using transgenic mice expressing human normal prion protein (PrPC) (2) and primates (3–5) have demonstrated that L-BSE is more virulent than C-BSE. Although L-BSE is orally transmissible to minks (6), cattle (7), and mouse lemurs (5), transmissibility to cynomolgus macaques, a suitable model for investigating human susceptibility to prions, remains unclear. We orally inoculated cynomolgus macaques with L-BSE prions and explored the presence of abnormal prion proteins (PrPSc) in tissues using protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) along with Western blot (WB) and immunohistochemistry (IHC). PMCA markedly accelerates prion replication in vitro, and its products retain the biochemical properties and transmissibility of seed prion strains (8).

The Study

Two macaques orally inoculated with L-BSE prions remained asymptomatic and healthy but were euthanized and autopsied at 75 months postinoculation. WB showed no PrPSc accumulation in any tissue (Table), IHC revealed no PrPSc accumulation, hematoxylin and eosin staining revealed no spongiform changes in brain sections, and pathologic examination revealed no abnormalities.

We next attempted to detect PrPSc using PMCA, performed as previously described (9), with minor modifications (Appendix). First, we evaluated the sensitivity of PMCA. Using serial amplification with 10-fold stepwise dilutions of prion-infected brain homogenates as seeds, we amplified PrPSc-like proteinase K (PK)–resistant prion protein (PrPres) from a 10−7 dilution of 10% brain homogenate (BH) obtained from macaque intracerebrally inoculated with L-BSE prions in the fifth amplification round (Figure 1, panel A). This method also enabled propagation of PrPres from a 10−8 dilution of BH from C-BSE–affected cattle during the second amplification round (Figure 1, panel 😎, suggesting PMCA’s higher efficiency and sensitivity for detecting C-BSE prions than macaque L-BSE prions.

We attempted to detect prions in the lymphoid and nervous systems, among other tissues, of the 2 orally inoculated macaques using refined PMCA (Figure 2; Appendix Figure, Table). In lymphoid tissue samples prepared using sodium phosphotungstic acid precipitation (Appendix), we amplified PrPres in the inguinal and mesenteric lymph nodes, ileum, and tonsils of both macaques (Figure 2, panels A, 😎, as well as in the spleen of 1 macaque (#18) and the thymus of the other (#19), in the second or third amplification round of PMCA (Figure 2, panel C). We observed no PrPres in the submandibular lymph nodes (Appendix Figure 1). Examining the central nervous system, we observed no PrPres amplification in the cerebral cortex (Figure 2, panel C), whether seeded with phosphate-buffered saline homogenates or phosphotungstic acid precipitates. The spinal cord showed no PrPres amplification upon ethanol precipitation. However, PrPres was amplified in the cervical spinal cord of macaque #19 and in the thoracic spinal cord of both macaques with phosphate-buffered saline homogenates (Figure 2, panel D). We also confirmed PrPres in the median nerve of both macaques but not in the sciatic nerve (Figure 2, panel E). We noted PrPres signals in the submandibular glands of both animals. In contrast, we found no PrPres amplification in any tissues from uninoculated control macaques.

PrPres obtained from the orally inoculated macaques exhibited diverse banding patterns distinct from those generated by PMCA using L-BSE–affected cattle BH and L-BSE intracerebrally inoculated macaque BH as seeds (Figure 3, panels A–C). Of note, the lowest-molecular-weight PrPres variants from the ileum, spleen, inguinal lymph nodes, thoracic cord, submaxillary gland, and mesenteric lymph nodes of orally inoculated macaques exhibited remarkable PK resistance similarity and banding patterns indistinguishable from those of PrPres generated by PMCA with C-BSE–affected cattle BH as a seed (Figure 3, panel C, Appendix Figures 2 and 3). In contrast, the higher-molecular-weight PrPres variants from the ileum of macaque #18 exhibited a unique banding pattern distinct from those of L-BSE, C-BSE, and H-type BSE prions (Figure 3, panel C). Banding patterns and PK resistance of PrPres amplified from L-BSE–affected cattle BH and L-BSE intracerebrally inoculated macaque BH were notably similar.

This PMCA method was initially designed for the high-sensitivity detection of L-BSE intracerebrally inoculated macaque PrPSc but was even more efficient and sensitive in detecting bovine C-BSE PrPSc (Figure 1, panel 😎. Therefore, we believe that this method enabled the detection of both C-BSE–like PrPSc and potentially novel PrPSc variants.

Conclusion

We noted no detectable evidence of PrPSc by WB or IHC in any tissues of L-BSE orally inoculated macaques. Nevertheless, PMCA successfully amplified PrPres from lymphatic and neural tissues. The PrPres exhibited electrophoretic patterns distinct from those detected by PMCA using L-BSE–affected cattle BH as the seed (Figure 3, panel C), indicating that the PrPSc used as the template for PrPres amplification in orally inoculated macaques did not originate from the bovine L-BSE prions used as inoculum. Instead, PrPSc were newly generated by the conversion of macaque PrPC by bovine L-BSE prions. Our results provide strong evidence that L-BSE can infect macaques via the oral route.

We found no evidence that PrPSc reached the brain in orally inoculated macaques; however, the macaques euthanized 6 years postinoculation might have been in the preclinical period. At low infection levels, lymph nodes play a vital role in prion spread to the central nervous system (11). Therefore, had the macaques been maintained for a longer period, they might have developed prion disease. Retrospective surveillance studies using the appendix and tonsil tissues suggested a considerable number of humans harboring vCJD in a carrier state (12). Thus, we cannot exclude that L-BSE orally inoculated macaques could similarly remain in a potentially infectious state.

The brain of L-BSE intracerebrally inoculated macaque accumulated prions with biochemical properties resembling bovine L-BSE prions (Figure 3, panel C; Appendix Figure 2); however, we observed no PrPSc accumulation in lymphoid tissues by WB or IHC (4). In contrast, macaques orally inoculated with C-BSE prions showed PrPSc accumulation in lymphoid tissues, including the spleen, tonsils, and mesenteric lymph nodes by WB and IHC (13). In our study, L-BSE orally inoculated macaques harbored C-BSE–like prions in their lymphoid and neural tissues. Interspecies transmission of L-BSE prions to ovine PrP transgenic mice can result in a shift toward C-BSE–like properties (14,15). Our data suggest that L-BSE prions may alter biophysical and biochemical properties, depending on interspecies transmission and inoculation route, acquiring traits similar to those of C-BSE prions. This transformation might result from structural changes in the L-BSE prion to C-BSE–like prions and other lymphotropic prions within lymphoid tissues or from the selective propagation of low-level lymphotropic substrains within the L-BSE prion population.

The first limitation of our study is that the oral inoculation experiment involved only 2 macaques and tissues collected at 6 years postinoculation, before disease onset. Consequently, subsequent progression of prion disease symptoms remains speculative. A larger sample size and extended observation periods are required to conclusively establish infection in orally inoculated macaques. Furthermore, we performed no bioassays for PMCA-positive samples, leaving the relationship between PMCA results and infectious titers undefined. Considering that PrPres amplifications from tissues from the orally inoculated macaque tissues required 2 rounds of PMCA, the PrPSc levels in positive tissues might have been extremely low and undetectable in the bioassay.

Previous studies have demonstrated that L-BSE can be orally transmitted to cattle (7) and might have caused prion disease in farm-raised minks (6), indicating that L-BSE could naturally affect various animal species. Our findings suggest that L-BSE can also be orally transmitted to macaques. Therefore, current control measures aimed at preventing primary C-BSE in cattle and humans may also need to consider the potential risk of spontaneous L-BSE transmission.

Dr. Imamura is an associate professor in the Division of Microbiology, Department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan. His research interests are focused on elucidating the mechanisms underlying prion formation.

Acknowledgment This study was supported by the Health Labor Sciences Research Grant (H29-Shokuhin-Ippan-004, 20KA1003, and 23KA1004).

Top

References…snip…end

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/31/5/24-1257_article

Wednesday, May 24, 2023

***> WAHIS, WOAH, OIE, United States of America Bovine spongiform encephalopathy Immediate notification

https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/5067

https://woahoie.blogspot.com/2023/05/wahis-woah-oie-united-states-of-america.html

https://prpsc.proboards.com/thread/125/wahis-woah-oie-immediate-notification

SATURDAY, MAY 20, 2023

***> Tennessee State Veterinarian Alerts Cattle Owners to Disease Detection Mad Cow atypical L-Type BSE

https://bse-atypical.blogspot.com/2023/05/tennessee-state-veterinarian-alerts.html

https://prpsc.proboards.com/thread/123/tennessee-veterinarian-alerts-cattle-confirmed

MAY 19, 2023

USDA Atypical L-type BSE Confirmed

USDA Announces Atypical Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Detection Published: May 19, 2023

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing an atypical case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), a neurologic disease of cattle, in an approximately five-year-old or older beef cow at a slaughter plant in South Carolina. This animal never entered slaughter channels and at no time presented a risk to the food supply or to human health in the United States. Given the United States’ negligible risk status for BSE, we do not expect any trade impacts as a result of this finding.

USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (APHIS) National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) confirmed that this cow was positive for atypical L-type BSE. The animal was tested as part of APHIS’s routine surveillance of cattle that are deemed unsuitable for slaughter. The radio frequency identification tag present on the animal is associated with a herd in Tennessee. APHIS and veterinary officials in South Carolina and Tennessee are gathering more information during this ongoing investigation.

Atypical BSE generally occurs in older cattle and seems to arise rarely and spontaneously in all cattle populations.

This is the nation’s 7th detection of BSE. Of the six previous U.S. cases, the first, in 2003, was a case of classical BSE in a cow imported from Canada; the rest have been atypical (H- or L-type) BSE.

The World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) recognizes the United States as negligible risk for BSE. As noted in the WOAH guidelines for determining this status, atypical BSE cases do not impact official BSE risk status recognition as this form of the disease is believed to occur spontaneously in all cattle populations at a very low rate. Therefore, this finding of an atypical case will not change the negligible risk status of the United States, and should not lead to any trade issues.

The United States has a longstanding system of interlocking safeguards against BSE that protects public and animal health in the United States, the most important of which is the removal of specified risk materials - or the parts of an animal that would contain BSE should an animal have the disease - from all animals presented for slaughter. The second safeguard is a strong feed ban that protects cattle from the disease. Another important component of our system - which led to this detection - is our ongoing BSE surveillance program that allows USDA to detect the disease if it exists at very low levels in the U.S. cattle population.

http://web.archive.org/web/20230522150242/https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/newsroom/stakeholder-info/sa_by_date/sa-2023/bse

US still only testing <25K annually for BSE, hardly enough to detect Mad Cow disease with any confidence…terry

2 weeks before the announcement of this recent mad cow case in the USA, i submitted this to the APHIS et al;

***> APPRX. 2 weeks before the recent mad cow case was confirmed in the USA, in Tennessee, atypical L-Type BSE, I submitted this to the APHIS et al;

Document APHIS-2023-0027-0001 BSE Singeltary Comment Submission May 2, 2023

''said 'burden' cost, will be a heavy burden to bear, if we fail with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy BSE TSE Prion disease, that is why this information collection is so critical''...

https://www.regulations.gov/comment/APHIS-2023-0027-0002

https://downloads.regulations.gov/APHIS-2023-0027-0002/attachment_1.pdf

Title: Transmission of atypical BSE: a possible origin of Classical BSE in cattle

Authors: Sandor Dudas1, Samuel James Sharpe1, Kristina Santiago-Mateo1, Stefanie Czub1, Waqas Tahir1,2, *

Affiliation: 1National and WOAH reference Laboratory for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, Canadian Food inspection Agency, Lethbridge Laboratory, Lethbridge, Canada. 2Department of Biological Sciences, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.

*Corresponding and Presenting Author: waqas.tahir@inspection.gc.ca

Background: Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease of cattle and is categorized into classical and atypical forms. Classical BSE (CBSE) is linked to the consumption of BSE contaminated feed whereas atypical BSE is considered to be spontaneous in origin. The potential for oral transmission of atypical BSE is yet to be clearly defined.

Aims: To assess the oral transmissibility of atypical BSE (H and L type) in cattle. Should transmission be successful, determine the biochemical characteristics and distribution of PrPSc in the challenge cattle.

Material and Methods: For oral transmission, calves were fed with 100 g of either H (n=3) or L BSE (n=3) positive brain material. Two years post challenge, 1 calf from each of the H and L BSE challenge groups exhibited behavioural signs and were euthanized. Various brain regions of both animals were tested by traditional and novel prion detection methods with inconclusive results. To detect infectivity, brain homogenates from these oral challenge animals (P1) were injected intra-cranially (IC) into steer calves. Upon clinical signs of BSE, 3/4 of IC challenged steer calves were euthanized and tested for PrPSc with ELISA, immunohistochemistry and immunoblot.

Results: After 6 years of incubation, 3/4 animals (2/2 steers IC challenged with brain from P1 L-BSE oral challenge and 1/2 steer IC challenged with brain from P1 H-BSE oral challenge) developed clinical disease. Analysis of these animals revealed high levels of PrPSc in their brains, having biochemical properties similar to that of PrPSc in C-BSE.

Conclusion: These results demonstrate the oral transmission potential of atypical BSE in cattle. Surprisingly, regardless of which atypical type of BSE was used for P1 oral challenge, PrPSc in the P2 animals acquired biochemical characteristics similar to that of PrPSc in C-BSE, suggesting atypical BSE as a possible origin of C-BSE in UK.

Presentation Type: Oral Presentation

Funded by: CFIA, Health Canada, Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency, Alberta Prion Research Institute

Grant Number: ALMA/APRI: 201400006, HC 414250

https://prion2023.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Meeting-book-final-version2.pdf

'Spontaneous mutation'

***> PLEASE NOTE!

***Moreover, sporadic disease has never been observed in breeding colonies or primate research laboratories, most notably among hundreds of animals over several decades of study at the National Institutes of Health25, and in nearly twenty older animals continuously housed in our own facility.***

Even if the prevailing view is that sporadic CJD is due to the spontaneous formation of CJD prions, it remains possible that its apparent sporadic nature may, at least in part, result from our limited capacity to identify an environmental origin.

https://www.nature.com/articles/srep11573

OIE Conclusions on transmissibility of atypical BSE among cattle

Given that cattle have been successfully infected by the oral route, at least for L-BSE, it is reasonable to conclude that atypical BSE is potentially capable of being recycled in a cattle population if cattle are exposed to contaminated feed. In addition, based on reports of atypical BSE from several countries that have not had C-BSE, it appears likely that atypical BSE would arise as a spontaneous disease in any country, albeit at a very low incidence in old cattle. In the presence of livestock industry practices that would allow it to be recycled in the cattle feed chain, it is likely that some level of exposure and transmission may occur. As a result, since atypical BSE can be reasonably considered to pose a potential background level of risk for any country with cattle, the recycling of both classical and atypical strains in the cattle and broader ruminant populations should be avoided.

https://www.oie.int/fileadmin/SST/adhocreports/Bovine%20spongiform%20encephalopathy/AN/A_AhG_BSEsurv_RiskAss_Mar2019.pdf

Annex 7 (contd) AHG on BSE risk assessment and surveillance/March 2019

34 Scientific Commission/September 2019

3. Atypical BSE

The Group discussed and endorsed with minor revisions an overview of relevant literature on the risk of atypical BSE being recycled in a cattle population and its zoonotic potential that had been prepared ahead of the meeting by one expert from the Group. This overview is provided as Appendix IV and its main conclusions are outlined below. With regard to the risk of recycling of atypical BSE, recently published research confirmed that the L-type BSE prion (a type of atypical BSE prion) may be orally transmitted to calves1 . In light of this evidence, and the likelihood that atypical BSE could arise as a spontaneous disease in any country, albeit at a very low incidence, the Group was of the opinion that it would be reasonable to conclude that atypical BSE is potentially capable of being recycled in a cattle population if cattle were to be exposed to contaminated feed. Therefore, the recycling of atypical strains in cattle and broader ruminant populations should be avoided.

4. Definitions of meat-and-bone meal (MBM) and greaves

http://web.oie.int/downld/PROC2020/A_SCAD_Sept2019.pdf

The L-type BSE prion is much more virulent in primates and in humanized mice than is the classical BSE prion, which suggests the possibility of zoonotic risk associated with the L-type BSE prion

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/16/7/09-1882_article

Consumption of L-BSE–contaminated feed may pose a risk for oral transmission of the disease agent to cattle.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5324790/

Thus, it is imperative to maintain measures that prevent the entry of tissues from cattle possibly infected with the agent of L-BSE into the food chain.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3310119/

Atypical L-type bovine spongiform encephalopathy (L-BSE) transmission to cynomolgus macaques, a non-human primate

Fumiko Ono 1, Naomi Tase, Asuka Kurosawa, Akio Hiyaoka, Atsushi Ohyama, Yukio Tezuka, Naomi Wada, Yuko Sato, Minoru Tobiume, Ken'ichi Hagiwara, Yoshio Yamakawa, Keiji Terao, Tetsutaro Sata

Affiliations expand

PMID: 21266763

Abstract

A low molecular weight type of atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (L-BSE) was transmitted to two cynomolgus macaques by intracerebral inoculation of a brain homogenate of cattle with atypical BSE detected in Japan. They developed neurological signs and symptoms at 19 or 20 months post-inoculation and were euthanized 6 months after the onset of total paralysis. Both the incubation period and duration of the disease were shorter than those for experimental transmission of classical BSE (C-BSE) into macaques. Although the clinical manifestations, such as tremor, myoclonic jerking, and paralysis, were similar to those induced upon C-BSE transmission, no premonitory symptoms, such as hyperekplexia and depression, were evident. Most of the abnormal prion protein (PrP(Sc)) was confined to the tissues of the central nervous system, as determined by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. The PrP(Sc) glycoform that accumulated in the monkey brain showed a similar profile to that of L-BSE and consistent with that in the cattle brain used as the inoculant. PrP(Sc) staining in the cerebral cortex showed a diffuse synaptic pattern by immunohistochemistry, whereas it accumulated as fine and coarse granules and/or small plaques in the cerebellar cortex and brain stem. Severe spongiosis spread widely in the cerebral cortex, whereas florid plaques, a hallmark of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, were observed in macaques inoculated with C-BSE but not in those inoculated with L-BSE.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21266763/

see full text;

https://www.niid.go.jp/niid/images/JJID/64/81.pdf

''H-TYPE BSE AGENT IS TRANSMISSIBLE BY THE ORONASAL ROUTE''

This study demonstrates that the H-type BSE agent is transmissible by the oronasal route. These results reinforce the need for ongoing surveillance for classical and atypical BSE to minimize the risk of potentially infectious tissues entering the animal or human food chains.

https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publication/?seqNo115=353094

Terry S. Singeltary Sr.