Volume 15, Number 5—May 2009
Research
Chronic Wasting Disease Prions in Elk Antler Velvet
Table
Isolate from animal no. | Mice expressing deer PrPC |
Mice expressing elk PrPC |
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---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tg(CerPrP)1536+/– |
Tg(CerPrP-E226)5037+/– |
Tg(CerPrP-E226)5029+/– |
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Antler velvet | Brain | Antler velvet | Brain | Brain | % Decrease† | |||
01-0306 | 442 ± 16 (6/8) | 322 ± 9 (8/8) | 305 ± 86 (2/7)‡ | 174 ± 7 (8/8) | 46 (<0.0001) | |||
02-0306 | >594 (0/5) | 225 ± 3 (7/7) | ||||||
03-0306 | 463 ± 23 (2/3)§ | 335 ± 5 (7/7) | ||||||
04-0306 | >601 (0/6) | 281 ± 5 (7/7) | >505 (0/5) | 224 ± 6 (7/7) | 20 (<0.0001) | |||
7378 | 235 ± 2 (8/8) | 177 ± 15 (7/7) | 25 (0.0061) | |||||
99W12389 | 230 ± 9 (8/8) | 158 ± 13 (7/7) | 31 (0.0004) | |||||
D10 | 225 ± 1 (8/8) | 201 ± 8 (8/8) | 11 (0.013) | |||||
D92 | 268 ± 15 (7/7) | 201 ± 15 (8/8) | 263 ± 10 (7/7) | 25 (0.0061) | ||||
PBS | >510 (0/6) | |||||||
None | >592 (0/4)¶ |
*Incubation times are given as mean ± SEM days. Values in parentheses are no. diseased mice/no. inoculated mice. PrPC, cellular prion protein; Tg, transgenic; PBS, phosphate-buffered saline.
†Values represent the percent decrease in mean incubation time of isolates in Tg(CerPrP-E226)5037+/– mice compared with Tg(CerPrP)1536+/– mice. p values, calculated by the Student t-test, are shown in parentheses.
‡The remaining 5 of 7 inoculated mice remained free of disease until 525 d postinoculation, at which time they were euthanized.
§Mice inoculated with the antler velvet preparation from elk 03-0306 had an unusually high rate of intercurrent illnesses, resulting in early euthanasia of 5 inoculated mice.
¶Four uninoculated Tg(CerPrP E2226) 5037+/– mice were euthanized at 437 d.