Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is an emerging prion disease of deer and elk. The risk of CWD transmission to humans following exposure to CWD-infected tissues is unknown. To assess the susceptibility of nonhuman primates to CWD, two squirrel monkeys were inoculated with brain tissue from a CWD-infected mule deer. The CWD-inoculated squirrel monkeys developed a progressive neurodegenerative disease and were euthanized at 31 and 34 months postinfection. Brain tissue from the CWD-infected squirrel monkeys contained the abnormal isoform of the prion protein, PrP-res, and displayed spongiform degeneration. This is the first reported transmission of CWD to primates.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 13794-13796 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | Journal of Virology |
Volume | 79 |
Issue number | 21 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 2005 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Microbiology
- Immunology
- Insect Science
- Virology