h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The Symposium Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Neurosensory Institute at Baylor College of Med
Pruisner, David Corey, John Dowling, Fred Gage..... it was just after Pruisner won the Nobel.
We're an eclectic group!

John Chriton used prions as an excuse for the arratic dinosaur behavior in his novel 'The Lost World'(avoid the movie version if you can)
Question: Can prions be transmitted by an infected animal bite?

Ariel,

Yes I can see how all things neurosensory would embrace ears and prions. I hope it was a good do and lots of interesting things were said and listened to by an alert and interested audience.

Mr Brooke,

It's years since I read that book - well 5 at least. I'd completely forgotten about the carnivorous dinosaurs being fed on sheep. Sorry, I failed to avoid the movie - but, it had nothing to do with the book in any case, did it? If birds have evolved from dinosaurs then you'll be interested to hear that 4 ostriches in zoos in Northern Germany seem to have managed to acquire a prion disease known as zoological spongiform encephalopathy.

I can't answer your question about prions being transmitted by an infected animal's bite because I haven't come across any information about that. I guess most of the animals with a prion infection have been sheep and cows that don't tend to go around biting people. Anyway, there's a species barrier and most prion diseases can't cross it. The BSE prion seems to be the most adventurous one, that's game to infect lots of different species.

Thank you!

That's really interesting. I'm a bit worried about the idea of birds being susceptible to prion disease. Have all the other affected animals been mammals, do you know?

Sal-
I know they have also identified a prion-like disease in deer (and/or elk) in North America. There's been a tremendous amount of debate because there is the Center for Disease Control on the one hand raising a rucus to get the information out to hunters and a shocking amount of resistence on the part of those who earn $$ from selling hunting liscences. The hunters themselves seem to be displaying a cavalier attitde toward the whole affair. The interesting thing here is... aren't these animals herbivores?? So the vector for transmission is completely unknown (last I read about it). Granted this info is from the NY Times Science sectiom, but still it raises some interesting questions regarding modes of transmission.
Out of curiosity... do you know off-hand of how many prion diseases have been identified to date in various species and the various means of transmission?
This is facinating stuff.. though I confess... I think you've completely put me off my omnivore ways
cheers-
Ari

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Congratulations!

Thank you so much h2g2 Editors and the Scout who recommended my entry! I'm delighted!

I have some things to do this evening Ariel and Shorn. When I've got my chores out of the way. I'll come back and answer you. I may have information to surprise you Ariel. Watch this space ...

Sal

*Lines up behind all the other congratulants*

Congrats from me as well. I *knew* it!

(I just wonder who this invisible scout was ??)

Oops, how come I'm in Carnival disguise here?

This is Bossel speaking

Congrats from me too!
Now, you've whetted my curiosity.... I'm glued to the spot!
cheers-
Ari

errrm, you'd have to wade through lots of german mumble-jumble there , but there's an entry in the making (hint, hint)

Ok Shorn and Ariel, some info:

Shorn, I haven't come across any prion data involving Canaries, you'll be pleased to hear. Ostriches were the only birds. Most victims seem to be mammals. That could just be because the scientists have looked mainly at mammals. It seems flies, larvae, hay and grass mites that have fed on scrapie infected material can carry the prion infection and prions may possibly play some role in the evolution of yeasts. That's quite a range of organisms so if they look closely at other birds, reptiles, fish - who knows what them might find.

Ariel, I expect the disease you describe is Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) that afflicts elk and deer. Even though they're herbivores, just like cattle and sheep, there are ways for them to pick up this sort of disease. They've found that if a disease-free flock of sheep is mixed together with a scrapie infected flock, they can get the disease. They're not sure how yet but they've found that:

1) Infected cattle may have prion infectivity in their intestines before they show signs of BSE.

2) Infective material can remain infectious even when left in soil for years.

3) There could be a scrapie or BSE prion reservoir left in fields where infected animals have grazed.

4) Hay and grass mites collected from infected fields have been analysed and found to be infected.

5) The Sacrophaga carnaria fly and its larvae that fed on scrapie infected brains, were found to be infected.

6) The poor little rodent these insects were fed to went on to develop an encephalopathy.

So it looks as though it's possible for the herbivores to pick up infectious material in the course of their normal grazing.

I don't know how many different TSE's there are. Even with the ones I've read about, it's not always clear that it's a different TSE from all the others. For example, Feline Spongiform Encephalopathy has probably resulted from the BSE prion, as vCJD did.

I think I've mentioned all the means of transmission I'm aware of, here or in the article, apart from one. I seem to remember something about an unfortunate creature having some prion soup squirted in it's eye and it went on to develop a TSE.

Well, did one or two of those scraps of information surprise you at all, Ariel?

Sal

Hi Bossel Thanks!

I've been over to have a look at your carnival. It looks great - if a bit scary. Are you going to do an English version for the poor old monoglots like me?

Sal

So its (essentially) one protein that's able to infect multiple species??? I find myself wondering what twists of evolution created this thing..

Bossel... I must agree with Sal.. the Carnival photos were most intriguing! Please translate for us!

Well, I've been reading up on bats...
cheers-
Ari

Could a kidney dialysis machine remove prions from the blood?

Re: 5) Sacrophaga carnaria ...
Does that fly feed on carrion? I remember the -phago/-phagy as greek for '...-eating'. If so, then this would indicate that *carnivores* are not safe either.


Helaaf's homepage is a virtual carnival club's one, and the photos are from somewhere in the web... but there's an entry off that page which is in english!

Well, yes and no Ariel. The BSE prion seems to be able to infect lots of species. BSE seems to be an exception though. The other prion diseases are far more limited by the species barrier. I haven't read anything that's suggested CWD has developed from BSE. All mammals (that have been examined) have the gene that makes the normal prion (the PrPC) but it differs to varying degrees between species. With the exception of BSE, it's difficult for one species to be infected with another species' prion disease. So, for example, a goat could get scrapie from a sheep more easily than, say, a hamster could, because it's PrP gene is much more similar to that of the sheep. If the hamster is modified to carry the sheep gene, then it can be infected with ease. But then, it seems, once a species has been infected with another species' TSE it can sometimes infect a range of species that weren't previously susceptible to that disease. Also, when an animal is infected with another species' prion disease, it displays slightly different symptoms from the original species. That seems rather suggestive doesn't it? Maybe CWD did originate from BSE, maybe BSE originated from scrapie and when it crossed the species barrier to cattle it was able to infect a whole range of other species too. I'm going to be watching developments. There have been so many surprises and they don't seem to be anywhere near the end of this mystery yet.

George, I doubt that very much. Dialysis machines leave proteins and blood cells and just strip out impurities.

Bossel, yes, that seems a possibility. There's no proof that I'm aware of yet, about flies, maggots and mites being eaten and causing diseases outside a laboratory. It'll be interesting to see what they find. Sheep get terrible problems with maggots (usually around their rears) and I don't know how good herbivores are at avoiding things like that when they graze. I don't imagine they're very fastidious about avoiding mites in grass or hay, in any case.


I'll have another look. It must have been hiding in plain sight.


Sal

*Scout who recommended entry arrives, huffing & panting*

Er... sorry I'm so late... anyway, congratulations! This is a great entry - prions are something that I'm particularily interested in, diseases wise.

Even though the entry's been recommended, it could take a couple of months to get through the system - but once it does, you'll get an e-mail telling you where you can find the edited version...

Keep writing - scientific entries are difficult, and it's nice to meet someone who definitely knows how to go about it!

Hi Krans Thank you very much indeed. It's nice to find so many people who are interested in the same things that interest me!

Sal