Ovine scrapie: priorities and importance
2000
Novak, M. | Vrtiak, O.J. (Slovenska Akademia Vied, Bratislava (Slovak Republic). Neuroimunologicky Ustav) | Mikula, I. | Tkacikova, L.
Ovine and caprine scrapie occupies a unique place among animal transmissive spongiform encephalopathies. The studies dealing with the development of bovine spongiform encephalopathy of the English type have indicated justifiably that its origin is associated with one (or more) heretofore unidentified ovine strain. The development of a variant form, the Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease in humans, and transmission of the BSE agent to several species of bovidae, felidae and primates, puts stress on its zoonotic potential. At present, scrapie is a noticeable disease also in other than European Communities Member States. It is on the list B of the International Epizootics Office. Elimination or even eradication of ovine scrapie from populations of domestic ruminants is the prerequisite for prevention of penetration of ovine pathogenic prions into the human feed chain. Our study established that the PrP genotype of Valachian rams, the Slovak autochtonous breed, contains also VRQ and ARQ alleles encoding the susceptibility to scrapie. Their selection is part of the improvement of Slovak Valachian sheep towards resistance to scrapie.
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