TY - JOUR
T1 - First case of feline spongiform encephalopathy in a captive cheetah born in France
T2 - PrPsc analysis in various tissues revealed unexpected targeting of kidney and adrenal gland
AU - Lezmi, Stephane
AU - Bencsik, Anna
AU - Monks, Eoin
AU - Petit, Thierry
AU - Baron, Thierry
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgements This work was supported in parts by grants from the “Programme National de Recherches sur les ESST et les Prions”. Stéphane Lezmi was financially supported by a grant from Agence Française de Sécurité Sanitaire des Aliments (AFSSA). We gratefully acknowledge Dr. R. Pariaut (Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Lyon, France) for helpful discussions.
PY - 2003/5/1
Y1 - 2003/5/1
N2 - Feline spongiform encephalopathy (FSE), affecting domestic and captive feline species, is a prion disease considered to be related to bovine spongiform encephalopathy. Here we report an immunohistological analysis of the first FSE-affected cheetah born in France. The duration of clinical signs, of which ataxia was the main one, was about 8 weeks. The distribution of abnormal prion protein (PrPsc) was studied by immunohistochemistry within 27 different tissues. Different antibodies were used to visualise abnormal PrP deposits in situ. PrPsc accumulation was detected in the central nervous system (cerebral cortex, cerebellum, brain stem, spinal cord, retina), in peripheral nerves and in lymphoid organs. PrPsc deposits were not observed within the enteric nervous system nor in several other organs, such as pancreas, ovary, liver and muscle. More interestingly, unusual PrPsc deposits were observed within the zona fasciculata/reticularis of the adrenal gland and within some glomeruli of the kidney raising the question of possible PrPsc excretion. The sympathetic innervation of these two organs was visualised and compared to the distribution of PrPsc deposits. Our results suggest the possibility that the infectious agent is spread by both haematogenous and nervous pathways.
AB - Feline spongiform encephalopathy (FSE), affecting domestic and captive feline species, is a prion disease considered to be related to bovine spongiform encephalopathy. Here we report an immunohistological analysis of the first FSE-affected cheetah born in France. The duration of clinical signs, of which ataxia was the main one, was about 8 weeks. The distribution of abnormal prion protein (PrPsc) was studied by immunohistochemistry within 27 different tissues. Different antibodies were used to visualise abnormal PrP deposits in situ. PrPsc accumulation was detected in the central nervous system (cerebral cortex, cerebellum, brain stem, spinal cord, retina), in peripheral nerves and in lymphoid organs. PrPsc deposits were not observed within the enteric nervous system nor in several other organs, such as pancreas, ovary, liver and muscle. More interestingly, unusual PrPsc deposits were observed within the zona fasciculata/reticularis of the adrenal gland and within some glomeruli of the kidney raising the question of possible PrPsc excretion. The sympathetic innervation of these two organs was visualised and compared to the distribution of PrPsc deposits. Our results suggest the possibility that the infectious agent is spread by both haematogenous and nervous pathways.
KW - BSE
KW - FSE
KW - Noradrenergic system
KW - Prion
KW - vCJD
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U2 - 10.1007/s00418-003-0524-5
DO - 10.1007/s00418-003-0524-5
M3 - Article
C2 - 12783238
AN - SCOPUS:0038115349
SN - 0948-6143
VL - 119
SP - 415
EP - 422
JO - Histochemistry and Cell Biology
JF - Histochemistry and Cell Biology
IS - 5
ER -