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Prion diseases

BSE in sheep bred for resistance to infection

Nature volume 423, page 498 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

Selective breeding for disease-resistant genotypes is being pursued as a means of eradicating scrapie (and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), if it is present) from sheep flocks. Here we show that the genotype associated with the highest resistance can still be infected with BSE by intracerebral inoculation. Although the relevance of this finding to sheep exposed to natural infection remains to be determined, it may have important implications for disease-eradication strategies.

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Figure 1: Immunohistochemical labelling of abnormal PrP protein in the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus of a sheep that is homozygous for the ARR allele (see text) and has been infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Animal Health, Compton, Newbury, RG20 7NN, Berkshire, UK

    Fiona Houston

  2. IAH Neuropathogenesis Unit, Ogston Building, Edinburgh, EH9 3JF, UK

    Wilfred Goldmann, Angela Chong, James Foster, David Parnham & Nora Hunter

  3. Veterinary Laboratories Agency Lasswade, Pentlands Science Park, Penicuik, EH26 0PZ, Midlothian, UK

    Martin Jeffrey & Lorenzo González

Authors
  1. Fiona Houston
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  2. Wilfred Goldmann
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  3. Angela Chong
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  4. Martin Jeffrey
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  5. Lorenzo González
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  6. James Foster
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  7. David Parnham
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  8. Nora Hunter
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fiona Houston.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Houston, F., Goldmann, W., Chong, A. et al. BSE in sheep bred for resistance to infection. Nature 423, 498 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/423498a

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