Abstract
THERE are several reasons for concluding that scrapie agents depend, for extraneural replication, on some components of the host's lymphoreticular system being functional1. Agent replication occurs earliest in the spleen and lymph nodes2 and some factors which make an animal more susceptible to infection by conventional viruses have the opposite effect with scrapie. For example, infection with scrapie by the intraperitoneal (i.p.) route is more difficult in neonatal than in adult mice3, in mice treated with a large dose of cortical steroids4 and in mice with severe malnutrition (A.G.D., unpublished). These findings raise the question whether the opposite effect can be produced, so that mice given treatments which stimulate any sector of the immune system would be infected more readily with scrapie agent given extraneurally. The results presented here confirm this expectation in mice treated with the mitogen phytohaemagglutinin (PHA), which increases the activity of lymphoreticular cells.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Outram, G. W. in Slow Virus Diseases of Animals and Man (ed. Kimberlin, R. H.), 325–357 (North Holland, Amsterdam, 1976).
Eklund, C. M., Kennedy, R. C. & Hadlow, W. J. J. infect. Dis. 117, 15–22 (1967).
Outram, G. W., Dickinson, A. G. & Fraser, H. Nature 241, 536–537 (1973).
Outram, G. W., Dickinson, A. G. & Fraser, H. Nature 249, 855–856 (1974).
McFarlin, D. E., Raff, M. C., Simpson, E. & Nehlson, S. H. Nature 233, 336 (1971).
Fraser, H. & Dickinson, A. G. J. comp. Path. (in the press).
Rosenstreich, D. L. in Mitogens in Immunobiology (eds Oppenheim, J. J. & Rosenstreich, D. L.) 385–398 (Academic, New York, 1976).
Greaves, M. & Janossy, G. Transplantation Rev. 87–130 (1972).
Kimberlin, R. H. & Cunnington, P. G. FEMS Lett. (in the press).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
DICKINSON, A., FRASER, H., MCCONNELL, I. et al. Mitogenic stimulation of the host enhances susceptibility to scrapie. Nature 272, 54–55 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1038/272054a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/272054a0
This article is cited by
-
Pathogenesis of hamster scrapie
Archives of Virology (1990)
-
Intraperitoneal infection with scrapie is established within minutes of injection and is non-specifically enhanced by a variety of different drugs
Archives of Virology (1990)
-
Isolation and characterization of macrophages from scrapie-infected mouse brain
Acta Neuropathologica (1987)
-
The antiviral compound HPA-23 can prevent scrapie when administered at the time of infection
Archives of Virology (1983)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.