Study of CWD Deer and Elk Prion Disease in Nonhuman Primates

为了研究CWD跨物种传播的可能性，研究人员将两种非人类灵长类动物松鼠猴和食蟹猴从CWD感染的鹿或麋鹿的大脑中提取的物质经口或脑内感染。2008财年结束时，13只脑内感染的松鼠猴中有7只出现了临床神经学症状，经脑生化和病理检查证实为朊病毒病。一只经口腔感染的松鼠猴也出现了疾病。到目前为止，没有食蟹猴出现任何疾病迹象。对剩余猴子的观察还将持续几年。在2008财年，我们用感染CWD的松鼠猴的脑匀浆接种了另外四只食蟹猴和松鼠猴，以评估CWD对非人灵长类宿主的适应能力。此外，我们正在评估受感染松鼠猴的血液是否存在朊病毒传染性。

To study the possibility of cross-species transmission of CWD, two species of nonhuman primates, squirrel monkeys and cynomologus macaques, were infected orally or intracerebrally with brain material derived from CWD affected deer or elk. At the conclusion of FY08 seven of thirteen intracerebrally infected squirrel monkeys had developed clinical neurological signs and were confirmed by biochemical and pathological testing of brain to have a prion disease. One orally infected squirrel monkey has also developed disease. To this point no cynomologus macaques have developed any signs of disease. Observations on the remaining monkeys will continue for a few more years. During FY08 we inoculated four additional cynomologus macaques and squirrel monkeys with brain homogenates derived from a CWD infected squirrel monkey to evaluate the ability of CWD to adapt to a nonhuman primate host. In addition we are evaluating blood from infected squirrel monkeys for the presence of prion infectivity. Tissues from CWD-infected squirrel monkeys and CWD-infected cervids used to infect such monkeys are also being analyzed by titration in deer PrP expressing transgenic mice.