Prion transmissibility

[Sean Stevens]

Naveed Panjwani <n.panjwani at lshtm.ac.uk> wrote:
>umfunk15 at cc.umanitoba.ca (Duane James Funk) wrote:
>
>
>> 
>> 3. Finally, and most importantly, this business about blood 
>> transmission.  From the papers I have read I think to myself 'Not Bloody 
>> Likely' (Pun intended).  Aren't prions transmitted primarily in neural 
>> tissue.
>> 
>
>If you think about it, its logical that the infectious agent is blood
>borne at some stage in non-human Prion disease. Sheep do not go in
>for pituatary grafts, nor do they consume neurologically derived 
>foodstuffs. I hardly think there is a case for brain-brain contact, 
>unless you subscribe to a matter-energy transcendental mode of trans-
>mission.
>
>So you've got to have vascular entry at some point.
>
>Naveed.

Just out of curiosity-I was under the impression that the mad cow 
disease in Great Britain was derived from cattle feed that was found
to be contaminated with ground up carcasses of sheep that had scrapie.
Does this suggest that the transmission was via GI/bloodstream?

                         -Sean

Sean Stevens  The Rockefeller University

stevens at rockvax.rockefeller.edu