| Title: |
Chronic wasting disease prions in mule deer interdigital glands |
| Authors: |
Ness, Anthony; Zeng, Doris; Kuznetsova, Alsu; Otero, Alicia; Kim, Chiye; Saboraki, Kelsey; Lingle, Susan; Pybus, Margo; Aiken, Judd; Gilch, Sabine; McKenzie, Debbie |
| Contributors: |
Morales, Rodrigo; Alberta Prion Research Institute; Genome Canada; NSERC |
| Source: |
PLOS ONE ; volume 17, issue 10, page e0275375 ; ISSN 1932-6203 |
| Publisher Information: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| Publication Year: |
2022 |
| Collection: |
PLOS Publications (via CrossRef) |
| Description: |
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a geographically expanding, fatal neurodegenerative disease in cervids. The disease can be transmitted directly (animal-animal) or indirectly via infectious prions shed into the environment. The precise mechanisms of indirect CWD transmission are unclear but known sources of the infectious prions that contaminate the environment include saliva, urine and feces. We have previously identified PrP C expression in deer interdigital glands, sac-like exocrine structures located between the digits of the hooves. In this study, we assayed for CWD prions within the interdigital glands of CWD infected deer to determine if they could serve as a source of prion shedding and potentially contribute to CWD transmission. Immunohistochemical analysis of interdigital glands from a CWD-infected female mule deer identified disease-associated PrP CWD within clusters of infiltrating leukocytes adjacent to sudoriferous and sebaceous glands, and within the acrosyringeal epidermis of a sudoriferous gland tubule. Proteinase K-resistant PrP CWD material was amplified by serial protein misfolding cyclic amplification (sPMCA) from soil retrieved from between the hoof digits of a clinically affected mule deer. Blinded testing of interdigital glands from 11 mule deer by real-time quake-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) accurately identified CWD-infected animals. The data described suggests that interdigital glands may play a role in the dissemination of CWD prions into the environment, warranting future investigation. |
| Document Type: |
article in journal/newspaper |
| Language: |
English |
| DOI: |
10.1371/journal.pone.0275375 |
| Availability: |
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0275375; https://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0275375 |
| Rights: |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.B743461C |
| Database: |
BASE |