Iceland Reports Another Case of Scrapie
A new case of measles in Miðfjörður
News - 03.04.2023
Riða has been confirmed in the town of Bergsstaðir in Vestur Húnavatn county. Actions are being prepared. The analysis changes the fact that Miðfjörður is now considered an infected area according to regulations.
Last week, the farmers on the farm contacted the Swedish Food Agency and reported sick sheep with symptoms that could indicate rabies. The agency's staff went to the farm and took samples. The UI's experimental center at Keldum has now confirmed the diagnosis of rickets. Preparations for operations have begun. There are 690 sheep on the farm and they will all be slaughtered as soon as possible. Samples will be taken from the cattle for the study of rickets and genotyping. Epidemiological information will be collected and emphasis will be placed on tracing where sheep from the farm have been moved. Given that there is the greatest risk of infection spreading during lambing, it is important that those sheep are also lambed as soon as possible.
The town is in Miðfjörður, but scab has never been detected in it, and it therefore falls under the definition of an uninfected area, cf. regulation on the eradication of scrapie. As a result of this diagnosis, the compartment is now defined as an infected area. The main change it entails is that it is not permitted to transport sheep between flocks in the compartment and anything else that can carry infectious agents between places, such as hay, hay pellets, straw, farm animal manure, field roofs and topsoil. Furthermore, it is not permitted to house entry money, feed it or arm it with home money.
Advanced material
Matvælastofnun's information page about rickets
Riða
Riðuveiki er langvinnur og ólæknandi smitsjúkdómur í sauðfé. Sjúkdómurinn veldur svampkenndum hrörnunarskemmdum í heila og mænu. Flestar kindur sem sýna einkenni eru 1½-5 ára. Dæmi eru þó um riðueinkenni í 7 mánaða gömlu lambi og 14 vetra á. Smitefnið er hvorki baktería né veira heldur prótín, nefnt Príon eða PrP sem hefur breytt lögun og við það orðið sjúklegt og fádæma lífseigt, þolir langa suðu og flest sótthreinsiefni nema helst klór. Heilbrigt príon myndast í flestum vefjum dýra og er bundið við yfirborð fruma í líkamanum. Riðupríónið, sem komist hefur í líkama kindar kemur af stað keðjuverkun, þannig að prótein þess sem sýkist komast einnig á umbreytt og sýkjandi form og svo koll af kolli. Þannig fjölgar smitefninu með vaxandi hraða, fyrst í eitlavef, svo í heila og mænu og skemmdirnar þar framkalla einkennin. Kindur geta gengið með riðu langa ævi án þess að hún komi fram. Oftast er þó kindin veik í mánuði áður en hún deyr, sjaldan þó lengur en eitt ár. Veikin leiðir kindina stundum til dauða á fáum vikum, eða á skemmri tíma. Smitefnið virðist lifa í umhverfinu í meira en áratug og getur komið upp á sama bæ oftar en einu sinni.
1580474234-synataka2lss.jpg
Riða
mast.is
Ride
Scrapie is a chronic and incurable infectious disease in sheep. The disease causes spongy degenerative lesions in the brain and spinal cord. Most sheep that show symptoms are 1½-5 years old. However, there are examples of scabies symptoms in a 7-month-old lamb and a 14-year-old. The infectious agent is neither a bacterium nor a virus, but a protein, called Prion or PrP, which has changed its shape and thereby become diseased and extremely resilient, resistant to long boiling and most disinfectants except chlorine. A healthy prion is produced in most animal tissues and is attached to the surface of cells in the body. The rabies prion, which has entered the body of a sheep, starts a chain reaction, so that the proteins of the infected person also find themselves in a transformed and infectious form, and so on. In this way, the infectious agent multiplies with increasing speed, first in lymph tissue, then in the brain and spinal cord, and the damage there produces the symptoms. Sheep can go a long time with mange without it appearing. Most of the time, the sheep is sick for a month before it dies, rarely longer than a year. The disease sometimes leads the sheep to death in a few weeks, or in less time. The pathogen appears to live in the environment for more than a decade and can appear on the same farm more than once.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2021
New case of scrapie in Iceland Skagafjörður New case of scrapie in Iceland Skagafjörður
New case of scrapie in Skagafjörður News - 10.09.2021
Scrapie has been confirmed on the farm Syðra-Skörðugil in Skagafjörður. There are about 1500 sheep on the farm, adults and lambs.
Syðra-Skörðugil is in Húna- and Skagahólfur, but in that chamber it was last diagnosed with scrapie on one farm in 2020. Scrapie has occurred in Syðra-Skörðugil once before, 30 years ago or in 1991.
Last year, a rash was diagnosed on 5 farms in the eastern part of Skagafjörður, which belong to Tröllaskagahólfur. Also on one farm in Vatnsnes in Vestur-Húnavatnssýsla.
Matvælastofnun is currently collecting epidemiological information to assess the extent of the infection and the necessary measures.
Increased sampling is planned in the Northwest this autumn and it is very important that farmers inform the district veterinarian of money that is killed or logged at home due to uncleanliness, accidents or diseases so that samples can be obtained from them. It is also important to get samples from home slaughter.
There is a lot of work to be done to curb horseradish in the area and try to eradicate it.
Related material
Nýtt tilfelli riðu í Skagafirði Frétt - 10.09.2021 Riðuveiki hefur verið staðfest á bænum Syðra-Skörðugili í Skagafirði. Um 1500 fjár eru á bænum, fullorðið fé og lömb.
Syðra-Skörðugil er í Húna- og Skagahólfi en í því hólfi greindist síðast riða á einum bæ árið 2020. Riðuveiki hefur komið upp á Syðra-Skörðugili einu sinni áður, fyrir 30 árum eða árið 1991.
Á síðasta ári greindist riða á 5 bæjum í austanverðum Skagafirði, sem tilheyra Tröllaskagahólfi. Sömuleiðis á einum bæ á Vatnsnesi í Vestur-Húnavatnssýslu.
Matvælastofnun vinnur nú að öflun faraldsfræðilegra upplýsinga til að meta umfang smitsins og nauðsynlegar aðgerðir.
Aukin sýnataka er fyrirhuguð á Norðurlandi vestra nú í haust og mjög mikilvægt að bændur láti héraðsdýralækni vita af fé sem drepst eða er lógað heima vegna vanþrifa, slysa eða sjúkdóma svo hægt sé að nálgast sýni úr þeim. Einnig er mikilvægt að fá sýni úr heimaslátrun.
Til mikils er að vinna að koma böndum á riðu á svæðinu og reyna að útrýma henni.
Ítarefni
OIE Scrapie Iceland
Information received on 09/03/2020 from Dr Sigurborg Daðadóttir, Chief Veterinary Officer, Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority, Ministry of Industries and Innovation, Selfoss, Iceland
Summary
Report type Immediate notification
Date of start of the event 12/02/2020
Date of confirmation of the event 21/02/2020
Report date 09/03/2020
Date submitted to OIE 09/03/2020
Reason for notification Recurrence of a listed disease
Date of previous occurrence 01/02/2019
Manifestation of disease Clinical disease
Causal agent PrPSc
Nature of diagnosis Laboratory (advanced)
This event pertains to a defined zone within the country
New outbreaks (1)
Outbreak 1 Grófargil, Skagafjarðar
Date of start of the outbreak 12/02/2020
Outbreak status Continuing (or date resolved not provided)
Epidemiological unit Farm
Affected animals
Species Susceptible Cases Deaths Killed and disposed of Slaughtered
Sheep 107 1 0 107 0
Summary of outbreaks Total outbreaks: 1
Total animals affected
Species Susceptible Cases Deaths Killed and disposed of Slaughtered
Sheep 107 1 0 107 0
Outbreak statistics
Species Apparent morbidity rate Apparent mortality rate Apparent case fatality rate Proportion susceptible animals lost*
Sheep 0.93% 0.00% 0.00% 100.00%
*Removed from the susceptible population through death, destruction and/or slaughter
Epidemiology
Source of the outbreak(s) or origin of infection
Unknown or inconclusive
Control measures
Measures applied
Movement control inside the country
Official destruction of animal products
Official disposal of carcasses, by-products and waste
Stamping out
Vaccination permitted (if a vaccine exists)
No treatment of affected animals
Measures to be applied
Surveillance outside containment and/or protection zone
Surveillance within containment and/or protection zone
Disinfection
Diagnostic test results
Laboratory name and type Species Test Test date Result
Institute for experimental pathology at Keldur, University of Iceland (National laboratory) Sheep antibody detection ELISA 21/02/2020 Positive
Institute for experimental pathology at Keldur, University of Iceland (National laboratory) Sheep western blot 21/02/2020 Positive
Future Reporting
The event is continuing. Weekly follow-up reports will be submitted.
Map of outbreak locations
Submit
Case of Scrapie in Skagafjörður
mbl.is/Eggert Jóhannesson Vala Hafstað vala@mbl.is The Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority, MAST, announced Friday night that a case of scrapie had been confirmed in a sheep on the farm Syðra-Skörðugil in Skagafjörður, North Iceland, mbl.is reports. There are 1,500 sheep on the farm, including lambs. This is the second time Syðra-Skörðugil is hit by a case of the disease, for 30 years ago, a case on the farm was confirmed. The extent of the spread of the disease is being assessed.
Scrapie is a fatal, neurodegenerative disease that affects sheep. It is caused by a prion. The disease, which affects the sheep’s brain, does not appear to be transmissible to humans. It was carried to Iceland in 1878 with an English ram, transported from Denmark to Skagafjörður.
In October of 2020, a case of scrapie was confirmed on another farm in Skagafjörður that belongs to the same disease prevention area, and last year, the disease was confirmed on five farms on the eastern side of Skagafjörður, which belong to a different disease prevention area.
According to britannica.com, “Scrapie has a long incubation time, typically between about 18 months and five years following transmission. The first signs to arise are usually behavioral changes such as general apprehensiveness and nervousness. As the disease progresses, the animal loses weight and weakens, develops head and neck tremors, loses muscular coordination, and begins to rub or scrape its body against objects, wearing away its fleece or hair—hence the name ‘scrapie.’ The disease inevitably causes death within one to six months. No treatment or palliative measures are known.”
The farm Syðra-Skörðugil was the most productive farm in Skagafjörður last year. “It will take me many, many years to build up another herd like this,” states farmer Elvar Eylert Einarsson.
Typically, when a case of scrapie comes up, all the sheep at the relevant farm need to be slaughtered to prevent further spread of the disease, so the damage is always substantial.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2020
North Iceland, A case of scrapie was confirmed in a sheep, strong suspicion that scrapie is present in sheep on three farms North Iceland,
A case of scrapie was confirmed in a sheep, strong suspicion that scrapie is present in sheep on three farms
October 27, 2020 The Ministry of Industry and Innovation Scrapie in Skagafjörður discussed by the government Kristján Þór Júlíusson, Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, explained at a government meeting this morning the situation that has arisen in Skagafjörður due to confirmed scrapie in Tröllaskagahólfur. On the 22nd of October Scrapie was diagnosed on the farm Stóra-Ökrum 1 and Matvælastofnun has in recent days mapped the further spread of the disease.
Kristján Þór Júlíusson, Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture:
"It simply came to our notice then. I have been following the progress of this case closely in recent days and it is clear that the damage is great and tangible. Efforts are being made to understand the extent of the scrapie and the Food Administration is now mapping the possible spread. I have issued clear instructions to the Ministry and the Food Administration that we do everything in our power to support farmers in the area through this shock. "
Matvælastofnun has in recent days been working on sampling in the area. Preliminary results indicate that there is a strong suspicion that scrapie is present in sheep on three farms, but no final results are available. No scrapie has been diagnosed in this area in Tröllaskagahólfur since the year 2000.
The total number of artefacts that need to be cut is not known, but there are strong indications that it will be significant. In light of this, Matvælastofnun has requested that the Environment Agency assist the agency with disposal solutions. It is also clear that the ministry's costs for the case will be considerable, but the state will pay compensation and costs for scrapie to livestock owners where cuts are necessary.
27.10.2020 | 11:37 | Updated 13:07 "Do everything in our power" At a government meeting this morning, Kristján Þór Júlíusson, Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, explained the state of affairs in Skagafjörður due to scrapie, which has been confirmed in Tröllaskagahólfur.
As has been reported, scrapie was diagnosed on the farm Stóra-Ökrar 1 on 22 October, and in recent days the Food Administration has mapped the further spread of the disease.
"This news is a great blow," the minister was quoted as saying on the cabinet's website.
Clear recommendation given to the Ministry In recent days, he has been closely following the progress of this case. It is clear that the damage is great and tangible.
"Efforts are being made to understand the extent of the scrapie and the Food Administration is now mapping the possible spread. I have issued clear instructions to the ministry and the Food Administration that we do everything in our power to support farmers in the area through this shock, "says Kristján Þór.
Indicators of a significant number Preliminary results indicate that there is a strong suspicion that scrapie is present in sheep on three farms, but no final results are available. No scrapie has been diagnosed in this area in Tröllaskagahólfur since the year 2000.
The website of the cabinet says that there is no total number of items that need to be cut. There are strong indications that it will be significant.
"In light of this, Matvælastofnun has requested that the Environment Agency assist the agency with solutions for disposal. It is also clear that the Ministry's costs for the case will be considerable, but the state will pay compensation and costs due to scrapie to livestock owners where cuts are necessary. "
October 27, 2020
The Ministry of Industry and Innovation Scrapie in Skagafjörður discussed by the government Kristján Þór Júlíusson, Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, explained at a government meeting this morning the situation that has arisen in Skagafjörður due to confirmed scrapie in Tröllaskagahólfur.
On the 22nd of October Scrapie was diagnosed on the farm Stóra-Ökrum 1 and Matvælastofnun has in recent days mapped the further spread of the disease.
Kristján Þór Júlíusson, Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture:
"It simply came to our notice then. I have been following the progress of this case closely in recent days and it is clear that the damage is great and tangible. Efforts are being made to understand the extent of the scrapie and the Food Administration is now mapping the possible spread. I have issued clear instructions to the Ministry and the Food Administration that we do everything in our power to support farmers in the area through this shock. "
Matvælastofnun has in recent days been working on sampling in the area. Preliminary results indicate that there is a strong suspicion that scrapie is present in sheep on three farms, but no final results are available. No scrapie has been diagnosed in this area in Tröllaskagahólfur since the year 2000.
The total number of artefacts that need to be cut is not known, but there are strong indications that it will be significant. In light of this, Matvælastofnun has requested that the Environment Agency assist the agency with disposal solutions. It is also clear that the ministry's costs for the case will be considerable, but the state will pay compensation and costs for scrapie to livestock owners where cuts are necessary.
27.10.2020 | 11:37 | Updated 13:07 "Do everything in our power" At a government meeting this morning, Kristján Þór Júlíusson, Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, explained the state of affairs in Skagafjörður due to scrapie, which has been confirmed in Tröllaskagahólfur.
As has been reported, scrapie was diagnosed on the farm Stóra-Ökrar 1 on 22 October, and in recent days the Food Administration has mapped the further spread of the disease.
"This news is a great blow," the minister was quoted as saying on the cabinet's website.
Clear recommendation given to the Ministry In recent days, he has been closely following the progress of this case. It is clear that the damage is great and tangible.
"Efforts are being made to understand the extent of the scrapie and the Food Administration is now mapping the possible spread. I have issued clear instructions to the ministry and the Food Administration that we do everything in our power to support farmers in the area through this shock, "says Kristján Þór.
Indicators of a significant number Preliminary results indicate that there is a strong suspicion that scrapie is present in sheep on three farms, but no final results are available. No scrapie has been diagnosed in this area in Tröllaskagahólfur since the year 2000.
The website of the cabinet says that there is no total number of items that need to be cut. There are strong indications that it will be significant.
"In light of this, Matvælastofnun has requested that the Environment Agency assist the agency with solutions for disposal. It is also clear that the Ministry's costs for the case will be considerable, but the state will pay compensation and costs due to scrapie to livestock owners where cuts are necessary. "
MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2019
Scrapie (Rida) Iceland Information received on 28/01/2019 from Dr Sigurborg Daðadóttir, Chief Veterinary Officer
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2018
OIE Final Report Iceland Scrapie TSE Prion 02/11/2018 Start of Event 12/09/2018
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
North Iceland reporting more cases of Scrapie (Rida)
From: 'Terry S. Singeltary Sr.' flounder9@verizon.net [bloodcjd]
Subject: [BLOODCJD] North Iceland reporting more cases of Scrapie (Rida)
Greetings Iceland et al,
I wish to submit the following updated science on the real potential of zoonosis from scrapie ‘’rida’’. yes, science is showing indeed that it is transmissible to humans. course, old science showed us this decades ago.
CWD in cervid, see latest report on the 5th case of cwd in Norway, and then see the threat of horizontal transmission and the latest from ars research. see the study this month...they speak about Norway...
Good Luck !
kindest regards, terry
North Iceland reporting more cases of Scrapie (Rida)
Case of Scrapie in North Iceland
By Vala Hafstad Society about 5 hours ago
Icelandic sheep
Photo: Zoë Robert.
A case of scrapie has been confirmed at a farm in Skagafjörður. Scrapie is a fatal, degenerative disease, which affects the nervous systems of sheep and goats. This is the fourth confirmed case of scrapie in Northwest Iceland since February of 2015. That year, no case had been reported since 2010. Mast, the Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority, is currently collecting data and preparing a course of action.
Last week, the farmer of Brautarholt in Skagafjörður suspected a case of scrapie and contacted the district’s veterinarian. The sheep was slaughtered and a specimen sent to the University of Iceland’s Institute for Experimental Pathology at Keldur, which confirmed that the animal had been affected with scrapie. Cases of the disease have come up on eleven farms in Skagafjörður in the past two decades. Sheep had to be slaughtered at the farm Brautarholt in 1987, due to scrapie. The farm currently has 290 sheep.
Until 2010, cases of scrapie were confirmed on a few farms in the country every year, but no cases were reported 2011-2014. Mast stresses that even though such cases are rare, we must constantly be on guard against the disease. Every year, samples are collected from about 3,000 sheep at slaughterhouses. Farmers have also been encouraged to send the heads of sheep killed by accident or disease to Keldur for examination.
Tags
Nature and Travel | Iceland Monitor | Wed 11 Mar 2015 | 10.55 GMT | Modified at 11.11
Scrapie outbreak
Three cases of scrapie have been identified in Iceland in the last month.
Scrapie is a fatal, degenerative disease affecting the central nervous system of sheep. Two of the confirmed cases are in Skagafjörður and the third, in Vatnsnes, both in Northern Iceland.
Cases not connected
The Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority (IFVA) is currently gathering data and preparing further action, but so far there is not considered to be any link between the cases at the two sites. In the IFVA’s view, the current spate of cases may be attributable to greater care and attention exercised by farmers in the light of the first reported cases.
Líffræðifélag Íslands Líffræðiráðstefnan 2015
Erindi/veggspjald / Talk/poster V101
Scrapie control in Iceland – past and present Stefanía Þorgeirsdóttir (1) og Auður L. Arnþórsdóttir (2)
1. Tilraunastöð Háskóla Íslands í meinafræði að Keldum, 2. Matvælastofnun
Kynnir / Presenter: Stefanía Þorgeirsdóttir
Tengiliður / Corresponding author: Stefanía Þorgeirsdóttir (stef@hi.is)
Scrapie in sheep has been endemic in Iceland for over 130 years and has in the past caused considerable losses to sheep farming. In 1978 a rigorous scrapie control program was established and since 1986 the strategy has been to cull all scrapie flocks in order to eradicate the disease. In 1993 further enhancements of the program were made, mainly in the practical aspects of handling scrapie cases. After disinfection of premises and a three-year waiting period, farmers can restock with healthy sheep from scrapie-free zones. That plan is still in effect for classical scrapie, but in 2012 different measures for atypical/Nor98 cases were adapted. In the past the fight against other diseases in sheep has affected the control of scrapie in Iceland. In the 1930´s the country was divided into 36 movement restriction zones, in an effort to stop the spread of the so called Karakul diseases (maedi/visna and paratuberculosis). A few of these zones, marked by man-made fences or natural boundaries such as rivers and glaciers, are still scrapie-free. Marketing with live sheep is very limited, mostly from zones considered free of scrapie and import of live sheep from abroad has been banned since the middle of last century. Active surveillance for scrapie has been in practice since 1978, but no cases were detected among healthy slaughter until 2004, when rapid testing was implemented. Most classical scrapie cases in Iceland are still detected through passive surveillance, but majority of atypical cases have been detected through active surveillance. The goal of complete eradication has not yet been reached, but yearly incidence has lowered considerably and is down to a few cases per year. This is a drastic decrease from over one hundred infected farms at the height of the epidemic a few decades ago. On many farms scrapie has been detected in a repeated manner, i.e. the disease is reoccurring despite extensive cleanup and restocking.
Archives of Virology
April 2008, Volume 153, Issue 4, pp 637–644
High incidence of subclinical infection of lymphoid tissues in scrapie-affected sheep flocks
Authors Authors and affiliations Gudmundur GeorgssonEmail author Jona Adalheidur Adolfsdottir Astridur Palsdottir Einar Jorundsson Sigurdur Sigurdarson Stefania Thorgeirsdottir Gudmundur Georgsson 1 Email author Jona Adalheidur Adolfsdottir 1 Astridur Palsdottir 1 Einar Jorundsson 1 3 Sigurdur Sigurdarson 2 4 Stefania Thorgeirsdottir 1 1.Institute for Experimental PathologyUniversity of IcelandReykjavíkIceland 2.Laboratory of Chief Veterinary Officer, KeldurReykjavíkIceland 3.Ministry of Education, Science and CultureReykjavíkIceland 4.Agricultural Authority of IcelandSelfossIceland Original Article First Online: 29 January 2008 Received: 12 November 2007 Accepted: 27 December 2007 DOI: 10.1007/s00705-008-0035-8
Cite this article as: Georgsson, G., Adolfsdottir, J.A., Palsdottir, A. et al. Arch Virol (2008) 153: 637. doi:10.1007/s00705-008-0035-8
Abstract Prion diseases are characterized by a long incubation period. In scrapie, sheep may incubate and spread the infection for several years before clinical signs evolve. We have previously studied the occurrence of subclincal infection in the brain. Now, we have studied the occurrence of subclinical infection in the brain and several lymphoid tissues in two scrapie-affected Icelandic sheep flocks by immunohistochemistry for PrPSc, a molecular marker for infectivity, and correlated this with results of PrP genotyping. At culling, one flock had one confirmed scrapie case, while the other flock had two. Analysis of 106 asymptomatic sheep by immunostaining for PrPSc revealed that the incidence of subclinical infection was 58.3% in one flock and 42.5% in the other. PrPSc was only detected in lymphoid tissues. The youngest positive sheep were 4 months old. PrP genotyping showed that over 90% of the sheep were of a genotype which is moderately sensitive to infection and may delay neuroinvasion. Our results show that asymptomatic sheep may spread the infection during the long incubation period of several years, which constitutes an important obstacle in the eradication of scrapie. Our findings indicate that contamination of the environment plays an important part in sustaining the infection.
References
Epidemiology of scrapie in Iceland and experience with control measures.
Author(s) : Sigurdarson, S.
Author Affiliation : Institute for Experimental Pathology, University of Iceland, Keidur, Reykjavik, Iceland.
Editors : Bradley, R.; Savey, M.; Marchant, B.
Conference paper : Sub-acute spongiform encephalopathies.
Proceedings of a seminar in the CEC Agricultural Research Programme, held in Brussels, 12-14 November 1990. 1991 pp.233-242
Conference Title : Sub-acute spongiform encephalopathies.
Proceedings of a seminar in the CEC Agricultural Research Programme, held in Brussels, 12-14 November 1990.
ISBN : 0792314581
Record Number : 19922268331
Abstract : Scrapie or "rida" has been known in Iceland for more than 100 years. In 1978 a new plan was adopted in cooperation with farmers, first to reduce the losses from scrapie and prevent spreading to new areas and secondly to eradicate the disease from new places on the border of the endemic area. The final aim of the plan was full eradication of scrapie from Iceland. Earlier experiments indicated that the only possible method to accomplish this was stamping out all scrapie flocks as soon as possible after they were discovered. Restocking was supposed to take place after 2 years, only with lambs from isolated areas far away from all scrapie infected flocks. Through cleaning and disinfection of the premises was carried out one year before restocking. The result is promising. New stock has been kept for > 5 years on 76 farms and for > 4 years on 102 other farms without reappearance of the disease. Some of the restocked farms have already kept new stock for > 11 years without reappearance of scrapie. Altogether 716 flocks have been slaughtered and 397 of these have been restocked. By the end of 1990 all sheep flocks where scrapie was confirmed after 1982 will have been slaughtered. Every year since 1978 there has been an inspection of 10-15 000 brain samples of sheep possibly exposed to the infection from farms where scrapie had never been confirmed. The samples were taken in abattoirs. 15 infected farms have been identified by this method.
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Publisher : Kluwer Academic Publishers
Location of publication : 3300 AA Dordrecht
Country of publication : Netherlands
Language of text : English
Language of summary : English
From: TSS (216-119-130-116.ipset10.wt.net)
Subject: ICELAND'S FIGHT AGAINST SHEEP DISEASES...
Date: December 9, 2000 at 3:08 pm PST
ICELAND'S FIGHT AGAINST SHEEP DISEASES.
By Stefanía Sveinbjarnardóttir-Dignum
Copyright 1991
In the last few years much has been heard about outbreaks of old and new diseases in animals in may countries around the world. TB in buffalo, Brucellosis in elk, Mad Cow disease, OPP and Scrapie in sheep and so on. One wonders if this is due to increased knowledge of diseases that have been around for a long time or if diseases are actually on the increase. All this got me looking back to my Icelandic origins and made me think about how Icelanders have responded to threats to their sheep farming, and in some cases to their very survival on this remote island, due to diseases that have hit the sheep population.
After the settlement of Iceland, which took place between 800AD and 1100AD, there was no further importation of livestock for a long time. However, in the eighteen century the government became interested in improving the native sheep and in 1756 tem British rams were imported for crossbreeding. That experiment was so successful that four years later a few Merino sheep were imported from Spain. These sheep brought with them Psoroptes Ovis which are mites that live on blood and cause ill thrift and often death. These mites spread around the south and west of the island and caused severe losses. There was no cure and the only way to get rid of this pest was drastic culling of infected sheep flocks. It was made mandatory and caused incredible losses, but a victory was won. To make matters worse, in 1783 one of the biggest volcanic eruptions in recorded world history started in Iceland. The resulting poisonous gases and volcanic ash took a tremendous toll in lives of both people and animals. It is recorded that in 1760 the population of sheep in Iceland was 357,000 head and in 1784, after the eruption, it had dropped to 50,000 head, drop of over 70%. But with it the mites disappeared. This was a rather drastic way to eliminate a problem, but effective.
During the next 90 years or so few importations occurred, in most cases involving only two or three animals . Crossing these seems to have been successful. In 1855 three Merino sheep and four English lambs were imported and with the English lambs the same mites as before. Again, the parasite spread and massive culling was undertaken with considerable loss, both in bloodlines and money. My great-grandfather was one of those ordered to cull his sheep in that episode. Dipping of sheep was also used in this fight with reasonably good results. After this catastrophe laws were passed in 1882 whereby all importation of sheep was forbidden. The ban lasted for fifty years.
Around 1930 interest in experiments with crossbreeding surfaced again. In 1931 the Parliament passed laws allowing importation of 26 yearling from Britain. These sheep were kept for about 15 weeks in quarantine and then sent to a farm where they were bred and the offsprings sold for F-1 crossing. Under the same laws permission was given for importation of 20 Karakul sheep from Germany in 1933 for the purpose of producing crossbred lambskins. Those sheep were kept for only two months in quarantine and then released to farms around the country. The next year a strange disease, that had never before been seen in Iceland, began to appear in and around the farms where the Karakul sheep had been placed. In only one instance had the receiving farmer put his new ram into a further on farm quarantine. He did not like how the ram developed and culled it. he took the carcass a few miles out to sea and sank it there. By doing so he saved the best part of the Northwest peninsula from the worst sheep epidemic Iceland has ever experienced.
By the late thirties it was clear that once again a disaster had struck the Icelandic sheep population. At that time the cause of the diseases was not known, but three different diseases had obviously come with the Karakul and were thereafter called collectively "the Karakul diseases". The first to be recognized was called Wet Mæði (pulmonary adenomatosis), and by the time this one seemed to be in remission another one appeared which got the name Dry Mæði (Maedi/Visna. OPP). Later, but only in limited area, Visna showed up. The names of these diseases were derived from the symptoms, Mæði meaning shortage of breath and Visna wasting. The third disease was Johne's.
Even though these diseases had been found in other countries the causative agent was not known. By the end of the third decade it was obvious that drastic measures were needed and the old method of culling seemed to be the only possible approach. By this time the disease had spread over much of the country. The culling had to be done in an organized manner to stop the spreading of the disease and spread the unavoidable losses over time. The whole country was divided into districts by fencing or by natural barriers where possible. Some 1250 miles of fences were erected by the government and were , and still are kept up by people specifically employed for that purpose. When the barriers had be completed the culling started. All sheep in district after district were culled. After a complete eradication the area was restocked with sheep from a clean district. Most of the northwestern peninsula (areas 11 - 14) had escaped the disease as well as the isolated southeastern region between the Vatnajokull glacier and the Atlantic Ocean (area 26). The new stock came from there. In most cases the restocking was successful. The few unsuccessful cases were traced to carelessness in allowing some old sheep to escape slaughter or to infection of the new sheep en route.
By 1952 the systematic slaughtering was completed. Approximately 650,000 sheep were culled during this period. Occasional outbreaks recurred up to the early sixties. It can happen, for example, that sheep are not found in the annual roundup and these can survive the winter in the mountains. Those could have been the source of infection. The last outbreak occurred in 1965 and since then Maedi/Visna (OPP) has not been found in Iceland. For decades afterwards monitoring was kept up, both on farms and in slaughterhouses but no new cases have ever been found. Iceland is now officially and in fact free of Maedi/Visna (OPP).
The culling was not the only attack made on the disease. Another, and possibly more important one was the work done by Icelandic scientists. A dedicated team, headed by Dr. Björn Sigurðsson, kept looking for the causative agent and based on that work, Dr. Sigurðsson put forth his theory of ASlow Progressing Viral Diseases@ which at that time was a new concept in diseases. He and his team succeeded in isolating the Maedi virus and also proved that the same virus caused Visna. He and his colleagues, among whom were Dr. P. A. Pálsson, Dr. M. Guðnadóttir, and Dr. H. Thormar laid the base upon which AIDS research was later built, since the AIDS virus and the Maedi/Visna (OPP) virus are closely related. Dr. Sigurðsson died in 1959, only 46 years old, but his colleagues kept on the Maedi /Visna research and also studied Scrapie, another disease in some Icelandic sheep. Dr. Sigurðsson and his co-workers also studied Johne´s disease and were successful in producing a vaccine. By using that vaccine Johne´s disease has been put under control in Iceland.
One might think that after all these sacrifices and losses that Icelanders were through with drastic measures; but, no. In 1878, before the van on importation in the last century, an Oxford Down ram was imported to a farm in the North of Iceland. From that farm a new disease spread through the district by selling of sons of the Oxford ram. The disease was named "riða" (tremble), we know this as Scrapie. It was confined to this area up till the early fifties when it started to spread slowly but with increasing speed as the years went by. It was not considered a serious threat at that time and it was hoped that in the Maedi/Visna culling it would disappear. It did not. The causative agent for this disease was much more resilient that the Maedi/Visna virus. After Maedi/Visna had been eradicated Scrapie was still around. In the next four years the disease appeared on 30 farms all of which and been Scrapie farms before the complete Maedi/Visna culling. Some of these farms had been out of sheep for three years. The Scrapie agent had somehow survived without sheep being on these farms. By 1978 it seemed obvious that Scrapie would overflow the whole country unless drastic measures were taken. It was decided to start a new battle against the disease, firstly by stopping the spread of it by culling all flocks where new cases appeared, on the borders of epidemic areas. Secondly, by culling all sheep in the epidemic areas. This was done with full co-operation between farmers, and the government. In addition to mandatory culling of all sheep on farms where Scrapie was confirmed or suspected, conditions for permission to restock were made stricter and minimum of two years of sheeplessness was demanded. However before full consensus was reached there was some dissent among farmers. some even suggested the losses from Scrapie were so low that they could live with it. However, culling according to the new rules was begun in 1978 and restocking from areas where Scrapie had never been found or suspected was allowed after the minimum time lapse. In most cases that was two years, ion some cases three years and in one experimental case, one year. In order to be permitted to restock, the following conditions have to be met: One year before restocking, all buildings, machinery and manure storage have to be washed and disinfected. This involves complete emptying of all buildings, scraping all floors and walls, opening all walls and ducts and all places where insects or mites could be hidden. Then the areas have to be sprayed with a jet sprayer using hypochlorite solution or some thing similar. After this has dried, the area has to be sprayed with iodine with a regular garden sprayer. After inspection by a government approved inspector the buildings are sealed until the new animals arrive. All woodwork that cannot be properly disinfected has to be burned or buried. worn tools and tools that are used to treat the animals, such as hoof clippers, marking tongs, reusable needles, etc. are to be disposed of. All areas where sheep commonly gathered have to be scraped and the soil buried. Then a minimum of four inches of gravel has to be put on these places. Manure can be spread on fields that are well fenced but not on any place where water runoff is likely. The hay taken from fields of farms where culling has taken place cannot be used for sheep feed. Hay, sod, manure etc., is not permitted to move from farm to farm. All surfaces that cannot be perfectly disinfected have to be sealed with durable paint on metal and concrete and creosote on wood. All this work has to be inspected and approved by government inspector. Restocking is not permitted without previous disinfection. Farmers do get financial assistance with cleaning and compensation while out of business due to Scrapie culling.
Between 1978 and 1987 all sheep on several farms were culled and the new rules applied. Restocking was done from Scrapie-free areas. The results were promising. These were in districts where the incidence of Scrapie was just a few cases and culling was undertaken before any sign of serious spreading of the disease occurred. The disease was most widespread and serious in the eastern and northern part of the island. In the fall of 1987 the biggest onslaught was undertaken when 26,000 sheep from 130 farms were culled. In 1988 a further 20,000 sheep were culled from 100 farms. That culling left the eastern part of the country with any sheep. Last fall, in 1990 restocking in these areas began. since 1988 all confirmed and suspected cases have been culled. In some instances flocks from farms where no cases have been found have been culled on the grounds that Scrapie has been found on neighbouring farms. At present (March 1991), no cases of Scrapie are known to exist in Iceland but it is expected that some will surface in the next few years. In that case, culling of the flock, where Scrapie has been found, will be immediately undertaken. Some 280 farms have been restocked since the new regulations took effect, that is in the last 11 years, and in only two cases has Scrapie reappeared. In one case the cause could be traced o carelessness, in the other case the new stack was bought farm a farm nearby where Scrapie was later found.
The veterinarians are not the only ones to report suspected cases. Farmer themselves do so also. Search is furthermore conducted in the slaughterhouses during the slaughtering season, in sheep brain samples. It seems to be that again Icelanders have gotten together to fight a disease in their sheep. Compensation to farmers is reasonable and peer pressure is very strong. Any one flock that harbors Scrapie is a threat to the whole district. Recently, the Chief Veterinarian for sheep disease control in Iceland, Dr. Sigurður Sigurðarson told me that they were pleasantly surprised over how well the fight was going. He stated that even though no known cases exist at present the battler is far from over. No country has undertaken eradication on such a large and thorough scale before. Countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Kenya and south Africa have found Scrapie and eradicated it, but in all these countries the disease has been found in recently imported animals and has been stopped before spreading into the native sheep populations. Scrapie has been known in Iceland for over 100 years and if eradication is successful, as appears to be happening, many countries may benefit from the lesson that is being learned in Iceland today.
Note: I want to express my gratitude to Dr. Sigurður Sigurðarson who kindly edited this article for accuracy, as well as making available to me his paper AEpidemiology of Scrapie
P.S.-something else interesting. i have heard from several sources that the sheep research station associated with the Neuropathogenesis Unit in Edinburgh, Scotland around 1992-3 has done long studies conducted on small pastures containing scrapie infected sheep. After leaving the pastures free and replacing the topsoil completely at least 2 feet of thickness each year for SEVEN years.... and then when very clean (proven scrapie free) sheep were placed on these small pastures.... the new sheep also came down with scrapie and passed it to their offspring.
a very horrifying thought, especially in light of the increase of scrapie over the years in the U.S.A., and the fact that they use scrapie for a research tool for CJD and other human/animal TSE's...
snip...see full text;
Friday, September 23, 2016
North Iceland reporting more cases of Scrapie (Rida)
***Moreover, sporadic disease has never been observed in breeding colonies or primate research laboratories, most notably among hundreds of animals over several decades of study at the National Institutes of Health25, and in nearly twenty older animals continuously housed in our own facility.***
Even if the prevailing view is that sporadic CJD is due to the spontaneous formation of CJD prions, it remains possible that its apparent sporadic nature may, at least in part, result from our limited capacity to identify an environmental origin.
O.05: Transmission of prions to primates after extended silent incubation periods: Implications for BSE and scrapie risk assessment in human populations
Emmanuel Comoy, Jacqueline Mikol, Valerie Durand, Sophie Luccantoni, Evelyne Correia, Nathalie Lescoutra, Capucine Dehen, and Jean-Philippe Deslys Atomic Energy Commission; Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
Prion diseases (PD) are the unique neurodegenerative proteinopathies reputed to be transmissible under field conditions since decades. The transmission of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) to humans evidenced that an animal PD might be zoonotic under appropriate conditions. Contrarily, in the absence of obvious (epidemiological or experimental) elements supporting a transmission or genetic predispositions, PD, like the other proteinopathies, are reputed to occur spontaneously (atpical animal prion strains, sporadic CJD summing 80% of human prion cases).
Non-human primate models provided the first evidences supporting the transmissibiity of human prion strains and the zoonotic potential of BSE. Among them, cynomolgus macaques brought major information for BSE risk assessment for human health (Chen, 2014), according to their phylogenetic proximity to humans and extended lifetime. We used this model to assess the zoonotic potential of other animal PD from bovine, ovine and cervid origins even after very long silent incubation periods.
*** We recently observed the direct transmission of a natural classical scrapie isolate to macaque after a 10-year silent incubation period,
***with features similar to some reported for human cases of sporadic CJD, albeit requiring fourfold long incubation than BSE. Scrapie, as recently evoked in humanized mice (Cassard, 2014),
***is the third potentially zoonotic PD (with BSE and L-type BSE),
***thus questioning the origin of human sporadic cases.
We will present an updated panorama of our different transmission studies and discuss the implications of such extended incubation periods on risk assessment of animal PD for human health.
===============
***thus questioning the origin of human sporadic cases***
===============
***our findings suggest that possible transmission risk of H-type BSE to sheep and human. Bioassay will be required to determine whether the PMCA products are infectious to these animals.
==============
***Transmission data also revealed that several scrapie prions propagate in HuPrP-Tg mice with efficiency comparable to that of cattle BSE. While the efficiency of transmission at primary passage was low, subsequent passages resulted in a highly virulent prion disease in both Met129 and Val129 mice.
***Transmission of the different scrapie isolates in these mice leads to the emergence of prion strain phenotypes that showed similar characteristics to those displayed by MM1 or VV2 sCJD prion.
***These results demonstrate that scrapie prions have a zoonotic potential and raise new questions about the possible link between animal and human prions.
PRION 2016 TOKYO
Saturday, April 23, 2016
SCRAPIE WS-01: Prion diseases in animals and zoonotic potential 2016
Prion. 10:S15-S21. 2016 ISSN: 1933-6896 printl 1933-690X online
Taylor & Francis
Prion 2016 Animal Prion Disease Workshop Abstracts
WS-01: Prion diseases in animals and zoonotic potential
Transmission of the different scrapie isolates in these mice leads to the emergence of prion strain phenotypes that showed similar characteristics to those displayed by MM1 or VV2 sCJD prion.
These results demonstrate that scrapie prions have a zoonotic potential and raise new questions about the possible link between animal and human prions.
Title: Transmission of scrapie prions to primate after an extended silent incubation period)
*** In complement to the recent demonstration that humanized mice are susceptible to scrapie, we report here the first observation of direct transmission of a natural classical scrapie isolate to a macaque after a 10-year incubation period. Neuropathologic examination revealed all of the features of a prion disease: spongiform change, neuronal loss, and accumulation of PrPres throughout the CNS.
*** This observation strengthens the questioning of the harmlessness of scrapie to humans, at a time when protective measures for human and animal health are being dismantled and reduced as c-BSE is considered controlled and being eradicated.
*** Our results underscore the importance of precautionary and protective measures and the necessity for long-term experimental transmission studies to assess the zoonotic potential of other animal prion strains.
Commentaries and Views
Sheep scrapie and deer rabies in England prior to 1800
Anthony Ness,Judd Aiken &Debbie McKenzie
Pages 7-15 | Received 16 Nov 2022, Accepted 19 Dec 2022, Published online: 18 Jan 2023
Download citation https://doi.org/10.1080/19336896.2023.2166749
ABSTRACT
Eighteenth-century England witnessed the emergence of two neurological diseases in animals. Scrapie, a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, is a fatal neurodegenerative disease of sheep and goats that appears in classical and atypical forms. Reports of classical scrapie in continental Europe with described symptoms date back to 1750 in what is now western Poland. However, two major outbreaks of scrapie appeared in England prior to the 1800s. References to a sheep disease with a resemblance to scrapie first appear in Southwestern England between 1693 and 1722 and in the East Midlands between 1693 and 1706. Concurrent with the descriptions of scrapie in sheep was a neurological disease of deer first appearing in the East of England. Two 18th-century writers remarked on the symptomatic similarities between the sheep and deer neurological diseases. Multiple outbreaks of the unknown deer disease existing as early as 1772 are examined and are identified as rabies.
1: J Infect Dis 1980 Aug;142(2):205-8
Oral transmission of kuru, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and scrapie to nonhuman primates.
Gibbs CJ Jr, Amyx HL, Bacote A, Masters CL, Gajdusek DC.
Kuru and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease of humans and scrapie disease of sheep and goats were transmitted to squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) that were exposed to the infectious agents only by their nonforced consumption of known infectious tissues. The asymptomatic incubation period in the one monkey exposed to the virus of kuru was 36 months; that in the two monkeys exposed to the virus of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease was 23 and 27 months, respectively; and that in the two monkeys exposed to the virus of scrapie was 25 and 32 months, respectively. Careful physical examination of the buccal cavities of all of the monkeys failed to reveal signs or oral lesions. One additional monkey similarly exposed to kuru has remained asymptomatic during the 39 months that it has been under observation.
snip...
The successful transmission of kuru, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and scrapie by natural feeding to squirrel monkeys that we have reported provides further grounds for concern that scrapie-infected meat may occasionally give rise in humans to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
PMID: 6997404
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=6997404&dopt=Abstract
Recently the question has again been brought up as to whether scrapie is transmissible to man. This has followed reports that the disease has been transmitted to primates. One particularly lurid speculation (Gajdusek 1977) conjectures that the agents of scrapie, kuru, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and transmissible encephalopathy of mink are varieties of a single "virus". The U.S. Department of Agriculture concluded that it could "no longer justify or permit scrapie-blood line and scrapie-exposed sheep and goats to be processed for human or animal food at slaughter or rendering plants" (ARC 84/77)" The problem is emphasised by the finding that some strains of scrapie produce lesions identical to the once which characterise the human dementias"
Whether true or not. the hypothesis that these agents might be transmissible to man raises two considerations. First, the safety of laboratory personnel requires prompt attention. Second, action such as the "scorched meat" policy of USDA makes the solution of the acrapie problem urgent if the sheep industry is not to suffer grievously.
snip...
76/10.12/4.6
Nature. 1972 Mar 10;236(5341):73-4.
Transmission of scrapie to the cynomolgus monkey (Macaca fascicularis).
Gibbs CJ Jr, Gajdusek DC.
Nature 236, 73 - 74 (10 March 1972); doi:10.1038/236073a0
Transmission of Scrapie to the Cynomolgus Monkey (Macaca fascicularis)
C. J. GIBBS jun. & D. C. GAJDUSEK
National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
SCRAPIE has been transmitted to the cynomolgus, or crab-eating, monkey (Macaca fascicularis) with an incubation period of more than 5 yr from the time of intracerebral inoculation of scrapie-infected mouse brain. The animal developed a chronic central nervous system degeneration, with ataxia, tremor and myoclonus with associated severe scrapie-like pathology of intensive astroglial hypertrophy and proliferation, neuronal vacuolation and status spongiosus of grey matter. The strain of scrapie virus used was the eighth passage in Swiss mice (NIH) of a Compton strain of scrapie obtained as ninth intracerebral passage of the agent in goat brain, from Dr R. L. Chandler (ARC, Compton, Berkshire).
Although the current U.S. feed ban is based on keeping tissues from TSE infected cattle from contaminating animal feed, swine rations in the U.S. could contain animal derived components including materials from scrapie infected sheep and goats. These results indicating the susceptibility of pigs to sheep scrapie, coupled with the limitations of the current feed ban, indicates that a revision of the feed ban may be necessary to protect swine production and potentially human health.
2. Determined that pigs naturally exposed to chronic wasting disease (CWD) may act as a reservoir of CWD infectivity.
Chronic wasting disease is a naturally occurring, fatal, neurodegenerative disease of cervids. The potential for swine to serve as a host for the agent of CWD disease is unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the susceptibility of swine to the CWD agent following experimental oral or intracranial inoculation.
Pigs were assigned to 1 of 3 groups: intracranially inoculated; orally inoculated; or non-inoculated.
At market weight age, half of the pigs in each group were tested ('market weight' groups).
The remaining pigs ('aged' groups) were allowed to incubate for up to 73 months post inoculation (MPI).
Tissues collected at necropsy were examined for disease-associated prion protein (PrPSc) by multiple diagnostic methods.
Brain samples from selected pigs were bioassayed in mice expressing porcine prion protein.
Some pigs from each inoculated group were positive by one or more tests. Bioassay was positive in 4 out of 5 pigs assayed.
Although only small amounts of PrPSc were detected using sensitive methods, this study demonstrates that pigs can serve as hosts for CWD.
Detection of infectivity in orally inoculated pigs using mouse bioassay raises the possibility that naturally exposed pigs could act as a reservoir of CWD infectivity.
Currently, swine rations in the U.S. could contain animal derived components including materials from deer or elk.
In addition, feral swine could be exposed to infected carcasses in areas where CWD is present in wildlife populations.
The current feed ban in the U.S. is based exclusively on keeping tissues from TSE infected cattle from entering animal feeds.
These results indicating the susceptibility of pigs to CWD, coupled with the limitations of the current feed ban, indicates that a revision of the feed ban may be necessary to protect swine production and potentially human health.
CONFIDENTIAL
EXPERIMENTAL PORCINE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY
LINE TO TAKE
3. If questions on pharmaceuticals are raised at the Press conference, the suggested line to take is as follows:-
"There are no medicinal products licensed for use on the market which make use of UK-derived porcine tissues with which any hypothetical “high risk" ‘might be associated. The results of the recent experimental work at the CSM will be carefully examined by the CSM‘s Working Group on spongiform encephalopathy at its next meeting.
DO Hagger RM 1533 MT Ext 3201
While this clearly is a cause for concern we should not jump to the conclusion that this means that pigs will necessarily be infected by bone and meat meal fed by the oral route as is the case with cattle. ...
we cannot rule out the possibility that unrecognised subclinical spongiform encephalopathy could be present in British pigs though there is no evidence for this: only with parenteral/implantable pharmaceuticals/devices is the theoretical risk to humans of sufficient concern to consider any action.
May I, at the outset, reiterate that we should avoid dissemination of papers relating to this experimental finding to prevent premature release of the information. ...
3. It is particularly important that this information is not passed outside the Department, until Ministers have decided how they wish it to be handled. ...
But it would be easier for us if pharmaceuticals/devices are not directly mentioned at all. ...
Our records show that while some use is made of porcine materials in medicinal products, the only products which would appear to be in a hypothetically ''higher risk'' area are the adrenocorticotrophic hormone for which the source material comes from outside the United Kingdom, namely America China Sweden France and Germany. The products are manufactured by Ferring and Armour. A further product, ''Zenoderm Corium implant'' manufactured by Ethicon, makes use of porcine skin - which is not considered to be a ''high risk'' tissue, but one of its uses is described in the data sheet as ''in dural replacement''. This product is sourced from the United Kingdom.....
(x.) There was concern over the exemption for sausage casings/sutures;[13]
Other US BSE risks: the imported products picture 24 Jul 00 Trade Statistics: UK to US Compiled by Terry S.Singeltary Sr of Bacliff, Texas [Opinion (webmaster): The US has focused for years on tracing, containing, and eradicating live animal imports from the UK or other countries with acknowledged BSE like Belgium, including some 499 cattle and the Vermont sheep. This strategy does not acknowledge imports of rendered bovine products from England during the BSE period nor secondary products such as surgical catgut, which is to say surgical cowgut, or dairy cattle embryos, vaccines for veterinarian and human medicines. What has become of these? Mr. Singeltary, who lost his mother to CJD of unexplained origin a few years back and went on to became a well-known TSE activist, has tracked down voluminous pertinent import data through correspondence with UK officials and searches of government web sites. Imports of such products are frequently cited by Europeans in rating BSE risks in the US and in shutting out US exports.
Many people's eyes glaze over when reviewing reams of sometimes older trade statistics. There is no proof that any of the imported products was contaminated with BSE nor if so, any evidence that any BSE product lead to infection in US livestock, surgical patients, or what not. Nonetheless, the data obtained by Mr. Singeltary establish that an appalling variety and tonnage of products that were imported by the US from the UK and othr BSE-affected countries during the peak of the BSE epidemic years.]
10 January 1990 COMMERCIAL IN CONFIDENCE
NOT FOR PUBLICATION
COMMITTEE ON SAFETY OF MEDICINES
WORKING PARTY ON BOVINE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY
SURGICAL CATGUT SUTURES
2.1 At the first meeting of the Working Party on Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy on 6 September 1989, detailed consideration was given to XXXXX Surgical Catgut. This arose from the Company's response to the Letter to Licence Holders, indicating that the bovine small intestine source material was derived from UK cattle, unlike 8 other licenced catgut sutures. In contrast XXXXX Surgical Catgut was stated to hold over 90% share of the market for catgut sutures, and to constitute approximately 83% of all sutures used in U.K.
IMPORTS OF SUTURES FROM THE KNOWN BSE COUNTRY;
3006.10.0000: STERILE SURGICAL CATGUT, SIMILAR STERILE SUTURE MATERIALS AND STERILETISSUE ADHESIVES FOR SURGICAL WOUND CLOSURE; AND SIMILAR STERILE MATERIAL
U.S. Imports for Consumption: December 1998 and 1998 Year-to-Date
(Customs Value, in Thousands of Dollars) (Units of Quantity: Kilograms)
snip...see;
see original bse inquiry link;
suture concerns;
CATTLE BY-PRODUCTS AND BSE
Small Intestines - Sutures (I thought the source was ovine, but you are checking on this)
mad dogs and Englishmen
DEER BRAIN SURVEY RED DEER ATAXIA OR CWD???
MAD DOGS AND ENGLISHMEN
EPIDEMIOLOGY OF SCRAPIE IN THE UNITED STATES
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 03, 2021
Scrapie TSE Prion United States of America a Review February 2021 Singeltary et al
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2022
SHEEP BY-PRODUCTS AND WHAT ABOUT Scrapie TSE PrP and Potential Zoonosis?
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2022
Scrapie and CJD, Suspect Symptoms, Like Lambs To the Slaughter 2001, a review 2022
FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2023
EPIDEMIOLOGY OF SCRAPIE IN THE UNITED STATES
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 2023
The use of animal by-products in a circular bioeconomy: Time for a TSE road map 3?
Agency: ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE (APHIS)
Document Type: Proposed Rule
Title: Use of Electronic Identification Eartags as Official Identification in Cattle and Bison
Document ID: APHIS-2021-0020-0001
Terry S. Singeltary Sr.
United Kingdom, you can see that link here;
WAHIS, WOAH, OIE, REPORT Switzerland Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Atypical L-Type
Switzerland Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Atypical L-Type
Switzerland - Bovine spongiform encephalopathy - Immediate notification
BRAZIL BSE START DATE 2023/01/18
BRAZIL BSE CONFIRMATION DATE 2023/02/22
BRAZIL BSE END DATE 2023/03/03
SPAIN BSE START DATE 2023/01/21
SPAIN BSE CONFIRMATION DATE 2023/02/03
SPAIN BSE END DATE 2023/02/06
NETHERLANDS BSE START DATE 2023/02/01
NETHERLANDS BSE CONFIRMATION DATE 2023/02/01
NETHERLANDS BSE END DATE 2023/03/13
NOW before you go off and start repeating BSE TSE Prion science that is almost 50 years old, let's be perfectly clear what science is saying today, and especially what the WAHIS/WOAH/OIE et al are saying about the atypical BSE strains... OIE Conclusions on transmissibility of atypical BSE among cattle
Given that cattle have been successfully infected by the oral route, at least for L-BSE, it is reasonable to conclude that atypical BSE is potentially capable of being recycled in a cattle population if cattle are exposed to contaminated feed. In addition, based on reports of atypical BSE from several countries that have not had C-BSE, it appears likely that atypical BSE would arise as a spontaneous disease in any country, albeit at a very low incidence in old cattle. In the presence of livestock industry practices that would allow it to be recycled in the cattle feed chain, it is likely that some level of exposure and transmission may occur. As a result, since atypical BSE can be reasonably considered to pose a potential background level of risk for any country with cattle, the recycling of both classical and atypical strains in the cattle and broader ruminant populations should be avoided.
Annex 7 (contd) AHG on BSE risk assessment and surveillance/March 2019
34 Scientific Commission/September 2019
3. Atypical BSE
The Group discussed and endorsed with minor revisions an overview of relevant literature on the risk of atypical BSE being recycled in a cattle population and its zoonotic potential that had been prepared ahead of the meeting by one expert from the Group. This overview is provided as Appendix IV and its main conclusions are outlined below. With regard to the risk of recycling of atypical BSE, recently published research confirmed that the L-type BSE prion (a type of atypical BSE prion) may be orally transmitted to calves1 . In light of this evidence, and the likelihood that atypical BSE could arise as a spontaneous disease in any country, albeit at a very low incidence, the Group was of the opinion that it would be reasonable to conclude that atypical BSE is potentially capable of being recycled in a cattle population if cattle were to be exposed to contaminated feed. Therefore, the recycling of atypical strains in cattle and broader ruminant populations should be avoided.
4. Definitions of meat-and-bone meal (MBM) and greaves
Consumption of L-BSE–contaminated feed may pose a risk for oral transmission of the disease agent to cattle.
Thus, it is imperative to maintain measures that prevent the entry of tissues from cattle possibly infected with the agent of L-BSE into the food chain.
''H-TYPE BSE AGENT IS TRANSMISSIBLE BY THE ORONASAL ROUTE''
This study demonstrates that the H-type BSE agent is transmissible by the oronasal route. These results reinforce the need for ongoing surveillance for classical and atypical BSE to minimize the risk of potentially infectious tissues entering the animal or human food chains.
THE tse prion aka mad cow type disease is not your normal pathogen.
The TSE prion disease survives ashing to 600 degrees celsius, that’s around 1112 degrees farenheit.
you cannot cook the TSE prion disease out of meat.
you can take the ash and mix it with saline and inject that ash into a mouse, and the mouse will go down with TSE.
Prion Infected Meat-and-Bone Meal Is Still Infectious after Biodiesel Production as well.
the TSE prion agent also survives Simulated Wastewater Treatment Processes.
IN fact, you should also know that the TSE Prion agent will survive in the environment for years, if not decades.
you can bury it and it will not go away.
The TSE agent is capable of infected your water table i.e. Detection of protease-resistant cervid prion protein in water from a CWD-endemic area.
it’s not your ordinary pathogen you can just cook it out and be done with.
***> that’s what’s so worrisome about Iatrogenic mode of transmission, a simple autoclave will not kill this TSE prion agent.
1: J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1994 Jun;57(6):757-8
***> Transmission of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease to a chimpanzee by electrodes contaminated during neurosurgery.
Gibbs CJ Jr, Asher DM, Kobrine A, Amyx HL, Sulima MP, Gajdusek DC.
Laboratory of Central Nervous System Studies, National Institute of
Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health,
Bethesda, MD 20892.
Stereotactic multicontact electrodes used to probe the cerebral cortex of a middle aged woman with progressive dementia were previously implicated in the accidental transmission of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) to two younger patients. The diagnoses of CJD have been confirmed for all three cases. More than two years after their last use in humans, after three cleanings and repeated sterilisation in ethanol and formaldehyde vapour, the electrodes were implanted in the cortex of a chimpanzee. Eighteen months later the animal became ill with CJD. This finding serves to re-emphasise the potential danger posed by reuse of instruments contaminated with the agents of spongiform encephalopathies, even after scrupulous attempts to clean them.
PMID: 8006664 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
New studies on the heat resistance of hamster-adapted scrapie agent: Threshold survival after ashing at 600°C suggests an inorganic template of replication
Prion Infected Meat-and-Bone Meal Is Still Infectious after Biodiesel Production
MONDAY, APRIL 19, 2021
Evaluation of the application for new alternative biodiesel production process for rendered fat including Category 1 animal by-products (BDI-RepCat® process, AT) ???
Detection of protease-resistant cervid prion protein in water from a CWD-endemic area
A Quantitative Assessment of the Amount of Prion Diverted to Category 1 Materials and Wastewater During Processing
Rapid assessment of bovine spongiform encephalopathy prion inactivation by heat treatment in yellow grease produced in the industrial manufacturing process of meat and bone meals
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2019
BSE infectivity survives burial for five years with only limited spread
Paper
Rapid recontamination of a farm building occurs after attempted prion removal
Kevin Christopher Gough BSc (Hons), PhD Claire Alison Baker BSc (Hons) Steve Hawkins MIBiol Hugh Simmons BVSc, MRCVS, MBA, MA Timm Konold DrMedVet, PhD, MRCVS … See all authors
First published: 19 January 2019 https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.105054
The data illustrates the difficulty in decontaminating farm buildings from scrapie, and demonstrates the likely contribution of farm dust to the recontamination of these environments to levels that are capable of causing disease.
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This study clearly demonstrates the difficulty in removing scrapie infectivity from the farm environment. Practical and effective prion decontamination methods are still urgently required for decontamination of scrapie infectivity from farms that have had cases of scrapie and this is particularly relevant for scrapiepositive goatherds, which currently have limited genetic resistance to scrapie within commercial breeds.24 This is very likely to have parallels with control efforts for CWD in cervids.
***>This is very likely to have parallels with control efforts for CWD in cervids.
***> Infectious agent of sheep scrapie may persist in the environment for at least 16 years
***> Nine of these recurrences occurred 14–21 years after culling, apparently as the result of environmental contamination, but outside entry could not always be absolutely excluded.
JOURNAL OF GENERAL VIROLOGY Volume 87, Issue 12
Infectious agent of sheep scrapie may persist in the environment for at least 16 years Free
Gudmundur Georgsson1, Sigurdur Sigurdarson2, Paul Brown3
Front. Vet. Sci., 14 September 2015 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2015.00032
Objects in contact with classical scrapie sheep act as a reservoir for scrapie transmission
imageTimm Konold1*, imageStephen A. C. Hawkins2, imageLisa C. Thurston3, imageBen C. Maddison4, imageKevin C. Gough5, imageAnthony Duarte1 and imageHugh A. Simmons1
The findings of this study highlight the role of field furniture used by scrapie-infected sheep to act as a reservoir for disease re-introduction although infectivity declines considerably if the field furniture has not been in contact with scrapie-infected sheep for several months. PMCA may not be as sensitive as VRQ/VRQ sheep to test for environmental contamination.
snip...
Discussion
snip...
In conclusion, the results in the current study indicate that removal of furniture that had been in contact with scrapie-infected animals should be recommended, particularly since cleaning and decontamination may not effectively remove scrapie infectivity (31), even though infectivity declines considerably if the pasture and the field furniture have not been in contact with scrapie-infected sheep for several months. As sPMCA failed to detect PrPSc in furniture that was subjected to weathering, even though exposure led to infection in sheep, this method may not always be reliable in predicting the risk of scrapie infection through environmental contamination.
***> 172. Establishment of PrPCWD extraction and detection methods in the farm soil
Kyung Je Park, Hoo Chang Park, In Soon Roh, Hyo Jin Kim, Hae-Eun Kang and Hyun Joo Sohn
Foreign Animal Disease Division, Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, Gimcheon, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea
Conclusions: Our studies showed that PrPCWD persist in 0.001% CWD contaminated soil for at least 4 year and natural CWD-affected farm soil. When cervid reintroduced into CWD outbreak farm, the strict decontamination procedures of the infectious agent should be performed in the environment of CWD-affected cervid habitat.
5 or 6 years quarantine is NOT LONG ENOUGH FOR CWD TSE PRION !!!
QUARANTINE NEEDS TO BE 21 YEARS FOR CWD TSE PRION !
FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2021
Should Property Evaluations Contain Scrapie, CWD, TSE PRION Environmental Contamination of the land?
***> Confidential!!!!
***> As early as 1992-3 there had been long studies conducted on small pastures containing scrapie infected sheep at the sheep research station associated with the Neuropathogenesis Unit in Edinburgh, Scotland. Whether these are documented...I don't know. But personal recounts both heard and recorded in a daily journal indicate that leaving the pastures free and replacing the topsoil completely at least 2 feet of thickness each year for SEVEN years....and then when very clean (proven scrapie free) sheep were placed on these small pastures.... the new sheep also broke out with scrapie and passed it to offspring. I am not sure that TSE contaminated ground could ever be free of the agent!! A very frightening revelation!!!
---end personal email---end...tss
and so it seems...
Scrapie Agent (Strain 263K) Can Transmit Disease via the Oral Route after Persistence in Soil over Years
Published: May 9, 2007
snip...
Our results showed that 263K scrapie agent can persist in soil at least over 29 months. Strikingly, not only the contaminated soil itself retained high levels of infectivity, as evidenced by oral administration to Syrian hamsters, but also feeding of aqueous soil extracts was able to induce disease in the reporter animals. We could also demonstrate that PrPSc in soil, extracted after 21 months, provides a catalytically active seed in the protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) reaction. PMCA opens therefore a perspective for considerably improving the detectability of prions in soil samples from the field.
snip...
Dr. Paul Brown Scrapie Soil Test BSE Inquiry Document
Sensitive detection of chronic wasting disease prions recovered from environmentally relevant surfaces
Environment International
Available online 13 June 2022, 107347
Environment International
Sensitive detection of chronic wasting disease prions recovered from environmentally relevant surfaces
Qi Yuana Gag e Rowdenb Tiffany M.Wolfc Marc D.Schwabenlanderb Peter A.LarsenbShannon L.Bartelt-Huntd Jason C.Bartza
a Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, 68178, United States of America
b Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, 55108, United States of America
c Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, 55108, United States of America
d Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Peter Kiewit Institute, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Omaha, Nebraska, 68182, United States of America
Received 26 April 2022, Revised 8 June 2022, Accepted 9 June 2022, Available online 13 June 2022.
Get rights and content
Under a Creative Commons license Open access
Highlights • An innovative method for prion recovery from swabs was developed.
• Recovery of prions decreased as swab-drying time was increased.
• Recovery of CWD prions from stainless steel and glass was approximately 30%.
• RT-QuIC enhanced CWD prion detection by 4 orders of magnitude.
• Surface-recovered CWD prion was sufficient for efficient RT-QuIC detection.
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been identified in 30 states in the United States, four provinces in Canada, and recently emerged in Scandinavia. The association of CWD prions with environmental materials such as soil, plants, and surfaces may enhance the persistence of CWD prion infectivity in the environment exacerbating disease transmission. Identifying and quantifying CWD prions in the environment is significant for prion monitoring and disease transmission control. A systematic method for CWD prion quantification from associated environmental materials, however, does not exist. In this study, we developed an innovative method for extracting prions from swabs and recovering CWD prions swabbed from different types of surfaces including glass, stainless steel, and wood. We found that samples dried on swabs were unfavorable for prion extraction, with the greatest prion recovery from wet swabs. Using this swabbing technique, the recovery of CWD prions dried to glass or stainless steel was approximately 30% in most cases, whereas that from wood was undetectable by conventional prion immunodetection techniques. Real-time quake-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) analysis of these same samples resulted in an increase of the detection limit of CWD prions from stainless steel by 4 orders of magnitude. More importantly, the RT-QuIC detection of CWD prions recovered from stainless steel surfaces using this method was similar to the original CWD prion load applied to the surface. This combined surface swabbing and RT-QuIC detection method provides an ultrasensitive means for prion detection across many settings and applications.
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5. Conclusions
Chronic wasting disease is spreading in North America and it is hypothesized that in CWD-endemic areas environmental persistence of CWD prions can exacerbate disease transmission. The development of a sensitive CWD prion detection method from environmentally relevant surfaces is significant for monitoring, risk assessment, and control of CWD. In this study, we developed a novel swab-extraction procedure for field deployable sampling of CWD prions from stainless steel, glass, and wood. We found that extended swab-drying was unfavorable for extraction, indicating that hydrated storage of swabs after sampling aided in prion recovery. Recoverable CWD prions from stainless steel and glass was approximately 30%, which was greater than from wood. RT-QuIC analysis of the swab extracts resulted in an increase of the detection limit of CWD prions from stainless steel by 4 orders of magnitude compared to conventional immunodetection techniques. More importantly, the RT-QuIC detection of CWD prions recovered from stainless steel surfaces using this developed method was similar to the original CWD prion load without surface contact. This method of prion sampling and recovery, in combination with ultrasensitive detection methods, allows for prion detection from contaminated environmental surfaces.
Published: 06 September 2021
***> Chronic wasting disease: a cervid prion infection looming to spillover
Alicia Otero, Camilo Duque Velásquez, Judd Aiken & Debbie McKenzie
Veterinary Research volume 52, Article number: 115 (2021)
Title: Transmission of scrapie prions to primate after an extended silent incubation period)
*** In complement to the recent demonstration that humanized mice are susceptible to scrapie, we report here the first observation of direct transmission of a natural classical scrapie isolate to a macaque after a 10-year incubation period. Neuropathologic examination revealed all of the features of a prion disease: spongiform change, neuronal loss, and accumulation of PrPres throughout the CNS.
*** This observation strengthens the questioning of the harmlessness of scrapie to humans, at a time when protective measures for human and animal health are being dismantled and reduced as c-BSE is considered controlled and being eradicated.
*** Our results underscore the importance of precautionary and protective measures and the necessity for long-term experimental transmission studies to assess the zoonotic potential of other animal prion strains.
SO, WHO'S UP FOR SOME MORE TSE PRION POKER, WHO'S ALL IN $$$
SO, ATYPICAL SCRAPIE ROUGHLY HAS 50 50 CHANCE ATYPICAL SCRAPIE IS CONTAGIOUS, AS NON-CONTAGIOUS, TAKE YOUR PICK, BUT I SAID IT LONG AGO WHEN USDA OIE ET AL MADE ATYPICAL SCRAPIE A LEGAL TRADING COMMODITY, I SAID YOUR PUTTING THE CART BEFORE THE HORSE, AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THEY DID, and it's called in Texas, TEXAS TSE PRION HOLDEM POKER, WHO'S ALL IN $$$
***> AS is considered more likely (subjective probability range 50–66%) that AS is a non-contagious, rather than a contagious, disease.
SNIP...SEE;
THURSDAY, JULY 8, 2021
EFSA Scientific report on the analysis of the 2‐year compulsory intensified monitoring of atypical scrapie
SUNDAY, MARCH 19, 2023
Abandoned factory ‘undoubtedly’ contains dormant Mad Cow Disease that could threaten humans, Thruxted Mill, Queniborough CJD
Terry S. Singeltary Sr., Bacliff, Texas USA, 77518 flounder9@verizon.net
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