Cross-species transmission of CWD prions. Issue 1 (2nd January 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kurt, Timothy D.; Sigurdson, Christina J.
• Is Part Of: Prion. Volume 10:Issue 1(2016)
• Page Start: 83
• Page End: 91
• Publication Date: 2016-01-02
• Subjects: chronic wasting disease -- CJD -- neurodegeneration -- prion -- zoonotic -- amyloid; Protein folding -- Periodicals; Prions -- Periodicals; Proteins -- Biotechnology -- Periodicals; 572.633
• DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2015.1118603
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1933-6896

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Prions cause fatal neurodegenerative diseases in humans and animals and can be transmitted zoonotically. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a highly transmissible prion disease of wild deer and elk that affects cervids over extensive regions of the United States and Canada. The risk of cross-species CWD transmission has been experimentally evaluated in a wide array of mammals, including non-human primates and mouse models expressing human cellular prion protein. Here we review the determinants of cross-species CWD transmission, and propose a model that may explain a structural barrier for CWD transmission to humans.