Identification of the first case of atypical scrapie in Japan

• Published in: Journal of Veterinary Medical Science Vol. 78; no. 12; pp. 1915 - 1919
• Main Authors: IMAMURA, Morikazu, MIYAZAWA, Kohtaro, IWAMARU, Yoshifumi, MATSUURA, Yuichi, YOKOYAMA, Takashi, OKADA, Hiroyuki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan JAPANESE SOCIETY OF VETERINARY SCIENCE 01-12-2016; Japan Science and Technology Agency; The Japanese Society of Veterinary Science
• Subjects: Animals; atypical scrapie; Bovine spongiform encephalopathy; Brain stem; coinfection; Coinfection - veterinary; Culling; Female; Haplotypes; Histopathology; Japan; Listeriosis; Meningitis, Listeria - pathology; Meningitis, Listeria - veterinary; Meningoencephalitis; Meningoencephalitis - pathology; Meningoencephalitis - veterinary; Neuropil; Prions - genetics; PRNP genotype; Proteins; Public Health; Scrapie; Scrapie - complications; Scrapie - pathology; Sheep; Sheep Diseases - pathology; Spinocerebellar tract; Substantia alba; surveillance; Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy; Trigeminal nerve
• ISSN: 0916-7250; 1347-7439
• DOI: 10.1292/jvms.16-0379

A Corriedale ewe was confirmed as the first atypical scrapie case during an active surveillance program for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies in small ruminants in Japan. The animal was homozygous for the AF141RQ haplotype of PRNP. The animal showed clinical neurological signs possibly due to listeriosis before culling. Western blot analysis showed an unusual multiple banded pattern with a low-molecular fragment at ~7 kDa. Histopathology revealed suppurative meningoencephalitis caused by listeriosis in the brainstem. Fine granular to globular immunostaining of disease-associated prion proteins was mainly detected in the neuropil of the spinal tract of the trigeminal nerve and in the white matter of the spinocerebellar tract. Based on these results, this case was conclusively diagnosed as atypical scrapie with encephalitic listeriosis.