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Evidence for Biological and Structural Diversity Among Scrapie Strains

  • Chapter
Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies:

Part of the book series: Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology ((CT MICROBIOLOGY,volume 172))

Abstract

The uniqueness of individuals within any species is perpetuated through genetically programmed characteristics. This controlling influence on phenotypic traits is clearly important in multicellular and single celled organisms down to the simplest infectious agents, viruses and viroids. This phenomenon extends even to the infectious agents of scrapie and the other unconventional slow infections. Indeed, as documented by Bruce and Fraser in this volume, a variety of biological parameters are influenced by the inherent properties of scrapie agents independent of the host species. Additional information on the genetic interaction between host and scrapie agent as well as agents of the other unconventional slow infections has been detailed in several recent reviews (Carp et al. 1989b, c). With regard to those parameters under genetic control, our published work has concentrated on analyzing five of the mouse-adapted scrapie strains; ME7, 22A, 22L, 139A and 87V (Carp et al. 1984, 1985a, 1987; Carp and Callahan 1986; Kascsak et al. 1985, 1986, 1987; Rubenstein et al. 1986; Kim et al. 1987a, b) and three hamster adapted strains, 263K, 139-H and 22C-H (Kascsak et al. 1985, 1986; Carp et al. 1990).

This work was sponsored in part by the New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Development Disabilities and by Public Health Service Grants NS21349 and NS25308 from the National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Virology, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, 1050 Forest Hill road, Staten Island, NY, 10314, USA

    R. J. Kascsak, R. Rubenstein & R. I. Carp

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  1. R. J. Kascsak
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  2. R. Rubenstein
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  3. R. I. Carp
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases Rocky Mountain Laboratories National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, 59840, USA

    Bruce W. Chesebro M.D. (Chief) (Chief)

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Kascsak, R.J., Rubenstein, R., Carp, R.I. (1991). Evidence for Biological and Structural Diversity Among Scrapie Strains. In: Chesebro, B.W. (eds) Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies:. Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology, vol 172. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-76540-7_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-76540-7_9

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