Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a strictly fatal and highly contagious prion disease of wild and farmed cervids currently expanding in North America. Prion diseases are caused by conversion of the cellular prion protein to its pathological isoform PrPSc. Vaccination is considered a promising strategy to contain CWD, even though prion diseases do not show classical immune responses. For CWD containment, it is important that vaccines reduce shedding of prions in excreta, a major contributor to transmission. Here, we tested the effect of vaccines on prion shedding in feces and urine by vaccinating and prion infecting knock-in mice that recapitulate CWD pathogenesis as found in cervids. Vaccination reduced or even prevented CWD shedding in feces and urine collected between 30-90% of incubation time to disease. This is the first report showing that prion shedding can be blocked in a prion disease. For CWD specifically it may reduce the environmental prion burden and break the disease transmission cycle.
Source: PLoS Pathogens
Authors: Hanaa Ahmed-Hassan, Dalia Abdelaziz, Yo-Ching Cheng, Kevin Low, Shirley Phan, Byron Kruger, Chimoné S. Dalton, Lech Kaczmarczyk, Walker S. Jackson, Sabine Gilch, Hermann M. Schätzl
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,043
Funders: Results Driven Agriculture Research, Alberta Conservation Association, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Parks Canada, Ministry of Environment - Saskatchewan, Ministry of Environment, Alberta Innovates, National Institutes of Health, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
OpenAlex ID: W7155560773