Transmission of scrapie prions to primate after an extended silent incubation period

Citation: Comoy, E. E., Mikol, J., Luccantoni-Freire, S., Correia, E., Lescoutra-Etchegaray, N., Durand, V., . . . Deslys, J. P. (2015). Transmission of scrapie prions to primate after an extended silent incubation period. Scientific Reports, 5. doi:10.1038/srep11573Classical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (c-BSE) is the only animal prion disease reputed to be zoonotic, causing variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) in humans and having guided protective measures for animal and human health against animal prion diseases. Recently, partial transmissions to humanized mice showed that the zoonotic potential of scrapie might be similar to c-BSE. We here report the direct transmission of a natural classical scrapie isolate to cynomolgus macaque, a highly relevant model for human prion diseases, after a 10-year silent incubation period, with features similar to those reported for human cases of sporadic CJD. Scrapie is thus actually transmissible to primates with incubation periods compatible with their life expectancy, although fourfold longer than BSE. Long-term experimental transmission studies are necessary to better assess the zoonotic potential of other prion diseases with high prevalence, notably Chronic Wasting Disease of deer and elk and atypical/Nor98 scrapie

Skin and psyche--from the surface to the depth of the inner world

About 30% of dermatology patients have signs or symptoms of psychological problems. Dermatologists should be familiar with the basics needed to identify, advise and treat these patients.Because of the complex interaction between skin and psyche, it is difficult to distinguish whether the primary problem is the skin or the psyche. Sometimes the clinical picture is a consequence of interactions between them and other factors.The interactions between skin and psyche are well known in history, art and literature--perhaps better known today because the marked emphasis on such images in our modern multimedia society. Aging is increasingly perceived as an illness and not as a physiological process. Through globalization, many different cultural approaches to the skin have entered in our daily life and influence our communication. This article considers the most important dermatoses which often show primary or secondary interaction with the psyche

Inactivation of Bacteria and Biomolecules by Low-Pressure Plasma Discharges

The inactivation of bacteria and biomolecules using plasma discharges were investigated within the European project BIODECON. The goal of the project was to identify and isolate inactivation mechanisms by combining dedicated beam experiments with especially designed plasma reactors. The plasma reactors are based on a fully computer-controlled, low-pressure inductively-coupled plasma (ICP). Four of these reactors were built and distributed among the consortium, thereby ensuring comparability of the results between the teams. Based on this combined effort, the role of UV light, of chemical sputtering (i.e. the combined impact of neutrals and ions), and of thermal effects on bacteria such as Bacillus atrophaeus, Aspergillus niger, as well as on biomolecules such as LPS, Lipid A, BSA and prions have been evaluated. The particle fluxes emerging from the plasmas are quantified by using mass spectrometry, Langmuir probe measurements, retarding field measurements and optical emission spectroscopy. The effects of the plasma on the biological systems are evaluated using atomic forcemicroscopy, ellipsometry, electrophoresis, specially-designed western blot tests, and animal models. A quantitative analysis of the plasma discharges and the thorough study of their effect on biological systems led to the identification of the different mechanisms operating during the decontamination process.Our results confirmthe role of UVin the 200-250 nmrange for the inactivation ofmicroorganisms and a large variability of results observed between different strains of the same species. Moreover,we also demonstrate the role of chemical sputtering corresponding to the synergism between ion bombardment of a surface with the simultaneous reaction of active species such as O, O2 or H. Finally, we show that plasma processes can be efficient against different micro-organisms, bacteria and fungi, pyrogens, model proteins and prions. The effect of matrices is described, and consequences for any future industrial implementation are discussed.JRC.I.4-Nanobioscience