NR AORJ
AU Clapp,J.B.
TI Diseases as Potential Environmental Toxins - An Example
QU International Conference - Prion diseases: from basic research to intervention concepts - TSE-Forum, 08.10.-10.10.2003, Gasteig, München - Poster session - BR-29
PT Konferenz-Poster
AB
The pathogenesis of diseases is generally not of interest to environmental scientists, however many diseases function as toxins in the environment. Having a highly resistant environmental stage to their existence these include spores of clostridial bacteria (anthrax and tetanus), viral particles (can be crystallised) and prions. Assessing their environmental fate and potential effects would benefit from an environmental rather than a solely medical perspective. A good example in this regard is the protracted and inevitably fatal neurodegenerative affliction 'new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease' (nvCJD) a Transmissible Spongeform Encephalitis (TSE), caused by a prion, which infects humans. Similar agents affecting other mammals include in cattle Bovine Spongeform Encephalitis (BSE), sheep and goats Scrapie (Sc), deer Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) and cats Feline Spongeform Encephalitis (FSE). This prion protein, which is characterized as PrPsc, survives extreme conditions, +300 0 C and in matrices such as muscle, blood and the surface of stainless steel instruments, previously thought devoid of this lethal and insidious pathogen.
In common with chemicals, PrPsc has unique characteristics of partitioning, solubility, reactivity, and resistance to deactivating agents. Purification, separation and isolation techniques are required to bring its concentration up to detectable levels (Rezaei et al. 2000).
Because PrPsc has unique physiochemical properties, it must be studied directly without using analogues or surrogates such as yeast or non-pathogenic prions. Unfortunately this restricts such vital research to level three containment laboratories, even for simple analysis, such as its partitioning in relevant environmental matrices.
To date there are several potentially useful physicochemical facts known about.
AD Jim B. Clapp, Old Stone Veterinary Centre, UK
SP englisch
PO Deutschland