NR AXSS
AU Meloni,D.; Cocco,C.; Rossi,L.; Nappi,R.; Elsa,M.; Carnieri,L.; Del Vecchio,P.L.; Bozzetta,E.
TI First Chronic Wasting Disease Epidemiosurveillance of Roe Deer in the North-Western Italy
QU International Conference - Prion 2007 (26.-28.9.2007) Edinburgh International Conference Centre, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK - Book of Abstracts: Epidemiology, Risk Assessment and Transmission P04.96
IA http://www.prion2007.com/pdf/Prion Book of Abstracts.pdf
PT Konferenz-Poster
AB
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy (TSE) which has been identified in captive and free-ranging cervids more than 20 years ago in North America, where is currently enzootic. The evidence of the circulation of TSEs in European population of wildlife ungulates does not exist, but the high prevalence of scrapie infection in Italy and the synchronous/alternate use of common grazing areas by domestic and wild ruminants may suggest the chance of the spread to the latter. Furthermore, due to the strong similarities between CWD and scrapie, i.e. horizontal transmission, clinical signs and lesions, scrapie has been proposed as possible origin of CWD.
Besides the surveillance of TSE in deer according to EU regulation, a plan on a voluntary basis to look for the presence of TSE infection in roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) culled or found dead in North-Western Italy was implemented since February 2006. Brain stems from animals (older than 1 year) are collected and submitted to a USDA approved CWD rapid test (Idexx Herdchek CWD Antigen test Kit EIA) and one TSE rapid test approved according to 260/2006 EC Regulation (Bio-rad TeSeE). Positive results are submitted to confirmatory immunohistochemistry and western blotting. With a population size estimated around 25.000 heads of Capreolus capreolus, the 95% confidence limit for the maximum possible prevalence of TSE in the studied population was calculated using the STATA 9 software. To date, 290 samples were tested with negative result, suggesting a possible prevalence in our study area lower than 1% (IC95% 0% - 1,02%). Collection of a much larger sample will allow to verify the presence of TSE among free-ranging roe deers in our study area also if it is very rare.
AD D. Meloni, C. Cocco, R. Nappi, M. Elsa, L. Carnieri, P.L. Del Vecchio, E. Bozzetta, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale Piemonte, Liguria, Valle d'Aosta, CEA, Italy; L. Rossi, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Pathology, Italy
SP englisch
PO Schottland