%0 Journal Article
%T Atypical/Nor98 scrapie in the Basque Country: a case report of eight outbreaks
%A Ana B Rodr¨ªguez-Mart¨ªnez
%A Joseba M Garrido
%A Sonia Maza
%A Leyre Benedicto
%A Mariv¨ª Geijo
%A Nieves G¨®mez
%A Esmeralda Minguij¨®n
%A Sylvie L Benestad
%A Ram¨®n A Juste
%J BMC Veterinary Research
%D 2010
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1746-6148-6-17
%X Here we report molecular and neuropathological features of eight atypical/Nor98 scrapie cases detected between 2002 and 2009. Significant features of the affected sheep included: their relatively high ages (mean age 7.9 years, range between 4.3 and 12.8), their breed (all Latxa) and their PRNP genotypes (AFRQ/ALRQ, ALRR/ALRQ, AFRQ/AFRQ, AFRQ/AHQ, ALRQ/ALRH, ALRQ/ALRQ). All the sheep were confirmed as atypical scrapie by immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting. Two cases presented more PrP immunolabelling in cerebral cortex than in cerebellum.This work indicates that atypical scrapie constitutes the most common small ruminant transmissible spongiform encephalopathy form in Latxa sheep in the Spanish Basque Country. Moreover, a new genotype (ALRQ/ALRH) was found associated to atypical scrapie.Since 2002, an active surveillance program for Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy (TSE) in small ruminants has been implemented in European Union countries. As a result of this program, an atypical type of scrapie different from classical scrapie (CS) and similar if not identical to Nor98 identified in Norway [1] was detected in most of the European countries.CS is the traditional form of TSE affecting small ruminants, which was first detected in England around 1730 and thereafter in Germany and France [1-3]. Since then, the spread of the disease happened mainly because of the commerce and movement of sheep incubating the disease [4]. Nowadays, the disease is present in many countries of the European Union, as well as in Canada, the United States of America, Brazil, Ethiopia and Japan [5-9]. Only Australia and New Zealand are currently considered "scrapie free" since they have successfully eradicated the classical form of the disease [5]. CS is characterized by transmission under natural conditions causing localised outbreaks with generally a high number of animals affected in certain geographical areas [10]. The lesions in the Central Nervous System (CNS) are neuronal and/o
%U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1746-6148/6/17