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Short Communication |


1 Robert Koch-Institut (P24 Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies), Nordufer 20, 13353 Berlin, Germany
2 Department of Cell Biology and Neurosciences, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy
3 7815 Exeter Road, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
Correspondence
Michael Beekes
BeekesM{at}rki.de
Recently, pathological prion protein (PrPTSE) was detected in muscle from sheep infected with scrapie, the archetype of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). This finding has highlighted the question of whether mammalian muscle may potentially also provide a reservoir for TSE agents related to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and variant CreutzfeldtJakob Disease (vCJD). Here, results are reported from studies in hamsters and mice that provide direct experimental evidence, for the first time, of BSE- and vCJD-associated PrPTSE deposition in muscles. Our findings emphasize the need for further assessment of possible public-health risks from TSE involvement of skeletal muscle.
These authors contributed equally to this work.
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