Beekes M, McBride P A
Robert Koch-lnstitut (P31), Berlin, Germany.
Neurosci Lett. 2000 Jan 14;278(3):181-4. doi: 10.1016/s0304-3940(99)00934-9.
Infection of the central nervous system (CNS) is a defining feature of scrapie. Several findings suggest that scrapie agent invades the CNS via the splanchnic and vagus nerve after ingestion of infectivity. Here we address the involvement of the enteric nervous system (ENS) and gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) in this pathogenetic process. Immunocytochemistry was used for the detection of pathological PrP in the duodenum and ileum of hamsters fed with 263K scrapie and sacrificed at different stages of incubation. The experiments revealed early infection of various GALT components and of submucosal and myenteric ENS ganglia. These results provide evidence for an important role of the ENS in scrapie neuroinvasion and for centripetal vagal spread of infection from the gut to the brain after oral uptake of agent.
中枢神经系统（CNS）感染是羊瘙痒病的一个显著特征。多项研究结果表明，在摄入传染性物质后，羊瘙痒病病原体通过内脏神经和迷走神经侵入中枢神经系统。在此，我们探讨肠神经系统（ENS）和肠道相关淋巴组织（GALT）在这一发病过程中的作用。采用免疫细胞化学方法检测了经263K羊瘙痒病感染并在不同潜伏期处死的仓鼠十二指肠和回肠中的病理性朊蛋白（PrP）。实验揭示了GALT各组成部分以及黏膜下和肌间ENS神经节的早期感染。这些结果为ENS在羊瘙痒病神经侵袭中的重要作用以及口服病原体后感染从肠道向大脑的迷走神经向心性扩散提供了证据。
