Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sardegna, Sassari, Italy.
J Virol. 2011 Jan;85(2):1136-9. doi: 10.1128/JVI.02022-10. Epub 2010 Nov 17.
Prions are misfolded proteins that are infectious and naturally transmitted, causing a fatal neurological disease in humans and animals. Prion shedding routes have been shown to be modified by inflammation in excretory organs, such as the kidney. Here, we show that sheep with scrapie and lentiviral mastitis secrete prions into the milk and infect nearly 90% of naïve suckling lambs. Thus, lentiviruses may enhance prion transmission, conceivably sustaining prion infections in flocks for generations. This study also indicates a risk of prion spread to sheep and potentially to other animals through dietary exposure to pooled sheep milk or milk products.
朊病毒是错误折叠的蛋白质，具有传染性和自然传播性，会导致人类和动物致命的神经疾病。已经表明，排泄器官（如肾脏）的炎症会改变朊病毒的释放途径。在这里，我们发现患有瘙痒病和慢病毒乳腺炎的绵羊会将朊病毒分泌到牛奶中，并感染近 90%的新生羔羊。因此，慢病毒可能会增强朊病毒的传播，可能会使羊群中的朊病毒感染持续几代。本研究还表明，通过食用混合绵羊奶或奶制品，朊病毒可能会传播到绵羊身上，并可能传播到其他动物身上。
