Environmental Chemistry and Technology Program, Univ. of Wisconsin, 1525 Observatory Dr., Madison, WI 53706, USA.
J Environ Qual. 2011 Mar-Apr;40(2):449-61. doi: 10.2134/jeq2010.0412.
Prions are the etiological agents of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSSEs), a class of fatal neurodegenerative diseases affecting humans and other mammals. The pathogenic prion protein is a misfolded form of the host-encoded prion protein and represents the predominant, if not sole, component of the infectious agent. Environmental routes of TSE transmission areimplicated in epizootics of sheep scrapie and chronic wasting disease (CWD) of deer, elk, and moose. Soil represents a plausible environmental reservoir of scrapie and CWD agents, which can persist in the environment for years. Attachment to soil particles likely influences the persistence and infectivity of prions in the environment. Effective methods to inactivate TSE agents in soil are currently lacking, and the effects of natural degradation mechanisms on TSE infectivity are largely unknown. An improved understanding of the processes affecting the mobility, persistence, and bioaviailability of prions in soil is needed for the management of TSE-contaminated environments.
朊病毒是传染性海绵状脑病（TSEs）的病原体，TSEs 是一类影响人类和其他哺乳动物的致命神经退行性疾病。致病性朊病毒蛋白是宿主编码朊病毒蛋白的错误折叠形式，代表了感染因子的主要（如果不是唯一）成分。TSE 的环境传播途径与绵羊痒病和鹿、麋鹿和驼鹿的慢性消耗性疾病（CWD）的流行有关。土壤是羊痒病和 CWD 病原体的合理环境库，这些病原体可以在环境中存在多年。附着在土壤颗粒上可能会影响朊病毒在环境中的持久性和感染性。目前缺乏有效方法来灭活土壤中的 TSE 病原体，而且自然降解机制对 TSE 感染性的影响在很大程度上尚不清楚。为了管理 TSE 污染的环境，需要更好地了解影响朊病毒在土壤中迁移、持久性和生物可利用性的过程。
