Milstein Marissa, Gresch Sarah C, Schwabenlander Marc D, Li Manci, Bartz Jason C, Bryant Damani N, Christenson Peter R, Lindsey Laramie L, Lurndahl Nicole, Oh Sang-Hyun, Rowden Gage R, Shoemaker Rachel L, Wolf Tiffany M, Larsen Peter A, Lichtenberg Stuart S
Emerg Infect Dis. 2025 Apr;31(4):772-782. doi: 10.3201/eid3104.241176.
Prion diseases, including chronic wasting disease (CWD), are caused by prions, which are misfolded aggregates of normal cellular prion protein. Prions possess many characteristics that distinguish them from conventional pathogens, in particular, an extraordinary recalcitrance to inactivation and a propensity to avidly bind to surfaces. In middle to late stages of CWD, prions begin accumulating in cervid muscle tissues. Those features collectively create scenarios in which occupational hazards arise for workers processing venison and pose risks to consumers through direct prion exposure through ingestion and cross-contamination of food products. In this study, we demonstrate that steel and plastic surfaces used in venison processing can be directly contaminated with CWD prions and that cross-contamination of CWD-negative venison can occur from equipment that had previously been used with CWD-positive venison. We also show that several decontaminant solutions (commercial bleach and potassium peroxymonosulfate) are efficacious for prion inactivation on those same surfaces.
朊病毒疾病，包括慢性消耗性疾病（CWD），是由朊病毒引起的，朊病毒是正常细胞朊蛋白的错误折叠聚集体。朊病毒具有许多使其有别于传统病原体的特征，特别是对失活具有极强的抗性，并且易于与表面紧密结合。在CWD的中晚期，朊病毒开始在鹿科动物肌肉组织中积累。这些特征共同构成了这样的场景：加工鹿肉的工人面临职业危害，并且通过食用受朊病毒直接污染的食品以及食品的交叉污染，给消费者带来风险。在本研究中，我们证明了鹿肉加工中使用的钢铁和塑料表面可被CWD朊病毒直接污染，并且先前用于处理CWD阳性鹿肉的设备可能导致CWD阴性鹿肉发生交叉污染。我们还表明，几种去污剂溶液（商业漂白剂和过硫酸钾）对这些相同表面上的朊病毒失活有效。
