This project will be using in vitro and in vivo cutting-edge research tools and a potential field-deployable test to:
- identify and quantify the sources of human and animal exposure to the new emerging Norwegian CWD strains;
- assess the potential for spreading in cervids and livestock species;
- assess the potential of European CWD for infecting humans
The persistent contagious transmission of chronic wasting disease (CWD) prions continues to threaten the survival of cervid populations in North America, and their uncertain zoonotic potential raises concerns for public health.
Since the first case of CWD in Norwegian reindeer and moose in 2016, the disease is found in several Norwegian regions and Nordic countries. Our recent collaborations with key partners in this proposal have identified multiple CWD strains in Norwegian reindeer, moose and red deer. Of particular importance, these strains are unrelated to those currently present in North America. These findings have clear implications for the future management of these emerging European prions.
With the strong and complementary skills and expertise of the consortium, this ambitious project will combine live animal experiments in reindeer and mice models, in addition to in vitro experiments with the most recent and sensitive technologies (RT-QuIC, PMCA) and a potential field-deployable test, the Minnesota-QuiC test (MN-QuiC).
The potential of CWD strains for spreading among cervids and for infecting new animal species, including humans, essentially depends on two main factors: the level of EXPOSURE to CWD infectivity and the intrinsic SUSCEPTIBILITY of the EXPOSED SPECIES to the different CWD strains. EmergingCWD aims at addressing both sides of this issue. It will provide a new understanding of how the emerging CWD prions identified in Norway can spread both within and between host species.
Being different from most known infectious agents like viruses and bacteria, knowledge about prions, their infectiousness, and their transmission mechanisms continues to lag behind. Given the possible dramatic consequences of prion-related disease, this project will represent a decisive input to close this knowledge gap of relevance to both Norway and the international scientific community.
Partners
Project leader: Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Ås, NO
- INRAe Toulouse, FR
- MBU Veterinærhøgskolen, Sandnes, NO
- Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, IT
- Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, IT
- Colorado State University, Fort Collins, USA
- Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnologia Agraria, Madrid, SP
- University of Tromsø, and Inland Norway University of Applied Science, Tromsø, NO
- Center for Prion Research, University of Minnesota, USA
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Ottawa, CA
