ScienceDaily (Oct. 17, 2012) — Crows fed on
prion-infected brains from mice can transmit these infectious agents in their
feces and may play a role in the geographic spread of diseases caused by
prions, such as chronic wasting disease or scrapie.
The new research published
Oct. 17 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Kurt VerCauteren from
the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and other colleagues, shows that prions
can pass through crows' digestive systems without being destroyed, and may be
excreted intact after ingestion by the birds. According to the authors, their
results demonstrate a potential role for the common crow in the spread of
infectious diseases caused by prions.
Prions are infectious
proteins that cause diseases in humans and other animals. Studies so far have
suggested that insects, poultry and scavengers like crows may be passive
carriers of infectious prions, but this is the first demonstration that prions
can retain their ability to cause disease after passing through the avian
digestive system.
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