Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)

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8-05-2002

WNV: As you all probably know if you read newspapers, shortly after I sentthe last update on WNV 3 other people died of the infection in Louisiana(for a total of 4). The governor there has issued an emergency warning.

Texas has now confirmed 8 cases of human WNV infection, but withmortality so far. Further, South Dakota continues to see more cases of equine WNV (6 so far). Most important, though, is the finding in Butte Co, South Dakota, which is on the very far west side of the state. Still low numbers in these more western areas but the rapidity and distribution of the 2002 WNV spread and movement of migratory birds certainly predicts likely nationwide distribution by next year.

TSE: In case you've seen the reports on the inhibition of abnormal prion protein by tetracycline (headline: "Antibiotics May Be Useful Against "Mad Cow" Disease"), keep in mind that these experiments were all done with exposure of the abnormal protein to tetracycline BEFORE inoculation into susceptible rodents. So far no one has shown that application of tetracycline after infection has any effect on the course of the disease. See on-line reports of National Academy of Science. Another report enhancing concern about transmission of TSEs is an experiment whereby BSE and scrapie were transmitted by blood transfusion from affected sheep to non-affected sheep. Transmission was successful from both pre-clinical and clinically affected sheep. This will have major impact on the use and availability of blood products as well as justifying Britain's stringent restricted use of blood products since this method of transmission was considered "theoretically possible" a couple of years ago (the first transmission was shown in 2000). Anyone interested see Journal General Virology: Transmission of prion diseases by blood transfusion, Nora Hunter, 1 James Foster,1 Angela Chong,1 Sandra McCutcheon,2 David Parnham,1 Samantha Eaton,1 Calum MacKenzie1 and Fiona Houston2, Institute for Animal Health, Neuropathogenesis Unit, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JF, UK 2 Institute for Animal Health, Compton, Newbury, Berkshire RG20 7NN, UK

Thomas J. Roffe, PhD, DVM
USGS-BRD
Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center
FWP Bldg, 1400 S. 19th Ave.
Bozeman, MT 59718-5496
T: 406-994-5789
F: 406-994-4090
Cell: 406-539-4955

Supporting Document:

Date: 2 Aug 2002
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promed.mail.org>
Source: AP in New York Times, 2 Aug 2002 [edited]
<http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-West-Nile-Death.html>

Louisiana Declares West Nile Emergency

The West Nile virus has infected 58 Louisiana residents, killing 4 & putting at least a dozen in the hospital, state officials said Friday. The governor has declared an emergency.

The mosquito-borne virus has now been found in virtually every corner of the state, the Department of Health and Hospitals said. Of the 12 infected residents known to be hospitalized, 4 were in intensive care, the department said.

The deaths, the first this year in the United States, raised the national West Nile toll to 22 since 1999. The virus can cause the potentially fatal brain inflammation known as encephalitis, as well as milder illnesses.

Gov. Mike Foster declared a statewide emergency, a move he said could help bring in federal money for parishes (the Louisiana term for counties) that are spraying more heavily than usual to fight mosquitos.

Earlier this week, health officials confirmed that an 83-year-old Baton Rouge woman had died from West Nile. The latest deaths were a 53-year-old man from Folsom, a 75-year-old man from Baton Rouge and a 72-year-old man from the town of Iowa in Calcasieu Parish.

Following an initial outbreak in southeastern Louisiana in June [2002], the virus has now spread to New Orleans in the far southeast, the Lake Charles area in southwestern Louisiana and to the Monroe area in the northeast.

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