Atypical Prion Strain of Mad Cow More Virulent, Says Dr. Qingzhong Kong
When the subject is Mad Cow disease, you do not want to find out that it can get worse. That, however, appears to be what researcher Qingzhong Kong from Case Western University had to tell an audience at Kansas State recently.
Dr. Kong said an atypical prion strain of mad cow disease, also called bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BS, is more virulent than the classical strain. He spoke at KSU on Nov. 14.
Dr. Kong presented "Chronic Wasting Disease and Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy: Public Health Risk Assessment" at the Emerging Infections Symposium: A Tribute to the One Medicine, One Health Concept.
In September, Juergen Richt, Regents Distinguished Professor of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology and Kansas Bioscience Authority Eminent Scholar, and colleague Mark Hall of the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa, published research findings that showed a genetic mutation in cattle can cause BSE, which is the first report of genetic prion disease in livestock.
In his presentation, Kong also addressed chronic wasting disease. He said research with humanized transgenic mouse models has shown no transmission of the prevailing chronic wasting disease prion strain, but further research is needed to fully evaluate the diversity of chronic wasting diseases and their public health risks.
