Experimental bovine spongiform encephalopathy infection in rabbits

Abstract

The aim of our work was to determine the sensitivity of rabbits to the C-BSE pathogen in the first passage, to obtain a laboratory model on rabbits to study the C-BSE pathogen. The results of the experiments showed that with intracerebral infection of rabbits with the causative agent of classical spongiform encephalopathy of cows (C-BSE) they are 100% sensitive to the pathogen with an incubation period of 570 to 1842 days. The disease proceeds with the development of a clinical picture typical of prion diseases, the development of pathomorphological changes in the central nervous system in the form of vacuolization of neurons and neuropiles in various parts of the brain and massive deposition of prion protein PrPSc both in brain tissues and in peripheral lymphoid tissue (spleen). The laboratory model on rabbits is a highly sensitive model for studying the prion of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (C-BSE) and probably the causative agent of v-CJD.