Award details

Biotic and abiotic mechanisms of TSE infectivity retention and dissemination in soil

Reference	BBS/E/I/00001002
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Dr Robert Somerville
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	The Pirbright Institute
Department	The Pirbright Institute Department
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	29,528
Status	Completed
Type	Institute Project
Start date	01/01/2003
End date	30/04/2006
Duration	40 months

Abstract

In several European countries, TSE epidemic in cattle is a major economic problem for the sustainability of breeding activities and a growing concern for public health with the transmission of TSE to human beings by consumption of contaminated meat (new variant of the Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease). The soil can be contaminated and become a potential reservoir of TSE infectivity as a result of (I) accidental dispersion from storage plants of meat and bone meal, (ii) incorporation of meat and bone meal in fertilisers, (iii) spreading of effluents of slaughter-houses, rendering plants and gelatin industry, (iv) possible natural contamination of pasture soils by grazing herds, and (v) burial of carcasses of contaminated animals. In order to assess the risks mentioned above, a fundamental knowledge of the mechanisms involved in TSE infectivity dispersion and remanence in soil is needed. The interaction of the prion with both mineral and organic soil constituents, and its susceptibility to hydrolytic events mediated by soil microorganisms (free or associated with soil invertebrates), need to be studied, since very few information is presently available. Our scientific objective is thus to have a better understanding of:The mechanisms of adsorption of prions on soil mineral surfaces; The mechanisms of interaction and entrapment of prions with soil organic matter; The mobility of prions in columns of soil; The degradability of prions by the proteases of soil microorganisms; The fate of prions after ingestion by soil invertebrates; The role of necrophagous insects in prion dispersion from soil buried carcasses

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Closed Committee - Agri-food (AF)
Research Topics	X – not assigned to a current Research Topic
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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