Emerging Infectious Diseases (Jan 2025)

Detection of Prions in Wild Pigs (Sus scrofa) from Areas with Reported Chronic Wasting Disease Cases, United States

  • Paulina Soto,
  • Francisca Bravo-Risi,
  • Rebeca Benavente,
  • Tucker H. Stimming,
  • Michael J. Bodenchuk,
  • Patrick Whitley,
  • Clint Turnage,
  • Terry R. Spraker,
  • Justin Greenlee,
  • Glenn Telling,
  • Jennifer Malmberg,
  • Thomas Gidlewski,
  • Tracy Nichols,
  • Vienna R. Brown,
  • Rodrigo Morales

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3201/eid3101.240401
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 31, no. 1
pp. 168 – 173

Abstract

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Using a prion amplification assay, we identified prions in tissues from wild pigs (Sus scrofa) living in areas of the United States with variable chronic wasting disease (CWD) epidemiology. Our findings indicate that scavenging swine could play a role in disseminating CWD and could therefore influence its epidemiology, geographic distribution, and interspecies spread.

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