The effects of host age on the transport of complement-bound complexes to the spleen and the pathogenesis of intravenous scrapie infection.

ABSTRACT: Infections with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) have almost exclusively occurred in young patients, but the reasons for this age distribution are uncertain. Our data suggest that the pathogenesis of many peripherally acquired transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) agents is less efficient in aged individuals. Four vCJD cases linked to transfusion of vCJD-contaminated blood or blood products have been described. Three cases occurred in elderly patients, implying that intravenous exposure is more efficient in aged individuals than other peripheral routes. To test this hypothesis, young (6 to 8 weeks old) and aged (600 days old) mice were injected intravenously with a TSE agent. In aged and young mice, the intravenous route was more efficient than other peripheral routes of TS

SUBMITTER: Brown KL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3255866 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature