Changes in retinal function and morphology are early clinical signs of disease in cattle with bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

ABSTRACT: Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) belongs to a group of fatal, transmissible protein misfolding diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). All TSEs are caused by accumulation of misfolded prion protein (PrPSc) throughout the central nervous system (CNS), which results in neuronal loss and ultimately death. Like other protein misfolding diseases including Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, TSEs are generally not diagnosed until the onset of disease after the appearance of unequivocal clinical signs. As such, identification of the earliest clinical signs of disease may facilitate diagnosis. The retina is the most accessible part of the central nervous system, and retinal pathology in TSE affected animals has been previously reported. Here we describe a

SUBMITTER: Greenlee MH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4355414 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature