Data Supports Spiroplasma

Lines of evidence supporting the role of an extreme thermo-acidophilic bacterium (spiroplasma sp.) in the pathogenesis of chronic wasting disease and the other transmissible spongiform encephalopathies.

MORPHOLOGICAL

• SPIROPLASMA IDENTIFIED BY TEM IN CJD BRAIN TISSUES
• SPIROPLASMA IN AQUEOUS FLUID OF SHEEP WITH TERMINAL SCRAPIE
• EXPERIMENTALLY SPIROPLASMA-INFECTED ANIMAL MODEL

RAT MODEL 

• SPIROPLASMA INDUCES SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY

DEER MODEL

• CLINICAL EVIDENCE OF BRAIN STEM LESIONS
• MORPHOLOGICAL EVIDENCE OF BRAIN STEM LESION

RUMINANT MODEL- SHEEP AND GOATS

• MORPHOLOGICAL EVIDENCE OF BRAIN STEM LESION
• LOCALIZATION TO EYES- RETINOPATHY

MOLECULAR DETECTION OF ORGANISM IN TSE-AFFECTED TISSUES (PCR)

• CULTURE OF SPIROPLASMA FROM CWD & OTHER TSE-AFFECTED TISSUES
• PASSAGE IN EMBRYONATED EGGS

GROWTH IN CELL-FREE BRUCELLA SPECIAL MEDIA

• GROWTH ON AGAR WITH FORMATION OF SUBSURFACE PLAQUES
• IDENTICAL BIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF TRANSMISSIBLE TSE AGENT AS SHOWN BY ENUMERATION OF SUBSURFACE PLACUES ON AGAR

IMMUNOLOGICAL

• REACTION OF SCRAPIE HYPERIMMUNE SERA WITH SPIROPLASMA FIBRILS
• ELISA REACTION OF SPIROPLASMA RECOMBINANT HSP60 WITH CJD SERA

OTHER

• FORMATION OF ALPHA SYNUCLEIN IN SPIROPLASMA MIRUM INFECTED MAMMALIAN TISSUE CULTURE
• NORMAL PRION PROTEIN ISOFORM ON CELL SURFACE IS RECEPTOR FOR BACTERIUM-EXPLAINS INTERACTION OF PRION WITH SPIROPLASMA