TSE research
Details of the Agency-funded projects under the Transmissable Spongiform Encephalopathies, including BSE.
The research programme includes risk assessment, the development of diagnostic tests, studies investigating the pathogensis of TSEs and their transmissibility, and also the analysis of enforcement and slaughterhouse practices to ensure the effectiveness of food safety controls.
Details of the Agency's previous research on TSEs can be found on the National Archive at the link on the right.
Pathogenesis and tissue distribution of TSEs
- Bioassay of BSE infectivity in non-neural tissues by intracerebral inoculation of cattle (ongoing)
- Bioassay of BSE infectivity in tissues by intracerebral inoculation of cattle (ongoing)
- Determination of abnormal prion protein in cows' milk
- Distribution of infectivity and PrPsc in edible tissues of scrapie-infected sheep
- Infectivity and abnormal prion protein in tissues from sheep exposed to atypical scrapie (ongoing)
- Infectivity of atypical scrapie in slaughter age sheep following oral dosing of young lambs
- Tissue distribution of disease-related prion protein deposition and infectivity for atypical scrapie (ongoing)
Transmissibility of TSEs
- Exploring permeability of human species barrier to circulating TSE agent (ongoing)
- Further studies on the transmissibility of BSE to pigs
- Quantification of PrPd and correlation with infectivity in scrapie-infected tissues destined for human consumption (ongoing)
- Risk of transmission of CWD and atypical forms of ruminant TSE to humans (ongoing)
- Risk to humans of transmission of novel TSE isolates by cell free conversion assays
- Susceptibility of red deer (Cervus elaphus elaphus) to BSE
