Immunological studies of scrapie infection

Scrapie is a show, degenerative nervous system disease of sheep and goats. No obvious inflammatory or immunological response occurs despite early replication of the srapie agent in the spleen. The extend earlier investigations (Garlin et al. 1978a, b) on the immunorcactivity of lymphocytes during scrapie infection, purified populations of T and B cells were prepared from BALB/c mice. No consistent differences in the response to mitogens of T and B cells from scrapie-infected and control mice were observed. An assessment of T-dependent B cell function was obtained using a hemolytic plaque-forming cell assay, but again no differences between scrapie-infected and control splenocytes could be detected. To study the possible influence of B cell maturation on scrapie infection, incubation periods were measured in CBA/N mice, bearing an X-linked deficiency of mature B cells. Scrapie incubation periods were identical in affected males and unaffected females, indicating that B cell maturation does not influence the course of scrapie. Using highly enriched preparations of the scrapie agent, we attempted to raise antibodies in rabbits using an extensive immunization protocol. Scrapie-specific antibodies could not be detected using either indirect immunofluorescence or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Some antisera reacted more strongly with scrapie than with control preparations; however, these differences disappeared when the antisera were