Isolation of Scrapie Agent from the Placenta of Sheep with Natural Scrapie in Japan

A five-month-pregnant Suffolk sheep histologically diagnosed as spontaneous scrapie was studied. Western blot analysis was performed with rabbit serum against the sheep scrapie-associated fibrils (SAF). In the proteinase K (pk)-treated parental brain and spleen samples, three major bands (15K, 18K, and 23K) were detected. These major bands were not detected from the placenta. Infectious agents were isolated in mice from the brain samples but not from the placental homogenates. In another case of a three-month-pregnant Corriedale sheep without any clinical sign of, but histologically diagnosed as scrapie, was also studied in a similar approach. In the parental brain samples, three major bands (15K, 18K and 23K) were detected. SAF protein was not detected in the parental spleen and placenta. No bands reactive with the antiserum were detected in any other samples from the fetal brain and spleen in both cases. However, infectious agents were isolated in mice from both brain and placental homogenates. Since the placenta is an important site of natural infection, it is worthwhile to study these tissues for the epidemiological study of scrapie infection.