Reduced proteinase K resistance and infectivity of prions after pressure treatment at 60 °C
1 Federal Research Centre for Nutrition, Haid-und-Neustr. 9, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany 2 Federal Research Centre for Virus Diseases of Animals, Paul-Ehrlich-Str. 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany Correspondence Avelina Fernández García veli.fernandez{at}bfe.uni-karlsruhe.de High hydrostatic pressure is a m...
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Published in | Journal of general virology Vol. 85; no. 1; pp. 261 - 264 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
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Soc General Microbiol
2004
Society for General Microbiology |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | 1 Federal Research Centre for Nutrition, Haid-und-Neustr. 9, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
2 Federal Research Centre for Virus Diseases of Animals, Paul-Ehrlich-Str. 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
Correspondence Avelina Fernández García veli.fernandez{at}bfe.uni-karlsruhe.de
High hydrostatic pressure is a mild technology compared with high temperatures and is commonly used for food pasteurization. Crude brain homogenates of terminally diseased hamsters infected with scrapie 263K strain were heated at 60 °C and/or pressurized up to 1000 MPa for 2 h. Prion proteins were analysed for their proteinase K sensitivity using a Western blot technique. PrP Sc pressurized with 500 MPa or above proved to be proteinase K sensitive. To test the remaining infectivity of the pressurized material, hamsters were infected intracerebrally. Results showed a greatly delayed onset of disease (from 80 up to 153 days) when samples had been pressurized at 500 MPa and above. An increase in the survival rate was also observed: 47 % survival over 180 days was seen following infection with homogenates pressurized at 7001000 MPa. |
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ISSN: | 0022-1317 1465-2099 |
DOI: | 10.1099/vir.0.19410-0 |