Abstract
It has been established that a high proportion of extraneural replication of scrapie agent occurs in tissues associated with the lymphoreticular system, such as spleen. The question arises as to which components of the system are responsible for scrapie replication and whether such components can be identified by means of physiological manipulations. A series of experiments in mice showed that splenectomy deprived the host of a significant fraction of its capacity to permit ME7 scrapie agent to replicate, resulting in increases (10 to 30 per cent) of incubation period following intraperitoneal infection. This lost capacity remained for at least 60 days of age after neonatal splenectomy, although a smaller fraction of the total replicative capacity was vested in the spleen of the newborn than in that of mice aged 5 or more days; prolongation of incubation period in splenectomized newborn mice was over 9 per cent irrespective of the interval to injection. Experiments involving thymectomy were performed to discover whether the thymus-dependent portion of the lymphoid system was responsible for some of the spleen's ability to permit scrapie agent to replicate. The results failed to show any involvement of the thymus and its dependent lymphoid system in the replication and pathogenesis of scrapie in mice.
Published Version
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