Chronic wasting disease is a concerning issue among deer in the United States, with fears of it potentially affecting humans. However, a recent study indicates that the disease faces significant barriers in crossing over to humans.
Research shows that brain organoids exposed to prions from deer species remained free of infection for 180 days, while those exposed to human prions quickly became infected. This suggests a strong species barrier preventing CWD transmission to humans.
Bradley Groveman, a biologist at the National Institutes of Health’s Rocky Mountain Laboratories, highlights the importance of this model in assessing the risk of transmission.
While brain organoids have limitations in mimicking real brains, the emergence of new prion strains could potentially impact the transmission of deer prions to humans.
2024-06-10 08:15:00
Source from www.sciencenews.org
