Where does Scrapie come from?
3 Types of Transmission: Lateral: From one animal to another Maternal: From dam to her offspring through parturition and fluids associated Vertical: From parent to offspring via germplasm **Combination of Lateral and Maternal is believed to be the main mode of transmission. What do you do if you suspect your sheep are infected? • Contact your local veterinarian • If he or she diagnoses your flock as being potentially scrapie infected, he or she will contact your State Board of Animal Health and the State Veterinarian Is there a live-animal test available? Currently, researchers have developed a test which would measure the amount of prions in the lymphoid tissue of the third eyelid. At this time, the test is still undergoing validation. The only positive way to determine if your sheep are infected is to do a necropsy. The brain, spinal cord, and other tissue areas are evaluated for abnormal prion content. For more info on the 3rd Eyelid Test: www.vetmed.wsu.edu/depts_waddl/dx/scrapie.h
