Systematic Veterinary Virology

SCRAPIE

• Scrapie is a fatal, degenerative disease that affects the nervous systems of sheep and goats. The name scrapie is derived from one of the symptoms of the condition, wherein affected animals will compulsively scrape off their fleece against rocks, trees or fences. The disease expresses as severe itching sensation in the animals, lip-smacking, strange gaits, and convulsive collapse. Scrapie is infectious and transmissible among similar animals. Scrapie persist in flocks and can arise spontaneously in flocks that have not previously had cases of the disease. The mechanism of transmission between animals and other aspects of the biology of the disease are only poorly understood and these are active areas of research.