RT Journal Article SR Electronic(1) A1 Marruchella, Giuseppe A1 Ligios, Ciriaco A1 Albanese, Valeria A1 Cancedda, Maria Giovanna A1 Madau, Laura A1 Lalatta-Costerbosa, Giovanna A1 Mazzoni, Maurizio A1 Clavenzani, Paolo A1 Chiocchetti, Roberto A1 Sarli, Giuseppe A1 De Grossi, Luigi A1 Agrimi, Umberto A1 Aguzzi, Adriano A1 Di Guardo, GiovanniYR 2007 T1 Enteroglial and neuronal involvement without apparent neuron loss in ileal enteric nervous system plexuses from scrapie-affected sheep JF Journal of General Virology, VO 88 IS 10 SP 2899 OP 2904 DO https://doi.org/10.1099/vir.0.82907-0 PB Microbiology Society, SN 1465-2099, AB The enteric nervous system (ENS) probably plays a dominant role in sheep scrapie pathogenesis, but little is known about the cell types involved. We investigated the ileal myenteric and submucosal plexuses of four naturally and four orally experimentally scrapie-affected ARQ/ARQ Sarda sheep, as well as those of 12 healthy-control Sarda sheep carrying different PrP genotypes. All scrapie-affected animals, euthanized at clinical-disease end stage, showed PrPd deposition within enteric glial cells (EGCs) and calbindin-immunoreactive (CALB-IR) and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS)-IR neurons. Whole-mount investigations revealed no significant differences between the densities of total, CALB-IR and nNOS-IR neurons in scrapie-affected versus healthy sheep, irrespective of PrP genotype. Our results suggest that EGCs and CALB-IR and nNOS-IR neurons are probably involved in the pathogenesis of natural and oral experimental sheep scrapie. Furthermore, the infectious agent may be less pathogenic towards ENS neurons than it is towards central nervous system neurons., UL https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/vir.0.82907-0