Who: Maryam Mahdieh
When: July 23rd, 2024, 12:00pm-2:00pm
Where: PKI 250
ZOOM: https://unl.zoom.us/j/95882207566?pwd=0iCVLNndBpQbNAJWxGyoEGvIWB5x8D.1
Abstract:
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), a fatal and transmissible prion disease, is rapidly expanding across North America, affecting various cervid species and using the environment as a reservoir to infect naive species. To control its spread, infected carcasses are often disposed of in landfills, but the behavior of prions under landfill conditions is not well understood. This research investigates prion behavior in landfills and the impact of leachate on prion infectivity and degradation. In the first stage, CWD and HY TME prions were incubated in leachate at different temperatures, revealing that HY TME prions remained infective, while CWD prions increased in infectivity after 180 days at 22°C. The second stage monitored PrPSc mobility in lab-scale landfill reactors over five to six months, detecting PrPSc in leachate and confirming its accumulation on reactor surfaces. These findings highlight the persistence and mobility of CWD prions in landfills, emphasizing the need for effective waste management strategies to mitigate environmental contamination.