While the precise mechanism of the PrPC to PrPSc conversion is not understood, it is clear that host PrPC expression is a prerequisite for effective infectious prion propagation.
To put it more simply, food is in many cases involved in many infectious disease propagations as the vehicle of pathogen spread in the transmission chain (e.g., environment-animal-food-humans) leading to infections (e.g. for cholera and tuberculosis) beyond the classical foodborne illnesses where there is no human-human transmission.
Prion diseases are fatal neurodegenerative diseases of humans and animals which, in addition to sporadic and familial modes of manifestation, can be acquired via an infectious route of propagation.
However, its use is often constrained by the instability of infectious clone constructs during propagation in E. coli.
In this sense, vaccinated, quarantine, susceptible population with different risk of catching infection, asymptomatic or symptomatic infected populations have been considered in other compartmental models for describing the propagation of infectious diseases within a host population [17 19].
Regulated proteolysis of the polyprotein precursor of West Nile virus (WNV) by the essential NS2B NS3(pro tease, a promising drug target for WNV inhibitors, is required for the propagation of infectious virions.
Coincidentally, HET-s prion behaves as a non-conventional infectious element capable of propagation during anastomosis and sexual reproduction in P. anserina [ 37].
In addition, we briefly discuss the means of transmission or propagation of infectious agents, including water, animal feed, and human food.
