Table 1.
Clinical parameters of BSE infection in deer.
| Clinical parameters | Deer identification | |||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
| Incubation period (challenge-PME date) (days) | 794 | 930 | 996 | 996 | 1060 | 1290 | 1017 | 1290 |
| Clinical signs duration (days) | 21 | 100 | 105 | 77 | 85 | 22 | N/A | N/A |
| Weight loss (peak weight to PME [kg]) | 12.9 | 20.0 | 19.8 | 19.1 | 24.3 | 11.5 | 9.6 | 0.5 |
| Weight loss (as % of peak weight) | 13.2 | 27.3 | 20.4 | 21.8 | 39.2 | 11.9 | 10.3 | 0.6 |
| Ataxia | + | ++ | ++ | ++ | + | - | - | - |
| Anorexia | - | + | + | + | ++ | - | - | - |
| Circling | - | + | ++ | ++ | - | - | - | - |
| Failure of seasonal change of coat | - | + | + | + | - | - | - | - |
| Apparent blindness | - | - | + | + | - | - | - | - |
| Panic attacks | +++ | ++ | + | - | - | ++ | - | - |
| Inhalation pneumonia | - | - | - | - | +++ | - | - | - |
Deer 1–6 challenged i/c with BSE agent in chronological order of developing clinical signs. Deer 7 and 8 challenged i/c with sterile saline – negative control animals.PME = post-mortem examination N/A = not applicable-negative, + mild, ++ moderate, +++ severe