258:
worked at the same slaughterhouse. Dr. Daniel LaChance, a physician at both the Austin
Medical Center and the Mayo Clinic in nearby Rochester, Minnesota, was notified. He launched a request to area physicians to refer other patients with similar symptoms to him. The Minnesota Department of Health was notified and began an investigation into the "outbreak." They identified workers from two other pork facilities in Indiana and Nebraska who also had parallel neurological complaints. Several agencies including the
257:
In
October 2007 an astute medical interpreter noticed similar neurological symptoms being reported by Spanish-speaking patients seeking treatment from different physicians at the Austin Medical Center, in Austin, Minnesota. Not only did these patients share similar neurological symptoms, they also
98:
An initial comprehensive study of 24 known cases was conducted by multiple doctors from various disciplines at the Mayo Clinic. They identified the cause of this neurological disease to be long-term occupational exposure to aerosolized porcine brain and spinal tissue. Investigators from the
69:
workers who appeared at various care facilities in the area reporting similar neurological symptoms. The disease was later identified at slaughterhouses in
Indiana and Nebraska as well. The condition is characterized by acute paralysis, pain, fatigue, numbness, and weakness, especially in
625:; Orenstein, R; Scheithauer, BW; Sejvar, JJ; Holzbauer, S; Devries, AS; Dyck, PJ (Jan 2010). "An outbreak of neurological autoimmunity with polyradiculoneuropathy in workers exposed to aerosolised porcine neural tissue: a descriptive study".
239:
in the peripheral nervous system. Guillain–Barré syndrome is usually triggered by an recent infection (or more rarely a recent vaccination) and causes weakness and tingling in the arms and legs. Researchers also looked at
266:
were brought in to assist. Simultaneously investigations were conducted to rule out contagious disease, to locate the source or carrier, and to identify what exactly was causing these workers to develop these symptoms.
248:
sheathing in the peripheral nervous system. However, as doctors at the Mayo Clinic were beginning to note, the problem they were seeing in progressive inflammatory neuropathy was occurring in the spinal nerve roots.
103:. The workers closest in proximity to the "head table", an area in the factory where the air system was used, were the most likely to be affected. The aerosolized mist was readily absorbed into the workers'
532:
675:
Meeusen, Jeffrey W.; Klein, Christopher J.; Pirko, Istvan; Haselkorn, Keegan E.; Kryzer, Thomas J.; Pittock, Sean J.; Lachance, Daniel H.; Dyck, P. James; Lennon, Vanda A. (1 March 2012).
99:
Minnesota
Department of Health simultaneously determined that the air pressure jet system used to extract the brain from pig carcasses was unsafe, as it would create an airborne mist of
755:
142:
antibodies and calcium channel antibodies) were present in experimental mice. This animal model confirmed the hypothesized mechanism of progressive inflammatory neuropathy.
241:
803:
569:
Tracy, Jennifer A.; Dyck, P. James B. (1 June 2011). "Auto-immune polyradiculoneuropathy and a novel IgG biomarker in workers exposed to aerosolized porcine brain".
107:. The pig proteins were then recognized by their bodies as foreign and an autoimmune response was initiated. Researchers determined that the disease was due to the
452:
270:
Removal from exposure was the first line of treatment. Due to the progressive sensory loss and weakness, various medications were often required. These included
259:
487:
DeAngelis, Tracy M.; Shen, Liang (1 October 2009). "Outbreak of
Progressive Inflammatory Neuropathy Following Exposure to Aerosolized Porcine Neural Tissue".
301:
It is expected that there will be no new cases of progressive inflammatory neuropathy since this particular carcass processing method has been discontinued.
540:
358:
263:
46:
134:
that involved mice receiving twice daily doses of minced pig brain tissue in saline intranasally. Biochemical testing indicated the signature
759:
209:
828:
108:
228:
833:
217:
453:"Investigation into risk factors for progressive inflammatory neuropathy among swine abattoir workers in the united states"
728:
823:
459:
417:
355:"Investigation of Progressive Inflammatory Neuropathy Among Swine Slaughterhouse Workers---Minnesota, 2007---2008"
244:
which is characterized by progressive weakness and sensory impairment in the arms and legs. Damage occurs to the
124:
782:
354:
213:
290:
286:
75:
320:
83:
70:
extremities. It was initially believed that workers might have contracted the disease through inhaling
387:
139:
650:
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310:
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42:
797:
706:
642:
586:
504:
27:
696:
688:
634:
578:
496:
187:
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127:. It is this hyper-excitability that leads to the tingling, numbness, pain, and weakness.
783:"Investigation of progressive inflammatory neuropathy among swine slaughterhouse workers"
701:
676:
325:
135:
112:
66:
638:
289:. All 24 patients improved, including 7 who received no treatment and 17 who required
123:
which causes inflammation and irritation, and consequently, hyper-excitability in the
817:
622:
582:
489:
Mount Sinai
Journal of Medicine: A Journal of Translational and Personalized Medicine
116:
62:
654:
598:
202:
that could be causing the symptoms. All of these infectious causes were ruled out.
282:
236:
232:
131:
104:
79:
86:. These suspicions were confirmed in reports and investigations conducted at the
677:"Potassium channel complex autoimmunity induced by inhaled brain tissue aerosol"
271:
175:
171:
87:
315:
278:
224:
183:
167:
54:
537:
mal model mirrors human form of occupational neuropathy in pork plant workers
163:
58:
710:
646:
590:
508:
621:
Lachance, DH; Lennon, VA; Pittock, SJ; Tracy, JA; Krecke, KN; Amrami, KK;
191:
179:
151:
50:
195:
71:
692:
500:
150:
Over 40 laboratory tests were initially conducted to rule out various
45:
that was identified in a report, released on
January 31, 2008, by the
245:
220:
were also quickly ruled out as being the cause of this neuropathy.
781:
National Center for
Zoonotic, Vector-Borne, and Enteric Diseases.
205:
159:
155:
100:
78:
that were created by a machine at the slaughterhouse and that an
120:
82:
response to the particles might have produced their mysterious
115:
that are induced by pig brain antigen exposure, causing an
727:
Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (2 May 2008).
446:
444:
442:
440:
438:
436:
434:
158:. These tests were used to try to identify potential
482:
480:
26:
21:
670:
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664:
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564:
562:
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558:
349:
347:
345:
343:
341:
749:
747:
745:
388:"Inhaling pig brains may be cause of new illness"
242:chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy
526:
524:
522:
520:
518:
381:
379:
377:
375:
411:
409:
407:
130:Researchers from the Mayo Clinic developed an
260:Occupational Safety and Health Administration
8:
802:: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
162:carried by humans, pigs, or both, including
756:"Medical mystery solved in slaughterhouse"
359:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
264:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
47:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
18:
722:
720:
700:
571:Journal of the Peripheral Nervous System
178:. Investigeatirs also tried to identify
337:
795:
7:
729:"New brain disease is blowing minds"
39:Progressive inflammatory neuropathy
22:Progressive inflammatory neuropathy
14:
539:. Neurology Today. Archived from
418:"The Spam Factory's Dirty Secret"
223:Next two very similar autoimmune
65:. The disease was reported among
583:10.1111/j.1529-8027.2011.00303.x
210:bovine spongiform encephalopathy
109:voltage-gated potassium channels
138:(potassium channel antibodies,
1:
639:10.1016/S1474-4422(09)70296-0
208:associated diseases such as
235:response which affects the
850:
218:Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease
125:peripheral nervous system
90:in Rochester, Minnesota.
57:occurred in southeastern
291:immunosuppressive drugs
229:Guillain–Barré syndrome
214:chronic wasting disease
829:Neurological disorders
119:build-up of potassium
834:Occupational diseases
321:Peripheral neuropathy
253:Treatment and history
84:peripheral neuropathy
32:Neurology, immunology
156:environmental toxins
140:myelin basic protein
824:Autoimmune diseases
681:Annals of Neurology
216:(CWD), and variant
762:on October 1, 2010
543:on 16 January 2013
451:Holzbauer, Stacy.
311:Autoimmune disease
275:methylprednisolone
49:. The first known
43:autoimmune disease
693:10.1002/ana.22674
501:10.1002/msj.20132
111:being blocked by
36:
35:
16:Medical condition
841:
808:
807:
801:
793:
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789:
778:
772:
771:
769:
767:
758:. Archived from
751:
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724:
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672:
659:
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627:Lancet Neurology
618:
603:
602:
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553:
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531:Rukovets, Olga.
528:
513:
512:
484:
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458:. Archived from
457:
448:
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413:
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383:
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227:were ruled out:
188:Escherichia coli
19:
849:
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416:Genoways, Ted.
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364:
362:
353:
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339:
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307:
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200:Cryptosporidium
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96:
17:
12:
11:
5:
847:
845:
837:
836:
831:
826:
816:
815:
810:
809:
773:
741:
716:
687:(3): 417–426.
660:
604:
554:
514:
495:(5): 442–447.
476:
465:on 2 June 2013
430:
403:
386:Brown, David.
371:
336:
335:
333:
330:
329:
328:
326:Polyneuropathy
323:
318:
313:
306:
303:
298:
295:
254:
251:
147:
144:
136:autoantibodies
113:autoantibodies
95:
92:
67:slaughterhouse
34:
33:
30:
24:
23:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
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237:Schwann cells
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117:intracellular
114:
110:
106:
102:
93:
91:
89:
85:
81:
77:
73:
68:
64:
63:United States
60:
56:
52:
48:
44:
40:
31:
29:
25:
20:
786:. Retrieved
776:
764:. Retrieved
760:the original
754:Gajilan, A.
732:. Retrieved
684:
680:
633:(1): 55–66.
630:
626:
623:Poeschla, EM
574:
570:
545:. Retrieved
541:the original
536:
492:
488:
467:. Retrieved
460:the original
421:. Retrieved
394:. Retrieved
363:. Retrieved
361:. 2007-01-31
300:
283:azathioprine
269:
256:
231:is an acute
225:neuropathies
222:
204:
168:adenoviruses
149:
132:animal model
129:
105:nasal mucosa
97:
38:
37:
272:intravenous
176:hepatitis E
172:hepatitis A
164:rotaviruses
88:Mayo Clinic
818:Categories
365:2008-02-04
332:References
316:Neuropathy
279:prednisone
233:autoimmune
184:Salmonella
101:pig organs
80:autoimmune
55:neuropathy
577:: 34–37.
297:Prognosis
285:, and/or
192:parasites
152:pathogens
146:Diagnosis
74:from pig
59:Minnesota
28:Specialty
798:cite web
766:19 March
711:22451206
655:19696027
647:19945916
599:36231208
591:21696495
547:19 March
509:19787653
396:20 March
305:See also
262:and the
194:such as
182:such as
180:bacteria
72:aerosols
53:of this
51:outbreak
788:1 March
734:1 March
702:3315155
277:, oral
212:(BSE),
196:Giardia
160:viruses
61:in the
709:
699:
653:
645:
597:
589:
507:
423:12 May
246:myelin
190:, and
174:, and
76:brains
651:S2CID
595:S2CID
533:"Ani"
469:1 May
463:(PDF)
456:(PDF)
391:(PDF)
206:Prion
94:Cause
41:is a
804:link
790:2012
768:2012
736:2012
707:PMID
643:PMID
587:PMID
549:2012
505:PMID
471:2012
425:2012
398:2012
287:IVIG
198:and
186:and
154:and
121:ions
697:PMC
689:doi
635:doi
579:doi
497:doi
820::
800:}}
796:{{
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400:.
368:.
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