Effect of repeated oral infection of hamsters with scrapie

The development of a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy upon uptake of the infectious agent in feed was studied in the model system scrapie in hamsters. Compared to single dosing, repeated dosing caused disease at a considerable higher incidence. The risk of infection was higher when the time interval between repetitive dosing was short. There was a statistically significant trend of clearance of infectivity with time.