Pruritus is a common feature in sheep infected with the BSE agent

Additional file 1:

"Scratch response in orally challenged VRQ/VRQ sheep". Cheviot ewe (VRQ/VRQ, animal T1714) at 51 months after oral challenge with 5 g of BSE brainstem homogenate. This ewe responds to scratching of the dorsum initially with raising of the head and lowering of the hind quarters but eventually displays a scratch response (nibbling).

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Additional file 2:

"Scratch response in an intracerebrally inoculated ARQ/ARQ sheep". Suffolk wether (ARQ/ARQ, animal 05–1015) at 18 months after intracerebral inoculation with BSE brainstem homogenate. Scratching of the dorsum elicits a scratch response with excessive bending of the neck to the right/upwards.

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Additional file 3:

"Self-induced scratch response". Romney ewe (ARQ/ARQ, animal SM1406) at 37 month after oral challenge with 5 g of BSE brainstem homogenate. Rubbing of the dorsum on the water trough induces a scratch response (nibbling).

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Additional file 4:

"Self-nibbling". Group of four Suffolk sheep (ARQ/ARQ) at 17 months after intracerebral inoculation with BSE brainstem homogenate. Two sheep (wether 05–1015, lying next to black plastic drum, and ewe 05–1022, lying down in front of the camera) display pruritic behaviour, such as nibbling of the left flank and/or hind limb. Around the same time, both sheep also displayed a scratch response when the dorsum was scratched (see animal 05–1015 in additional file 2). The other two sheep were still clinically healthy 20 months later.

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Additional file 5:

"Scratch response in orally challenged ARQ/ARQ sheep". Romney ewe (ARQ/ARQ, animal SR5169) at 25 months after oral challenge with 0.5 g of BSE brainstem homogenate. This sheep displays a scratch response (nibbling) when the dorsum at the level of the thoracic spinal column is scratched. Even mere touching of the sheep's dorsum further caudal elicits a brief 'nibble' as can be seen at the end of the clip.

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Additional file 6:

"Scratch response in an orally challenged AHQ/AHQ sheep". Cheviot ewe (AHQ/AHQ, animal 06–1069) at 18 months after oral challenge with 5 g of BSE brainstem homogenate. This ewe responds to scratching with raising of the head only when restrained during the scratch test, but displays rhythmical lip and body movements when scratched whilst standing freely in the pen.

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Additional file 7:

"Ataxia with mild proprioceptive deficits in orally challenged ARQ/ARQ sheep". Romney ewe (ARQ/ARQ, animal SR5169) at 25 months after oral challenge with 0.5 g of BSE brainstem homogenate (see additional file 5). Whilst testing the proprioceptive positioning response of the right hind limb the ewe is briefly knuckling over its left hind fetlock when it tries to correct the position of the right hind limb. It displays a 'swaying gait' with occasional abnormal placement of the hind limbs. (Note the very slight loss of balance with leaning to the left when the ewe approaches the end of the corridor a second time.)

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Additional file 8:

Plots of Kaplan-Meier estimates for the first appearance of each clinical sign in negative and positive BSE cases.

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