Strain-typing Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies Using Replicated Spatial Data

This chapter describes progress towards the development of more objective methods for discriminating between the neuropathological features produced by different TSE strains, in particular with respect to the vacuolation of brain tissue. We examine data on patterns of vacuolation in the brain tissue of mice challenged with different TSEs, and assess three separate aspects of the pattern: vacuole counts; vacuole sizes; and spatial distribution of vacuoles. The long-term goal is to develop a discriminant rule which can be used to identify a particular TSE strain should it arise in a group of animals.