Sensitivity of scrapie infectivity to detergents and 2-mercaptoethanol.

Exposure of fractions obtained from scrapie-infected mouse brain to Triton X-100 resulted in no change in its infectivity except after sedimentation. Infectivity was reduced after exposure to 2-mercaptoethanol but only in the presence of SDS. These results support the view that protein is an important component of the scrapie agent and that disulfide bonds may play a part in maintaining the structural integrity of the infectious agent.