Exposure to autoclaving or sodium hydroxide extends the dose-response curve of the 263K strain of scrapie agent in hamsters.

An analysis was made of incubation period data from experiments in which samples of brain-tissue infected with the 263K strain of scrapie agent were injected intracerebrally into hamsters following exposure of the tissue to autoclaving or sodium hydroxide. Where there was survival of infectivity, this often produced extended mean incubation periods compared with the maximal incubation periods in controls injected with untreated agent. These results confirmed that, after chemical or physical treatment, infectivity titre should not be calculated by comparing the incubation period from a single dilution-group against a standard dose-response curve for untreated agent.