scrapie

[ skrey-pee, skrap-ee ]

noun

, Veterinary Pathology.

1. a usually fatal brain disease of sheep, characterized by twitching of the neck and head, grinding of the teeth, and scraping of itching portions of skin against fixed objects with a subsequent loss of wool: thought to be caused by an infectious prion.

scrapie

/ ˈskreɪpɪ /

noun

1. a disease of sheep and goats: one of a group of diseases (including BSE in cattle) that are caused by a protein prion, and result in spongiform encephalopathy

scrapie

/ skrā′pē,skrăp′ē /

1. A usually fatal, infectious disease of sheep and goats that is marked by chronic itching, loss of muscular coordination, and progressive deterioration of the central nervous system, thought to be caused by a prion.

Word History and Origins

Origin of scrapie¹

First recorded in 1905–10; scrap(e) none + -ie none

Word History and Origins

Origin of scrapie¹

C20: from scrape + -ie

Example Sentences

Other animals have their prion diseases: scrapie in sheep and chronic wasting disease in deer and other cervids, which has been reported in 32 U.S states and five Canadian provinces.

From Science Magazine

Sheep have carried scrapie — effectively mad cow disease for sheep — for centuries.

From New York Times

Caused by mis-folded proteins called prions, the neurological condition is similar to mad cow disease, which afflicts cattle and humans who eat infected beef, and scrapie in sheep.

From Washington Times

Among other prion diseases are scrapie in sheep and goats, mad cow disease in cows and Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease in humans.

From Washington Times

If CWD prions are as hardy as the ones that cause a disease in sheep called scrapie, that timetable might be even longer.

From Washington Post