Prions are proteinaceous infectious agents that can be transmitted through various components of the environment, including soil particles. We found that earthworms exposed to prion-contaminated soil can bind, retain, and excrete prions, which remain highly infectious. Our results suggest that earthworms potentially contribute to prion disease spread in the environment.

中文翻译：

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实验暴露的蚯蚓对传染性朊病毒的摄取、保留和排泄

朊病毒是蛋白质感染因子，可以通过环境的各种成分传播，包括土壤颗粒。我们发现，暴露在受朊病毒污染的土壤中的蚯蚓可以结合、保留和排泄朊病毒，而朊病毒仍然具有很强的传染性。我们的研究结果表明，蚯蚓可能会导致朊病毒病在环境中传播。