Bovine spongiform encephalopathy and new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: an overview.
About 10 years after bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) appeared in British cattle, a new variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (nv-CJD) was described in the United Kingdom. This new disease is distinguishable from classical CJD in its aetiology, epidemiology, clinical profile, and neuropathology. The emergence of nv-CJD raised fears of a causal relationship between BSE and nv-CJD and of a human epidemic of indeterminate size. This paper reviews our knowledge of this group of diseases, and examines recent scientific evidence, which indicates that BSE is indeed the source of nv-CJD, and discusses the public health implications.
Patterson
W J
WJ
North Yorkshire Health Authority, York. will.patterson@nyorks-ha.northy.nhs.uk
Painter
M J
MJ
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D007562:Creutzfeldt-Jakob Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D016643:Encephalopathy, Bovine Spongiform / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission*; D006801:Humans; D011634:Public Health; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology