title: [Human prion diseases].
abstract: The interest in prion diseases, particularly the Creutzfeldt-Jakob type (CJD), rose dramatically in the last years for two reasons. 1) The general public wants to know whether eating beef may cause CJD. Discovering the new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (nvCJD) and experimental evidence that nvCJD and bovine spongiforme encephalopathy (BSE) are caused by the same prion strain make this idea probable. 2) Infectiologists and Neuroscientists recognise a model disease for a new infectious principle in that the same disease may occur as being inherited as well as transmitted. Additionally, it might allow new insights into the possible aetiologies of neurodegenerative disease.
authors.affiliation: Neurologische Universitätsklinik, Inselspital, Bern.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sturzenegger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D007562:Creutzfeldt-Jakob Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000635:transmission; D016643:Encephalopathy, Bovine Spongiform / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000635:transmission; D016098:Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000635:transmission; D006801:Humans; D007729:Kuru / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000635:transmission; D017096:Prion Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000635:transmission*
vernacular_title: Prionkrankheiten beim Menschen.