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23/06/2006
vCJD infected 'could be much higher'
The number of people infected with variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease - the human form of 'mad cow disease' - could be much higher than previously thought, scientists have warned.
A team from the University College in London said that vCJD could have a longer incubation period, which could be more than 50 years.
Writing in medical journal 'The Lancet', scientists said that exposure to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) had been widespread, yet only 160 patients had been identified as suffering from vCJD.
The team based their findings on the study of another related condition known as kuru disease, which is a prion disease like vCJD, which is contracted through cannibalism.
The disease reached epidemic proportions in some communities in Papua New Guinea in the early 20th century, due to the practice of eating dead relatives as a mark of respect and mourning.
The practice was eventually banned in the 1950s. However, the study found that 11 patients with kuru were identified between July 1996 and June 2004, with the last one being born in 1959.
Scientists said that this meant that the possible incubation period for the disease could range between 34 and 56 years.
Professor John Collinge, who led the study said that patients with vCJD who had been identified so far could be representative of a "distinct genetic subpopulation" which had unusually short incubation periods for BSE.
The article in 'The Lancet' warned that the eventual size of a vCJD epidemic remained uncertain, while the number of infected individuals remained unknown.
(KMcA/SP)
A team from the University College in London said that vCJD could have a longer incubation period, which could be more than 50 years.
Writing in medical journal 'The Lancet', scientists said that exposure to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) had been widespread, yet only 160 patients had been identified as suffering from vCJD.
The team based their findings on the study of another related condition known as kuru disease, which is a prion disease like vCJD, which is contracted through cannibalism.
The disease reached epidemic proportions in some communities in Papua New Guinea in the early 20th century, due to the practice of eating dead relatives as a mark of respect and mourning.
The practice was eventually banned in the 1950s. However, the study found that 11 patients with kuru were identified between July 1996 and June 2004, with the last one being born in 1959.
Scientists said that this meant that the possible incubation period for the disease could range between 34 and 56 years.
Professor John Collinge, who led the study said that patients with vCJD who had been identified so far could be representative of a "distinct genetic subpopulation" which had unusually short incubation periods for BSE.
The article in 'The Lancet' warned that the eventual size of a vCJD epidemic remained uncertain, while the number of infected individuals remained unknown.
(KMcA/SP)
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29 August 2005
Blood test provides potential breakthrough in CJD testing
Scientists have developed a blood test, which could help to detect the human form of mad cow disease. In a study published in ‘Nature’, the team from the University of Texas identified infectious, or rogue, prion proteins, believed to cause the fatal brain disease in hamsters.
Blood test provides potential breakthrough in CJD testing
Scientists have developed a blood test, which could help to detect the human form of mad cow disease. In a study published in ‘Nature’, the team from the University of Texas identified infectious, or rogue, prion proteins, believed to cause the fatal brain disease in hamsters.
27 March 2006
vCJD poses threat to 'thousands'
Many thousands more people may be at risk of variant Creutzfeld Jakob Disease (vCJD) than was previously thought, but the latest research suggests that it is linked to genetic factors.
vCJD poses threat to 'thousands'
Many thousands more people may be at risk of variant Creutzfeld Jakob Disease (vCJD) than was previously thought, but the latest research suggests that it is linked to genetic factors.
21 July 2005
Blood donors warned over possible vCJD carriage
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Blood donors warned over possible vCJD carriage
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19 August 2009
Coroners 'Refuse' To Test For vCJD
Coroners are refusing to carry out post-mortem tests for an infection which causes vCJD, despite government pleas that it could help monitor the spread of the disease, it has been reported. Tests carried out during post-mortem examinations could give an indication of how many people in the country have the infection.
Coroners 'Refuse' To Test For vCJD
Coroners are refusing to carry out post-mortem tests for an infection which causes vCJD, despite government pleas that it could help monitor the spread of the disease, it has been reported. Tests carried out during post-mortem examinations could give an indication of how many people in the country have the infection.
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