BSE and prions: uncertainties about the agent
Chesebro, B.
Science 279(5347): 42-43
1998
ISSN/ISBN: 0036-8075 PMID: 9441410 Document Number: 490892
Humans and domestic animals are tragically vulnerable to a family of fatal brain diseases termed transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), or prion diseases. A prominent example is the recent epidemic of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in Britain. In March 1996, a new variant of a human TSE, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (nvCJD), was reported in Britain among a small number of people, all of whom were far younger than most people with CJD. The peculiar nature of these outbreaks led to speculation that the causative agent for BSE was transmitted from cattle to humans, resulting in the nvCJD cases. Although a definitive answer to this question has yet to be obtained, some recent research sheds new light on the issue. The latest research into TSEs is discussed.