'Second wave' of mad cow disease could hit Britain, scientists warn

Antaletriangle · 12-08-2008, 08:54 PM

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/he...ists-warn.html

A "second wave" of the incurable human form of mad cow disease could hit Britain causing greater numbers of deaths, a new study has warned.

By Kate Devlin Medical Correspondent
Last Updated: 6:34PM GMT 07 Dec 2008

Penned British cattle: the first ever blood test for variant CJD is currently undergoing clinical trials.
The full extent of the outbreak of the deadly variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) has not yet been realised, scientists believe.

The next wave could take the form of a "tidal wave or an imperceptible ripple", they warn.

To date 167 people have died from vCJD in Britain since it was first diagnosed in the mid-1990s.

But scientists warn that thousands of people could still go on to develop the disease because of the length of time it can remain in the body with no symptoms.

Earlier this year scientists warned that up to one in 4,000 people in Britain could carry the infection, although the vast majority of them would never go on to develop the full blown disease.

The results of the new study show that the disease is affected by genetic factors in patients.

The individual make-up of a patient could increase the amount of time that the infection, commonly contracted through eating infected meat or though a blood transfusion, lies low before symptoms develop, they warn.

The research shows that it is an individual's DNA which controls if and when the disease will manifest itself.

The study also identifies some but not all of the common patterns which can signpost if a person is likely to go on to develop the incurable disease.

The research, the findings of which are published in the journal Lancet Neurology, analysed DNA samples from all the British patients who have died from the disease and compared them with samples from healthy blood donors.

The authors of the study, led by Dr Simon Mead, from University College London, say that the research suggests that genetic predisposition "has contributed significantly to the outbreak of vCJD to date".

Writing in the same journal Hans Kretzschmar and Thomas Illig, from the Ludwig–Maximillians University and the Helmholtz Zentrum in Munich, call for more investigation into the influence of specific genes.

"A second wave of CJD with a longer incubation time might hit these shores, but we do not know whether this will be a tidal wave or just an imperceptible ripple," they warn.

The first ever blood test for variant CJD is currently undergoing clinical trials. Scientists believe that it could be available within 18 months and could be used to screen blood transfusions for the infection.

A spokesman for the Department of Health said: "We understand the uncertainties about whether there will be a secondary wave of vCJD cases which reinforce the need for the UK to maintain effective surveillance of CJD through the National CJD Surveillance Unit in Edinburgh and to fund research studies to ascertain the sub-clinical prevalence of vCJD in the population.

"We will obviously examine the findings of this research carefully.

"The government remains committed to providing resources for CJD surveillance and research."

12-08-2008, 08:54 PM	#1
Antaletriangle Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: U.K. Posts: 3,380	'Second wave' of mad cow disease could hit Britain, scientists warn http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/he...ists-warn.html A "second wave" of the incurable human form of mad cow disease could hit Britain causing greater numbers of deaths, a new study has warned. By Kate Devlin Medical Correspondent Last Updated: 6:34PM GMT 07 Dec 2008 Penned British cattle: the first ever blood test for variant CJD is currently undergoing clinical trials. The full extent of the outbreak of the deadly variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) has not yet been realised, scientists believe. The next wave could take the form of a "tidal wave or an imperceptible ripple", they warn. To date 167 people have died from vCJD in Britain since it was first diagnosed in the mid-1990s. But scientists warn that thousands of people could still go on to develop the disease because of the length of time it can remain in the body with no symptoms. Earlier this year scientists warned that up to one in 4,000 people in Britain could carry the infection, although the vast majority of them would never go on to develop the full blown disease. The results of the new study show that the disease is affected by genetic factors in patients. The individual make-up of a patient could increase the amount of time that the infection, commonly contracted through eating infected meat or though a blood transfusion, lies low before symptoms develop, they warn. The research shows that it is an individual's DNA which controls if and when the disease will manifest itself. The study also identifies some but not all of the common patterns which can signpost if a person is likely to go on to develop the incurable disease. The research, the findings of which are published in the journal Lancet Neurology, analysed DNA samples from all the British patients who have died from the disease and compared them with samples from healthy blood donors. The authors of the study, led by Dr Simon Mead, from University College London, say that the research suggests that genetic predisposition "has contributed significantly to the outbreak of vCJD to date". Writing in the same journal Hans Kretzschmar and Thomas Illig, from the Ludwig–Maximillians University and the Helmholtz Zentrum in Munich, call for more investigation into the influence of specific genes. "A second wave of CJD with a longer incubation time might hit these shores, but we do not know whether this will be a tidal wave or just an imperceptible ripple," they warn. The first ever blood test for variant CJD is currently undergoing clinical trials. Scientists believe that it could be available within 18 months and could be used to screen blood transfusions for the infection. A spokesman for the Department of Health said: "We understand the uncertainties about whether there will be a secondary wave of vCJD cases which reinforce the need for the UK to maintain effective surveillance of CJD through the National CJD Surveillance Unit in Edinburgh and to fund research studies to ascertain the sub-clinical prevalence of vCJD in the population. "We will obviously examine the findings of this research carefully. "The government remains committed to providing resources for CJD surveillance and research."