'Mad cow protein' carried by 1 in 2,000 people

Conclusion This study provided a more accurate estimate of the prevalence of prions (abnormal proteins) which indicate carrier status of a prion disease in England. Prions were found in 16 of 32,441 removed appendixes. This indicates a prevalence of a prion disease carrier status of 1 in 2,000 people, which is double the previous estimate of 1 in 4,000. Prion diseases include vCJD, but it is not clear if any of the 16 cases had this type of carrier status (none of the known cases of vCJD were involved in this study). This is important information to gather, as it indicates that if prion diseases can be spread by a blood transfusion, the risk of this occurring would be double that previously thought. However, due its relative rarity, there are a lot of facts about prion diseases that are unknown, including: how prion diseases are transmitted and whether this could occur through blood transfusions how to detect prions in blood the likelihood of developing vCJD if prions are detectable in the body and how long after infection the symptoms could occur what protects most people from developing vCJD Overall this is valuable research which uses a large sample of appendix samples from England and reliable methods to indicate the prevalence of abnormal prion proteins. As the researchers suggest, study of appendixes removed prior to the emergence of BSE among cattle, and therefore prior to potential introduction into the human food chain, would be valuable to co...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medical practice Neurology Source Type: news