Proving the link between BSE and CJD

23 October 1998

Proving the link between BSE and CJD

THE Independents science correspondent explains how scientists came to the conclusion there was a link between bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans.

Central was the research carried out by the CJD Surveillance Unit set up in 1990 in Edinburgh. This identified new variant (nv) CJD and mapped its distinctive signature.

Further testing on mice showed that it was very likely to be able to cross the species barrier.

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  The Independent 23/10/98 page 9 (Friday Review)