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More proof links 'mad cow disease' to humans
October 23, 1996
Web posted at: 11:55 p.m. EDT
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Scientists say they have discovered more
medical evidence that deadly "mad cow disease" may be
transmitted to humans.
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the brain disorder that has killed
14 people in Britain since 1995, does indeed appear to be
related to mad cow disease, or Bovine Spongiform
Encephalopathy (BSE), according to a report in this week's
Nature journal. The finding stems from a new test developed
by researchers at St. Mary's Medical School in London.
Earlier this year, British officials said a new form of CJD
in humans probably was caused by eating beef from infected
cows. But they couldn't be more certain until time-consuming
experiments were completed.
Mad cow disease leaves spongy holes in the brain and is
thought to be caused by a protein-gone-bad known as a prion.
The latest test revealed that the prion in mad cow disease
matches the one in humans with the new strain of CJD.
The European Union imposed a worldwide ban on British beef
sales in March, after Britain unveiled evidence that
people could get CJD by eating infected beef.
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