Link Between Mad Cow Disease and Human Deaths Questioned (BSE May Not Cause nvCJD)

WebMD ^ | Oct. 11, 2001 | By Salynn Boyles

[prairiebreeze]

BSE prions have never been discovered to be present in muscle tissue. Only CNS tissue(brains, spinal columns).

I don't believe they've ever been detected in bone marrow either.

Prairie

[FollowingTheGrace]

Not just in CNS tissue--spleen, tonsils, corneas, and, I think,in very small quantities in muscle tissue.

[Toskrin]

The is an abstract of a paper that deals with CJD rather than BSE. Prions can be found in extraneural tissue in humans affected with CJD.

Title
Extraneural pathologic prion protein in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

Source
New England Journal of Medicine. 349(19):1812-20, 2003 Nov 6.

Abstract
BACKGROUND: In patients with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, pathologic disease-associated prion protein (PrPSc) has been identified only in the central nervous system and olfactory-nerve tissue. Understanding the distribution of PrPSc in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is important for classification and diagnosis and perhaps even for prevention. METHODS: We used a highly sensitive method of detection--involving the concentration of PrPSc by differential precipitation with sodium phosphotungstic acid, which increased the sensitivity of Western blot analysis by up to three orders of magnitude--to search for PrPSc in extraneural organs of 36 patients with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease who died between 1996 and 2002. RESULTS: PrPSc was present in the brain tissue of all patients. In addition, we found PrPSc in 10 of 28 spleen specimens and in 8 of 32 skeletal-muscle samples. Three patients had PrPSc in both spleen and muscle specimens. Patients with extraneural PrPSc had a significantly longer duration of disease and were more likely to have uncommon molecular variants of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease than were patients without extraneural PrPSc. CONCLUSIONS: Using sensitive techniques, we identified extraneural deposition of PrPSc in spleen and muscle samples from approximately one third of patients who died with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Extraneural PrPSc appears to correlate with a long duration of disease. Copyright 2003 Massachusetts Medical Society

[torstars]

My mother died this year of possible CJD (not vCJD),

CJD and vCJD are different diseases with different genetics and age of onset. vCJD is quite distinct and so far all cases have the same genotype, so those at risk may be limited. Of course its possible that the cases of vCJD that have developed so far have a genetic component that limits "early" onset (8-12 years) to one group, and development in the more diverse general population has a markedly longer incubation period, so that group has yet to develop symptoms.

Bottom line is that the link between the vCJD cases that have already developed and BSE is quite strong. The rest of the exposed population is a wild card. Maybe they are resistant and will never develop disease and maybe in 5 years there will be an epidemic.

However, why play roulette? BSE contaminated beef is clearly something to avoid and the extent of the disease in US beef is currently unknown due to a lack of testing.

[discostu]

Your first sentence was right. The evidence isn't thin, it's non-existent. There is no evidence at all that prions jump species. BSE hasn't been linked with anything in humans.

[torstars]

Would this be the same as a piece of coal and a diamond ?

No

[torstars]

BSE prions have never been discovered to be present in muscle tissue.

Over what time frame? I think you are just talking about sensitivities of assays. Transmission of vCJD by transfusion is quite solid. The prions are almost certainly in blood, but at lower concentrations, which may just mean a longer incubation time.

[torstars]

BSE hasn't been linked with anything in humans.

Nonsense. Prions from BSE or vCJD produce the same disease in experimental animal recipients and the prions can produce disease through serial transfer. vCJD and BSE are caused by the same bovine prions.

[facedown]

BSE contaminated beef...

There is no such thing.

...is clearly something to avoid...

Dopey non sequitur.

...and the extent of the disease in US beef is currently unknown due to a lack of testing.

Your assertion.

You are an obvious PETA troll. Buh bye.

[Old Professer]

There never was any convincing evidence and likely never will be for the link but terrorism is the inculcation of fear and anybody who is willing to tell me that the good guys are winning the war right now better have one heck of a good argument.

[Old Professer]

I know your heart's in the right place, but you might want to save it until you makes sense.

[FollowingTheGrace]

You are an obvious PETA troll. Buh bye.

Huh? Would YOU eat BSE contaminated meat?

[discostu]

Nonsense yourself. There has been no evidence of species jump from cows to human. No causal relationship between the two has been proven.

[prairiebreeze]

I was referring to the same accepted scientific knowlege that Sec. of Agriculture Ann Veneman used in the USDA press conference on Tuesday, that the BSE prion hasn't ever been confirmed present in beef muscle tissue.

Prairie

[meatloaf]

That's Purdey's theory. Look at the links in one of the other posts.

[singsong]

until you makes sense

???

[Old Professer]

And simple stupidity is immune from criticism, but we don't stop the school buses because of it.

[Old Professer]

You're going to have to come up with more than this to convince me that you aren't just here to impugn the argument; newbies need credentials.

[Old Professer]

Why panic?

[Old Professer]

Must be those smart pills I bought.