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Article: Human spongiform encephalopathies. (neurodegenerative diseases of unknown cause)
- Article from:
- Chemistry and Industry
- Article date:
- March 4, 1991
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1991 Society of Chemical Industry. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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What are the chances of your Sunday joint giving you Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease? Are such diseases inherited or transmitted, and who is at risk?
The spongiform encephalopathies (SEs) are fatal neurodegenerative diseases of unknown cause which can affect animals and man. They have been of great scientific interest for the past 30 years, albeit to a relatively few scientists. If they are now emerging from the shadows, it is because of the wide media coverage of the current epidemic of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), the newest member of this group of diseases, which has already claimed the lives of more than 20,000 cows in the UK. The human spongiform ...