Transcript variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD). - 10Science2-2010

CJD Bacteria.
variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob
Disease (vCJD).
By Georgie Hill
10 Science 2
What are the common and
scientific names for vCJD?
• Its scientifically known in humans as
variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD)
and in cattle it is known as Bovine
Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE).
• vCJD is the human form of Mad Cow
Disease.
• BSE is the animal form of Mad Cow
Disease.
How is vCJD caused?
• vCJD is caused by a specific protein called
Prion. This Prion carries the disease from
individual to individual.
• It becomes altered or “misfolded” which
causes deterioration of the brain and
spinal cord.
A “Mad Cow”.
Is vCJD infectious and how is it
transmitted?
• Yes. vCJD is an infectious disease.
• It is transmitted through humans if they eat
the meat of an infected cow, particularly
the spinal cord or the brain that came from
a cow with BSE.
• It is a very serious disease and affects the
brain of both animals and
A vCJD
humans.
sufferers brain.
What are the symptoms of a
person who has vCJD?
• The symptoms an infected person develops are
changes in their behavior, lack of coordination
and the ability to walk straight, memory loss and
visual impairment.
• Once the disease has progressed into the
middle and later stages mental deterioration
becomes very obvious, with unintentional
movements, blindness, weakness of limbs and
infected persons may even go into a coma.
How is vCJD currently treated?
• There is currently no cure for vCJD.
• Although many drugs have been tried they
have been ruled out when trying to cure
vCJD.
• Some drugs such as, amantadine,
steroids, interferon, acyclovir, antiviral
agents and antibiotics have been tried but
failed in all practical tests.
Is there an immunisation for vCJD?
• No. There is no immunisation yet that can
prevent or stop the advancement of vCJD.
• There have been vaccine’s given to mice
to stop them from developing a brain
disease which has some similarities to the
to the strain found in Cattle.
Is vCJD life threatening?
• Unfortunately the answer is yes for this one.
Someone who is diagnosed with vCJD will
eventually die as there is no cure at the present
time.
• vCJD will usually appear in the later stages of
life affecting both men and women between the
age of fifty to seventy-five. About 90 percent of
people who are diagnosed with the disease die
within a year.
CJD is a deadly
disease.
Is vCJD a common disease?
• No. vCJD is an extremely rare disease in
Australia and the World.
• World wide it is said to affect only one in
one million people.
• There are approximately 200 cases
reported per year in the U.S, 30 of them
being in Canada.
• In Australia around 20 people are
diagnosed with the disease each year.
vCJD Bacteria.
Other interesting facts about vCJD.
• vCJD can be hereditary with five to ten percent
of cases being inherited from family members.
• The ban on meat imports is being lifted in
Australia next month.
• The disease was first diagnosed in 1996 in the
United Kingdom.
• There are two different types of CJD, Classic
CJD and variant CJD.
• The two differ as variant CJD is a Prion disease
which is related to Mad Cow Disease (BSE).
• Classic CJD is not related to BSE.
Bibliography
• http://www.emedicinehealth.com/mad_cow
_disease_and_variant_creutzfeldtjakob_dis/article_em.htm
• http://www.ebi.ac.uk/interpro/IEntry?ac=IP
R000817
• http://creativegumbo.net/cjdvoice/facts.htm
• http://www.evilmamacow.org/vcjd.php
• http://www.accessexcellence.org/WN/NM/
madcow96.php
Bibliography (cont.)
• http://www.bsereview.org.uk/bse/causebse.htm
• http://kidshealth.org/kid/talk/qa/mad_cow_
disease.html
• http://vetmedicine.about.com/od/diseasesa
ndconditions/f/FAQ_madcow2.htm