Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies

In spite of a long history of intense investigation the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies remain a poorly understood family of neurodegenerative diseases. This group of diseases has been described in a wide variety of animal species and includes kuru, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and Gerstmann-Straussler syndrome in humans, and scrapie, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, and related syndromes in ruminants and rodents. In all cases spongiform degeneration and astrocytosis are seen in specimens of brain and a filterable transmissible agent is present in the brain and some other tissues of affected individuals. However, the precise nature of this agent remains unknown. Agent infectivity, which can so far only be assayed by serial transmission to new individuals, be remarkably resistant to inactivation has been shown to by heat, chemicals, and irradiation. These properties create significant biohazard possibilities during exposure to infected tissues. Transmission between humans was originally reco- gnized in the unique epidemiology of kuru in New Guinea tribesmen, and concern about transmission from animals to humans has re-emerged as a result of the current epidemic of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in dairy cattle in Great Britain. Although interspecies transmission has often been achieved experimentally, its efficiency is highly variable. There- fore, the possibility of spread of bovine spongiform encephalopathy from cattle to humans or various animal populations cannot be accurately predicted at this time. This volume presents a comprehensive update of know- ledge concerning the transmissible spongiform encephalo- pathies.