Possible Modes of Transmission of Creutzfeldt–Jakob Disease

To the Editor: Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease is a transmissible dementia of human beings with many pathologic similarities to scrapie, a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy of sheep and goats. A characteristic and distinct fibril, which appears specific for spongiform encephalopathies, has recently been visualized. 1 The natural mode or modes of transmission are unknown. However, there are grounds for postulating that human beings can acquire spongiform encephalopathy by accidental iatrogenic inoculation through injuries and surgery. 2 3 4 To evaluate these and other possible modes of transmission further, we conducted a case–control study in 26 patients with well-documented Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease and 40 controls. For the variables we . . . No extract is available for articles shorter than 400 words.