Protein 14-3-3 as a Biomarker of Sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob Disease

In 1998, the World Health Organization added presence of the 14-3-3 protein to diagnostic criteria for sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (sCJD). However, some studies have led to questions about the value of this test, at least in certain populations (e.g., JW Neurol Nov 7 2006). In this study, researchers reviewed the diagnostic value of testing for 14-3-3, as well as for S100b and tau, in the 10 years since the addition of 14-3-3 to the sCJD diagnostic criteria. The authors analyzed cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from patients referred with suspected sCJD to the U.K. National CJD Surveillance Unit and calculated the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of these markers, alone and in combination, based …