Blood Test to Detect vCJD Prions

A new assay detected prion infection in 710f blood samples from patients with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

The number of subclinical cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) is unknown, although one study estimated prevalence in the U.K. to be 1 in 4000. Because infection can follow exposure to blood or tissues from asymptomatic infected individuals, the ability to test potential blood and organ donors would be useful

Building on the finding that prions bind avidly to metals, investigators developed a test to identify prions in whole blood. They employed a solid-state binding matrix to capture disease-associated prion proteins and coupled this with direct immunodetection. (Some of the researchers have financial ties to the company that markets the antibody used in this study.)

To establish the sensitivity of the assay compared with other …

Reviewing Author

Mary E. Wilson, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardOneHealthTrust (formerly Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics, and Policy); Global Health Institute, University of Wisconsin

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsJournal of Travel Medicine

Mary E. Wilson, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardOneHealthTrust (formerly Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics, and Policy); Global Health Institute, University of Wisconsin

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsJournal of Travel Medicine