Prion transmissibility

[Walter Ogston]

Without repeating the questions on this thread, I think the following
are established: 

One of the heritable forms of spongiform encephalopathy is Gerstman-
Sheinker-Straussler disease (apologies if I have spelt any of the names
wrong) which is determined by an allele of the PrP gene.  I have some
idea there is another allele known in humans  with a different
phenotype.  

The hospital transmission case I recall reading about for
Creutzfeld-Jakob disease concerned electrodes that were used on the
brain surface in nerosurgical procedures.  These were apparently
chemically sterilized, and were suspected in transmission of CJD.  If
this is the same case as the Souther England one referred to, then agent
in the blood is not strongly implicated since the electrodes would have
carried the agent directly from brain to brain.  
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Walter Ogston				ogston at hobbes.kzoo.edu
Department of Biology			Phone: (616)337-7010
Kalamazoo College			Fax:   (616)337-7251
Kalamazoo, MI 49006-3295