> From: kirberg at bii.ch (Jorg Kirberg)
> To: "bionet.virology mail newsgroup" <bionet-news at dl.ac.uk>
> Subject: Re: spongiform encephalopathy in young humans
>
> In article <47v112$b5p at mserv1.dl.ac.uk>, jcosta at pen.gulbenkian.pt
> (Vasconcelos Costa 385) wrote:
>
> > > From: kirberg at bii.ch (Jorg Kirberg)
> > > To: "bionet.virology mail newsgroup" <bionet-news at dl.ac.uk>
> > > Subject: Re: spongiform encephalopathy in young humans
> > >
> > > * how can it make sense if man never got it from sheep before ? I would
> > > think that one still has to wait for more cases before a link between BSE
> > > and humans eating whatever from the U.K. cattles can be made.
> > > jorg
> > >
> > Weak argument! The agent of BSE is no longer the scrapie agent, though it
> > probably originated from scrapie. Therefore, the modifications from scrapie
> > to BSE may have made it infectious for man, even if the scrapie agent is not.
> >
> > Joao
> Well, I think my argument is at least stronger than the one that was made before
> and was erased from the thread. There was no 'sense', just a guess - that's all
> what I complained against.
>
> I fully agree to your statement 'the modifications from scrapie to BSE may
> have made it infectious for man, even if the scrapie agent is not.'
> But one needs to wait a bit more; just with two cases I would not like
> to rely on, scientifically spoken.
>
> --
> ******************************************************************
> Joerg Kirberg EMAIL: kirberg at bii.ch
> Basel Institute for Immunology FAX: 41-61-605 13 72
> Grenzacherstr. 487 PHONE: 41-61-605 12 77
> CH-4005 Basel
> Switzerland
>
>
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I fully agree with your last paragraph. Pointing to what I called the
weakness of your argument didn't mean that I was supporting the other thesis.
I am sure that the only attitude that is quite consensual is to increase
the efforts for an epidemiological study of CJD in relation to BSE.
Portugal has had more than 20 cases of BSE. Of course, I use to eat meat (but
not calf brain, which was - or still is? - largely appreciated in my country).
Joao
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I GGG CCC Dr. JOAO V. COSTA e-mail:
I G C Laboratorio de Virologia II jcosta at gulbenkian.pt
I G GG C Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia phone: +351 (1) 4435750
I G G C Apartado 14, R. Quinta Grande, 6 fax: +351 (1) 4435625
I GGG CCC P-2781 OEIRAS Codex, PORTUGAL
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