Mad cow-type disease blamed on transfusion

A second case in which the human form of mad cow disease was spread through a blood transfusion has been reported in the United Kingdom. The first such case was reported there in December, and health officials say they’ve been expecting more.

A second case in which the human form of mad cow disease was spread through a blood transfusion has been reported in the United Kingdom. The first such case was reported there in December, and health officials say they’ve been expecting more.The new case is especially significant, scientists say, because the patient shows a genetic variation not seen in previous cases. The finding could change current thinking about who is susceptible to the fatal disease and how long it may lie dormant.British officials reported that a patient received a transfusion in 1999 from a donor who later developed variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, or vCJD, a brain disease related to mad cow disease. The patient never developed vCJD symptoms and died of unrelated causes, but an autopsy revealed the presence of vCJD infection.(Source: USA Today Health, August 2004)