variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD).

1. variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD). CJD Bacteria. By Georgie Hill 10 Science 2

2. What are the common and scientific names for vCJD? • Its scientifically known in humans as variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) and in cattle it is known as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE). • vCJD is the human form of Mad Cow Disease. • BSE is the animal form of Mad Cow Disease.

3. How is vCJD caused? • vCJD is caused by a specific protein called Prion. This Prion carries the disease from individual to individual. • It becomes altered or “misfolded” which causes deterioration of the brain and spinal cord. A “Mad Cow”.

4. Is vCJD infectious and how is it transmitted? • Yes. vCJD is an infectious disease. • It is transmitted through humans if they eat the meat of an infected cow, particularly the spinal cord or the brain that came from a cow with BSE. • It is a very serious disease and affects the brain of both animals and humans. A vCJD sufferers brain.

5. What are the symptoms of a person who has vCJD? • The symptoms an infected person develops are changes in their behavior, lack of coordination and the ability to walk straight, memory loss and visual impairment. • Once the disease has progressed into the middle and later stages mental deterioration becomes very obvious, with unintentional movements, blindness, weakness of limbs and infected persons may even go into a coma.

6. How is vCJD currently treated? • There is currently no cure for vCJD. • Although many drugs have been tried they have been ruled out when trying to cure vCJD. • Some drugs such as, amantadine, steroids, interferon, acyclovir, antiviral agents and antibiotics have been tried but failed in all practical tests.

7. Is there an immunisation for vCJD? • No. There is no immunisation yet that can prevent or stop the advancement of vCJD. • There have been vaccine’s given to mice to stop them from developing a brain disease which has some similarities to the to the strain found in Cattle.

8. Is vCJD life threatening? • Unfortunately the answer is yes for this one. Someone who is diagnosed with vCJD will eventually die as there is no cure at the present time. • vCJD will usually appear in the later stages of life affecting both men and women between the age of fifty to seventy-five. About 90 percent of people who are diagnosed with the disease die within a year. CJD is a deadly disease.

9. Is vCJD a common disease? • No. vCJD is an extremely rare disease in Australia and the World. • World wide it is said to affect only one in one million people. • There are approximately 200 cases reported per year in the U.S, 30 of them being in Canada. • In Australia around 20 people are diagnosed with the disease each year. vCJD Bacteria.

10. Other interesting facts about vCJD. • vCJD can be hereditary with five to ten percent of cases being inherited from family members. • The ban on meat imports is being lifted in Australia next month. • The disease was first diagnosed in 1996 in the United Kingdom. • There are two different types of CJD, Classic CJD and variant CJD. • The two differ as variant CJD is a Prion disease which is related to Mad Cow Disease (BSE). • Classic CJD is not related to BSE.

11. Bibliography • http://www.emedicinehealth.com/mad_cow_disease_and_variant_creutzfeldt-jakob_dis/article_em.htm • http://www.ebi.ac.uk/interpro/IEntry?ac=IPR000817 • http://creativegumbo.net/cjdvoice/facts.htm • http://www.evilmamacow.org/vcjd.php • http://www.accessexcellence.org/WN/NM/madcow96.php

12. Bibliography (cont.) • http://www.bsereview.org.uk/bse/cause-bse.htm • http://kidshealth.org/kid/talk/qa/mad_cow_disease.html • http://vetmedicine.about.com/od/diseasesandconditions/f/FAQ_madcow2.htm