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Rapid Responses: Rapid Responses published:
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vCJD in the USA
- Bart Van Everbroeck (12 November 1999)
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Re: vCJD in the USA * BSE in U.S.
- Terry S Singeltary (15 November 1999)
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Re: vCJD in the USA
- R Stewart Longman (18 November 1999)
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Re: Re: Sporodic CJD
- Kay Foster (3 April 2001)
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Bart Van Everbroeck, PhD-student Lab of Neurobiology, BBS, UIA, Antwerp University
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I agree with the author that this blood assay could be a very good diagnostical tool for all prion diseases. I was on the other hand tremendously surprised when I read the following section in the article: "vCJD is rare in the United States, and another spongiform encephalopathy that affects humans, kuru, has never been seen outside New Guinea. There is no known bovine spongiform encephalopathy in US cattle, but sheep are susceptible to scrapie, and other forms of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies infect elk, mule deer, and mink." The fact that bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is not been detected in the US, is common knowledge, but that vCJD is found in rare cases in the United States is not. To date, 1-11-1999, all publicly reported cases have been located in Europe. There have been 47 cases in the United Kingdom, 1 in France and 1 in Ireland. On all these cases, extensive studies have been performed and a strong link between BSE en vCJD has been identified. Why have there not been any previous reports about vCJD cases in the US, with detailed clinical and pathological data? Are these cases only recently identified and awaiting publication or was the importance of the US vCJD cases underestimated. These US vCJD cases could contributed very significant clinical, epidemiological and pathogenic data. They could help with the understanding of vCJD and all prion diseases. The first important question that must be ask is how did these people contracted vCJD since the US do not have cases of BSE. Did all US vCJD cases stay for some time in Europe (more specifically in the UK) at the highlight of the BSE epidemic (1989- 1995). How long did they stay and what was there eating habit. The next questions would about the experimental data: clinical data, genotype, neuropathology, prion protein glycoform ratio, transmission experiments, ... . I hope that, if these US vCJD cases are confirmed in the further, some new insights about this lethal disease can be found. |
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Terry S Singeltary, NA medically retired
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In reading the recent article in the BMJ about the potential BSE tests being developed in the U.S. and Bart Van Everbroeck reply. It does not surprize me, that the U.S. has been concealing vCJD. There have been people dying from CJD, with all the symptoms and pathological findings that resemble U.K. vCJD for some time. It just seems that when there is one found, they seem to change the clarical classification of the disease, to fit their agenda. I have several autopsies, stating kuru type amyloid plaques, one of the victims was 41 years of age. Also, my Mom died a most hideous death, Heidenhain Variant Creutzfeldt Jakob disease. Her symptoms resemble that of all the U.K. vCJD victims. She would jerk so bad at times, it would take 3 of us to hold her down, while she screamed "God, what's wrong with me, why can't I stop this." 1st of symptoms to death, 10 weeks, she went blind in the first few weeks. But, then they told me that this was just another strain of sporadic CJD. They can call it what ever they want, but I know what I saw, and what she went through. Sporadic, simply means, they do not know. My neighbors Mom also died from CJD. She had been taking a nutritional supplement which contained the following; vacuum dried bovine BRAIN, bone meal, bovine EYE, veal bone, bovine liver powder, bovine adrenal, vacuum dried bovine kidney, and vacuum dried porcine stomach. As I said, this woman taking these nutritional supplements, died from CJD. The particular batch of pills that was located, in which she was taking, was tested. From what I have heard, they came up negative, for the prion protein. But, in the same breath, they said their testing, may not have been strong enough to pick up the infectivity. Plus, she had been taking these type pills for years, so, could it have come from another batch? CWD is just a small piece of a very big puzzle. I have seen while deer hunting, deer, squirrels and birds, eating from cattle feed troughs where they feed cattle, the high protein cattle by products, at least up until Aug. 4, 1997. So why would it be so hard to believe that this is how they might become infected with a TSE. Or, even by potentially infected land. It's been well documented that it could be possible, from scrapie. Cats becoming infected with a TSE. Have you ever read the ingredients on the labels of cat and dog food? But, they do not put these tissues from these animals in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, nutritional supplements, hGH, hPG, blood products, heart valves, and the many more products that come from bovine, ovine, or porcine tissues and organs. So, as I said, this CWD would be a small piece of a very big puzzle. But, it is here, and it most likely has killed. You see, greed is what caused this catastrophe, rendering and feeding practices. But, once Pandora's box was opened, the potential routes of infection became endless. No BSE in the U.S.A.? I would not be so sure of that considering that since 1990; Since 1990 the U.S. has raised 1,250,880,700 cattle; Since 1990 the U.S. has ONLY checked 8,881 cattle brains for BSE, as of Oct. 4, 1999; There are apprx. 100,000 DOWNER cattle annually in the U.S., that up until Aug. 4, 1997 went to the renders for feed; Scrapie running rampant for years in the U.S., 950 infected FLOCKS, as of Aug. 1999; Our feeding and rendering practices have mirrored that of the U.K. for years, some say it was worse. Everything from the downer cattle, to those scrapie infected sheep, to any roadkill, including the city police horse and the circus elephant went to the renders for feed and other products for consumption. Then they only implemented a partial feed ban on Aug. 4, 1997, but pigs, chickens, dogs, and cats, and humans were exempt from that ban. So they can still feed pigs and chickens those potentially TSE tainted by-products, and then they can still feed those by-products back to the cows. I believe it was Dr. Joe Gibbs, that said, the prion protein, can survive the digestinal track. So you have stopped nothing. It was proven in Oprah Winfrey's trial, that Cactus Cattle feeders, sent neurologically ill cattle, some with encephalopathy stamped on the dead slips, were picked up and sent to the renders, along with sheep carcasses. Speaking of autopsies, I have a stack of them, from CJD victims. You would be surprised of the number of them, who ate cow brains, elk brains, deer brains, or hog brains. I believe all these TSE's are going to be related, and originally caused by the same greedy Industries, and they will be many. Not just the Renders, but you now see, that they are re-using medical devices that were meant for disposal. Some medical institutions do not follow proper auto- claving procedures (even Olympus has put out a medical warning on their endescopes about CJD, and the fact you cannot properly clean these instruments from TSE's), and this is just one product. Another route of infection. Regardless what the Federal Government in the U.S. says. It's here, I have seen it, and the longer they keep sweeping it under the rug and denying the fact that we have a serious problem, one that could surpass aids (not now, but in the years to come, due to the incubation period), they will be responsible for the continued spreading of this deadly disease. It's their move, it's CHECK, but once CHECKMATE has been called, how many thousands or millions, will be at risk or infected or even dead. You can't play around with these TSE's. I cannot stress that enough. They are only looking at body bags, and the fact the count is so low. But, then you have to look at the fact it is not a reportable disease in most states, mis-diagnosis, no autopsies performed. The fact that their one-in-a- million theory is a crude survey done about 5 years ago, that's a joke, under the above circumstances. A bad joke indeed........ The truth will come, but how many more have to die such a hideous death. It's the Government's call, and they need to make a serious move, soon. This problem, potential epidemic, is not going away, by itself. Terry S. Singeltary Sr.
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R Stewart Longman, Rehabilitation psychologist Foothills Hospital, Calgary, Canada
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In response to the question of new variant Creutzfeld-Jacob disease (nvCJD) in the U.S, as far as I know, none has been identified, at least through the major institutions (such as Centres for Disease Control). However, there was a recent death of a young man, age 30, in March of this year, in Utah. There was no obvious link to BSE in terms of the history given (i.e., no residency in Britain), and there has been no publicity as yet regarding any findings after autopsy, but he wss described as an avid deer hunter, and it is known that some TSE's are found in the animals (deer and elk) and areas that he hunted. I hope this is helpful. Sincerely, R. S. Longman, Ph.D., C. Psych |
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Kay Foster Retired
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Why aren't the Health Departments and research clinics checking into the family background when someone dies of cjd.Find out if they had surgery or blood transfusions or if anyone else in the family had the same symptoms. Enough isn't being done to check into their background. Hospitals are denying surgical instruments as a cause, because they don't want to spend the money to buy new instruments after each surgery. With so many people coming to this country from overseas and having surgery, this is a real possibility of how cjd is spread and it is not a pretty sight. Everybody talks about the bovine type and maybe there aren't any cases of that type in the United States, but it is here and "where is it coming from?" |
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