Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies

This series of review papers provides a summary of the current status of information on the agents of scrapie, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy and related diseases. Topics include current theories about the nature of the agent and its possible genetic variability.

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This series of review papers provides a comprehensive summary of the current status of information on the agents of scrapie, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy and related diseases. Topics covered include current theories about the nature of the agent, possible genet ic variability of the agent, the role of the prion protein gene and linked genes in influencing disease susceptibility and species tropism, biochemical, electron microscopic and molecular biological analyses of proteins and nucleic acids in infected tissues, in vitro approaches to the study of transmissible agents and epidemiological studies of bovine and human spongiform encephalopathies. This monograph on virology and neurobiology is intended for researchers and clinicians.