http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050828/ap_on_sc/mad_cow_test
Transfusions can spread the disease among people, but there is no practical test to detect it. That is why blood donors are carefully screened to weed out people who have lived or visited in certain areas where they might have become infected.
The extent of the vCJD epidemic is not known, but it has killed about 180 people worldwide. Symptoms can take years to develop.
In addition to improving the safety of the blood supply, a practical test could help find infected people and animals before they show symptoms.
"It is very important because we could have an idea of the magnitude of the problem. We might be sitting on a time bomb and 20 years from now it could be too late," Soto said in a telephone interview. "If we know today there are many people infected, companies will start to look for therapies."
Soto's research team infected 18 hamsters with prions. Scientists used their process to amplify the prions in blood samples from the hamsters. Also, blood from 12 uninfected hamsters went through the same process.
Blood tests then were able to detect the prions in 16 of the 18 infected animals. Not one of the uninfected ones indicated an infection.
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How could we trust with meat market? I am meat lover. I ate red meat twice a week due to build up the iron in my body. How could I trust with the meat market if there is lead to mad cow diagnosis? :roll:
Transfusions can spread the disease among people, but there is no practical test to detect it. That is why blood donors are carefully screened to weed out people who have lived or visited in certain areas where they might have become infected.
The extent of the vCJD epidemic is not known, but it has killed about 180 people worldwide. Symptoms can take years to develop.
In addition to improving the safety of the blood supply, a practical test could help find infected people and animals before they show symptoms.
"It is very important because we could have an idea of the magnitude of the problem. We might be sitting on a time bomb and 20 years from now it could be too late," Soto said in a telephone interview. "If we know today there are many people infected, companies will start to look for therapies."
Soto's research team infected 18 hamsters with prions. Scientists used their process to amplify the prions in blood samples from the hamsters. Also, blood from 12 uninfected hamsters went through the same process.
Blood tests then were able to detect the prions in 16 of the 18 infected animals. Not one of the uninfected ones indicated an infection.
=================
How could we trust with meat market? I am meat lover. I ate red meat twice a week due to build up the iron in my body. How could I trust with the meat market if there is lead to mad cow diagnosis? :roll: