Thursday, November 13, 2008 by: Laura Weldon (see all articles by this author)
(NaturalNews) A new screening test for variants of Creutzfeldt-Jakob
diseases (vCJD), currently in final clinical trials, will reportedly
identify those who harbor the disease in their blood. Early indications
suggest that 1 of every 4,000 people tests positive. This is a
substantially higher number than health experts had estimated.
The
blood test should be available to physicians within 18 months. Specific
information about the ongoing clinical trials has been closely guarded,
although reports of this groundbreaking test have appeared in U.K.
newspapers such as Daily Mail as well as science publications around the world. Preliminary reports indicate that 95% of those found with vCJD in their blood may not go on to suffer from the full-blown disease. If true, these findings will have significant public policy as well as research implications.
Learning more about this test and "Mad Cow Disease" may not necessarily assuage public fears, despite official reassurances.
What is it?
The
illness commonly known as "Mad Cow Disease" is actually a family of
diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs).
Animal TSE diseases include scrapie in sheep and goats; chronic wasting
disease in deer, elk and moose; bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)
in cattle; and
feline spongiform encephalopathy in cats. Human TSEs include vCJD as
well as Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker syndrome, kuru and fatal
familial insomnia.
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease was named after the
researchers who identified the condition. In classic form it is a rare
inherited disorder appearing in older people. The variants appear in
much younger people.
What are the symptoms of vCJD?
The
onset of symptoms can take anywhere from a few years to many decades.
Studies of kuru show the incubation time for vCJD may be as long as 50
years.
The disease progresses due to the presence of abnormal and unusually long-lasting proteins called prions in the brain and spinal tissue. These prions form sponge-like holes in the brain. Early stages of the illness are characterized by psychiatric symptoms such as depression, memory loss
or even psychosis. Nearly half of the patients in early stages have
unusual sensory complaints such as perceived "stickiness" of the skin
as well as neurological symptoms including balance problems,
involuntary movements and lack of coordination. The disease progresses
to gross lack of motor skills, muteness and dementia before death.
What causes it?
The
highest incidence of vCJD transmission occurred in the U.K. due to the
profit-oriented practice of feeding mammal by-products to herbivores
such as cattle. Most scientists affirmed that these practices caused BSE which then spread, via meat products,
to human consumers who went on to develop vCJD. These agricultural
practices were banned. Similar policies were also largely banned in the
U.S., although animal by-products in question such as brains, spinal
cords and bone meal can still be used in feed destined for hogs,
chickens and turkeys. These by-products are also permitted in pet food until a ban takes effect late April of 2009.
U.K. organic farmer and researcher Mark Purdy, author of the book Animal Pharm: One Man's Struggle to Discover the Truth about Mad Cow Disease and Variant CJD
took a more controversial stance, claiming that environmental
contamination caused prions to form in the brains of susceptible
animals. He specifically targeted organophosphate insecticides and
depleted soils as causative agents. He also argued that human
neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's
are related to contaminants from agriculture, manufacturing, munitions
and nuclear tests. He collaborated with researchers from major
universities and won several awards before his death in 2006.
How is it diagnosed?
The new blood test
may prove an effective means of screening, but it isn't clear if those
who test positive will be active carriers of vCJD or if it is possible
to determine who will go on to develop a full-blown case of the
disease. It has also been reported that one percent may be false
positives.
At the present time there are no diagnostic tests
available to check for vCJD before symptoms appear. MRI and spinal
fluid tests are some procedures used for detection if symptoms are
present. The most reliable confirmation of vCJD comes from post mortem
biopsy of the brain.
What about blood donations?
Due
to concerns about the potential for vCJD transmission, the American Red
Cross does not permit people to donate blood if they've received a
blood transfusion in the U.K. since 1980, or if they visited certain
nations during a time of heightened potential for vCJD transmission
(1980 to 1996).
The new blood test will make it easier to screen
blood donors for vCJD, assuring a safer blood supply. But it highlights
new issues. Millions of donors each year make it possible for others to
receive life-saving transfusions. Yet once this test is a requirement
for all prospective blood donors, thousands of those who charitably
offer their blood will instead be informed that they test positive for
vCJD. Many donors may prefer to avoid being tested for an incurable and
fatal disease. This disincentive could reduce the availablity of
necessary blood for trauma, surgical and other patients.
What about other implications of the test?
Screening
tests for diseases carry wider ethical implications. Positive results
bring a significant, long-lasting emotional toll. Those who have
positive results are likely to make different choices, for example
deciding against having children. There may be fears of social stigma.
And under current private healthcare plans, it's possible that positive
results on a vCJD test could increase insurance premiums or result in
denied coverage. Added life insurance costs may be another
consideration.
Is the food supply safe?
Any food
containing prions is unsafe. In contaminated animals these prions are
thought to be present in the brains and spinal cords. Prions are highly
resilient. Unlike viruses or bacteria, prions can survive heat,
disenfectants, UV light, even radiation.
Chronic wasting disease
(CWD), a prion-related disease found in game animals such as deer and
elk, has been found across a dozen states and into Canada. The Centers
for Disease Control reports that CWD cannot be transmitted to humans.
Considering the long incubation period to develop vCJD, from several
years to many decades, that conclusion may be premature. Fact sheets
available from many state wildlife departments caution hunters against
shooting ill animals but assure them that with safe handling procedures
the meat is safe.
It's known that cattle suffering from BSE are
weak and may be unable to stand. After a cow tested positive for BSE in
Washington state in 2003 the USDA
ruled that downer cows could not enter the food supply. That ruling
prohibits meat producers from slaughtering any animal unable to walk. A
loophole permits such animals to be slaughtered after passing an
initial inspection if they are inspected again. However even this lax
regulation is not always followed as the spring 2008 scandal at the
Chino Westland/Hallmark Meat Company proved. The Humane Society of the
United States had demonstrated through undercover video that
desperately ill cows at the Chino facility were forced into the
slaughter box by such means as chains, electric shock, high intensity
water and forklifts. This company had been a major supplier of meat
products to the National School Lunch Program. Subsequent videos by the
Humane Society show downer cows at slaughterhouses in other areas of
the country. These non-ambulatory cattle are 49 to 58 times more likely
to have BSE, according to a Swiss study.
The USDA uses a rapid-screen test for BSE on about one percent of the beef
supply to assure consumers that U.S. meat is safe, but this federal
agency prohibits beef producers from using the same test. A progressive
Kansas meat supplier, Creekstone Farms, has been fighting this ruling
in the courts. Creekstone won the first round but the USDA appealed.
The appeal court found that the Virus-Serum-Toxin Act permits the USDA
to prevent the testing as a "worthless" method of "treatment," ironic
as the company would be testing carcasses and not treating live
animals. The USDA stance may please large meat producers, but alienates
foreign markets already wary of U.S. meat. Agricultural standards are
higher in many other parts of the world. For example, every carcass is
tested for BSE in Japan before it is released for sale.
What can I do?
Eatwild.com
presents evidence that the safest beef products are from animals raised
on a totally grass-fed diet. If you prefer, avoid eating meat entirely.
Insist on safe standards. Go to www.organicconsumers.org/madcow.cfm to sign a petition requesting of U.S. government:
*Mandatory testing for all cattle brought to slaughter, before they enter the food chain.
*Ban the feeding of blood, manure, and slaughterhouse waste to animals.
*Stop harassing farmers and food processors who are interested in independently testing their own
beef.
Learn more by investigating beyond official assurances of food safety:
Organic Consumers Association updates on Mad Cow
www.organicconsumers.org/madcow.cfm
Mark Purdey website with articles and research www.markpurdey.com
The Pathological Protein: Mad Cow, Chronic Wasting, and Other Deadly Prion
Diseases by Philip Yam
Brain Trust: The Hidden Connection Between Mad Cow and Misdiagnosed
Alzheimer's Disease by Colm A. Kelleher
Animal Pharm: One Man's Struggle to Discover the Truth about Mad Cow Disease
and Variant CJD by Mark Purdy
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