Detection of infectivity in blood of persons with variant and sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

Abstract

We report the presence of infectivity in erythrocytes, leukocytes, and plasma of 1 person with variant Creutzfeldt- Jakob disease and in the plasma of 2 in 4 persons whose tests were positive for sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The measured infectivity levels were comparable to those reported in various animals with transmissible spongiform encephalopathies.