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London (pte011/25.02.2005/10:30) - A detergent wash has been developed that reduces the possibility of brain disease CJD being transmitted during operations, scientists say. As the BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk reports, researchers at the University College London http://www.ucl.ac.uk say it could be available in hospitals by the end of the year. Concern had previously been voiced that the proteins thought to cause CJD are not destroyed by routine sterilisation. It is believed that when people unknowingly harbouring CJD have surgery, it could be passed on to others via instruments.
The British scientists tried 400 combinations of chemicals and found one that destroyed the prion proteins thought to cause the human form of mad cow disease, or BSE, to the point where they were undetectable. Surgical instruments will only need to be soaked in the solution for an hour. The aim is to have a cheap, dissolvable tablet available for hospitals by the end of the year, the researchers say. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence http://www.nice.org.uk is working on guidelines for surgeons to help minimise the risk of transmitting CJD infections through operations.
The report is not expected until May 2006. More than 140 people in Britain have died of variant CJD (vCJD) in the past decade. Until recently it had been thought that BSE was linked only to the variant form of the disease. However, in November, Medical Research Council experts said that BSE may also manifest itself as sporadic CJD, a new form of the disease not yet seen in humans. This study raised the possibility that more people than previously thought may be at risk of contracting CJD.
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