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> > Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a subacute central nervous system disorder > characterized by a progressive dementia, myoclonus (which is jerky > involuntary movements considered to be a type of seizure), and abnormal > electroencephalographic and neruopathologic findings.The symptoms start out > with vague psychiatric symptoms suggestive of a personality change but within > weeks or months, a relentlessly progressive dementia ensues. Though not a > common disease, it is the most prevalent of the human spongiform > encephalopathies. CJD is closely related to kuru and scrapie. It is believed > that the "agent" causing CJD is a "slow virus" or "prion". These agents are > resistant to most treatments that destroy most viruses (heat, formaldehyde, > radiation). There is no treatment and the disorder is uniformly fatal. > > Ref: Cecil's Textbook of Medicine, 19th ed., Wyngaarden et al. eds. > > Delana Vaughan > TRANSLATION: Don't eat raw monkey or raw brains of any kind. You'll get very sick!!! Sorry--I couldn't resist ;-). ----- Mary Ann