Beating surgical vCJD risk may prove costly

URL: http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nature/journal/v412/n6845/full/412368a0_fs.html

Date accessed: 9 October 2001

Nature, 26 July 2001

[LONDON] Researchers at Imperial College, London, have identified a possible risk of transmission of the human form of BSE, variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (vCJD), through surgical procedures on the rear of the eye and on the rectum (Wadsworth, J. D. F. et al. Lancet 358, 171–180; 2001).

By extending an existing prion test, the team were able to test peripheral body tissues for the prions that are thought to cause vCJD. The test confirmed previous studies which showed that the highest concentrations of prions outside the brain are found in the tonsils. But it also showed that low levels are present in the optical nerve, the retina and, in one case, rectal tissue.

Britain is currently introducing a policy of using disposable instruments in tonsil surgery, because of fears that infectious prions cannot be removed from surgical equipment. Operations on the rear of the eye are rare, but the use of disposable instruments in rectal biopsies, which are more common, could prove costly. The Department of Health said it would seek advice on the implications of the new study.

 Category: 26. BSE