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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009
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Docs Alarmed after Mad Cow Linked to Plasma Transfusion

Risk of infection with fatal disease was previously said be very low

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(Newser) – Scientists have discovered the first case of mad cow caused by tainted blood plasma, the Telegraph reports. The elderly British man, who died from other causes, received blood transfusions years before doctors imposed restrictions to halt the spread of the fatal disease. Scientists had previously insisted the 4,000 people who received possibly contaminated plasma were unlikely to contract mad cow.

“This looks like pretty grim news for a group of people who have been through fire and water for so long,” said one bacteriology professor, adding, “There is a lot more we still need to know.” More than 160 Britons have died from mad cow, and after learning that the disease’s incubation period varies, scientists warned more could be infected.

South Korean health officials conduct an inspection of imported US beef at a refrigerated warehouse in South Korea.
South Korean health officials conduct an inspection of imported US beef at a refrigerated warehouse in South Korea.   (AP Photo/Korea Pool)
The first case of a person being infected with the human form of mad cow disease after receiving contaminated blood plasma has been identified by scientists.
The first case of a person being infected with the human form of mad cow disease after receiving contaminated blood plasma has been identified by scientists.   (Shutter Stock)
Until now, scientists had maintained that the 4,000 people who may have received plasma from infected donors were at very low risk of developing the fatal brain disease.
Until now, scientists had maintained that the 4,000 people who may have received plasma from infected donors were at very low risk of developing the fatal brain disease.   (Shutter Stock)
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There is a lot more we still need to know. The fact that this person is elderly, when most of the deaths have been young people, and that they died from another cause, is another area for research. - Hugh Pennington, Emeritus Professor of Bacteriology at Aberdeen University

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riffran
Feb 15, 09 2:28 PM CST
what a way to go....HSE (human spongiform encephalopathy)..or the human version of mad cow..is nasty stuff indeed...it could easily be missed or misdiagnosed as some other disease process, such as multi-infarct dementia, alzheimers related syndrome, or senile dementia of unknown etiology, combine that with the variable incubation periods, subtle onset of symptoms......a nightmare waiting to occur Reply
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