[Creutzfeldt-Jakob syndrome--a disease of viral etiology and genetic pathogenesis: transmitted cerebral amyloidosis induced by viral infection]

Abstract

I summarized the newest data concerning the etiopathogenesis of slow virus disorders, mainly scrapie and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. While there is no doubt that PrP plays a pivotal role in scrapie pathogenesis, the direct proof that it is also a part of, or the entire scrapie virus is still lacking. Point mutations discovered in the human PrP gene, PRNP, may actually cause the disease or they may contribute only to the process of amyloid deposition similar to other cerebral amyloidoses.