A new study suggests that fragments of a protein found in the brains of individuals with Alzheimer's disease may be transmitted to other people from contamination by certain medical or surgical procedures.
The hypothesis that Alzheimer's could be transmitted has been raised based on a survey of bodies of dead patients with Creutzfeldt Jakob disease (CJD), popularly known as "mad cow disease". The study was published on Wednesday, 9 in the journal Nature.
According to the authors, the research brings no evidence that Alzheimer's can be contagious, but the study of the brain of patients with CJD eight dead suggests that "seeds" of the beta amyloid protein can be transmitted through medical procedures. These proteins typical of Alzheimer's disease plaques form from brain cells, preventing them communicate with each other - a hallmark of the disease.
The eight patients whose brains were studied developed CJD after receiving injections of growth hormone obtained from cadavers between 1958 and 1985, when the technique of obtaining the hormone was banned. In addition to CJD infectious agents, scientists also found in four of the brains, considerably higher levels of beta amyloid protein, suggesting that the "seed" of the Alzheimer have been acquired during the surgical procedure.
The authors, however, point out that there is no reason to fear, as the contagion is still only a hypothesis. "Our study is specifically related to growth hormone injections derived from cadavers, a treatment that does not exist for years. It is possible that the findings will also apply to other medical or surgical procedures but to assess this risk will need to do more research, "said study leader John Collinge, of University College London (UK).
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