Prevalence of vCJD infected blood.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A study to determine the prevalence of vCJD infection in UK blood samples.
IRAS ID
119283
Contact name
John Collinge
Contact email
Research summary
Exposure to BSE or ‘mad cow disease’ infected food products has resulted in a new human disease, variant CJD (vCJD). Whilst the number of people who have so far developed disease is mercifully small, the total number of people that have been infected could be significantly greater. The Health Protection Agency of the UK Department of Health has been examining appendix tissue removed as part of unrelated, routine surgery for signs of vCJD. They have found that around 1 out of every 2000 people in the UK show signs of infection (Health Protection Report 2012, 6 (32)). It has been known for a number of years that vCJD can be passed from person to person during blood transfusions and if the 1 in every 2000 affected individuals donate blood that is infected then large numbers of additional people could also become infected by receiving contaminated blood. \n\nIt is possible that despite being infected with vCJD the blood of affected individuals, the blood recipient is not carrying that infection. To be certain of this we wish to use a blood test for vCJD to determine how many out of a group of 20,000 people in the UK have infected blood. We will compare this number to the results from looking at a separate group of 20,000 samples from the USA where a population with low exposure to BSE and where the existence of infection with vCJD is unlikely.\n
REC name
East of England - Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/EE/0434
Date of REC Opinion
25 Nov 2013
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion