Human form of ‘mad cow’ disease detectable in skin: study

MIAMI: Abnormal proteins involved in the brain-destroying Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), a human form of “mad cow” disease, are detectable in the skin, researchers said Wednesday, raising new concerns about transmission. It is highly unlikely that the fast-moving and fatal disease could be spread by casual contact, since the prions in the skin are at levels 1,000-100,000 times lower than in the brain, said the report in the journal Science Translational Medicine. Rather, researchers said the discovery means CJD could be spread through common surgeries that do not involve the brain, said the report.