HIDDEN AMYLOIDOSES

The pathogenesis as well as the genetic disposition to develop clinica l symptoms in transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (e.g. Creutzfe ldt-Jakob disease, scrapie, bovine spongiform encephalopathy) relate t hese diseases to classical noninfectious amyloidoses (familial amyloid otic polyneuropathy as an example) and to Alzheimer's disease. This is not obvious to the nonexpert at first glance. This communication trie s to elucidate this association, to reveal which immunochemical techni ques have contributed their share.