ELEVATED LEVELS OF TAU-PROTEIN IN CEREBROSPINAL-FLUID OF PATIENTS WITH CREUTZFELDT-JAKOB-DISEASE

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rare, fatal, neurodegenerative di sease caused by a transmissible agent designated as proteinaceous infe ctious agent (prion). Searching for biochemical markers of CJD, we ana lysed cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples of 53 patients for tau-protein using an enzyme linked immunoassay (ELISA). In a group of 21 patients with definite CJD seen in the German case control study for CJD, tau- protein concentrations in CSF were significantly higher than in two co ntrol-groups of patients with other diseases (median 13153 pg/ml, rang e 1533-27648 pg/ml; P = 0.0001). One control group comprised 19 patien ts who were seen in the same study and were diagnosed as having other dementing diseases (tau concentration: median 558 pg/ml, range 233-176 9 pg/ml). The second control group comprised 13 patients from our hosp ital with no dementing disease (tau concentration: median 296 pg/ml, r ange 109-640 pg/ml). We conclude that determination of tau protein lev els in CSF is a useful marker for laboratory diagnosis of CJD. (C) 199 7 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.