IS CREUTSFELDT-JAKOB-DISEASE TRANSMITTED IN BLOOD

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) has been considered infectious since t he mid-1960s, but its transmissibility through the transfusion of bloo d or blood products is controversial. The causative agent's novel unde fined nature and resistance to standard decontamination, the absence o f a screening test, and the recognition that even rare cases of transm ission may be unacceptable have led to the revision of policies and pr ocedures worldwide affecting all facets of blood product manufacturing from blood collection to transfusion. We reviewed current evidence th at CJD is transmitted through blood.