A URINE test for mad cow disease and its human equivalent has been devised by
scientists in Jerusalem. If the test works, it will offer a simple way to spot
variant CJD and BSE in live patients and animals.
So far, examining brain tissue after death is the only way to get a
definitive diagnosis. The new test would make it easier to gauge how many
individuals are infected with vCJD, as health officials could anonymously test
the population to come up with more accurate estimates of the size of any
epidemic. Vets could do the same to spot BSE…
