Transmissions to mice indicate that 'new variant' CJD is caused by the BSE agent

The strain of agent from cattle infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) gives a typical pattern of disease in mice that remains in place after experimental passage through several intermediate species. There is strong evidence that the same agent strain plays a role in both BSE and 'new variant' Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). It seems that the agent interacts with genetic factors in the host to control the timing and neuropathology of the disease with extreme precision. Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies carry some form of information that details strain-specific properties.