Creutzfeld-Jakob disease (CJD)

Fatal neurological disorder in humans caused by misfolded proteins termed prions. The symptoms are similar to the ones of BSE/mad cow disease. A special form is the "new variant" of the Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) which is transferred to humans by consumption of meat or nerve tissue of cattle suffering from bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).