Letter: Risk of scrapie infecting humans

Friday 20 May 1994 23:02 BST

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Sir: In her letter ('Primates in peril', 14 May) Helen Grant points out correctly the potential for the spongiform encephalopathies to cross from one species to another. She also estimates correctly the incubation period to be about 20 years. However, scrapie ('sheep BSE') was around at least 200 years ago and, therefore, if man was really at risk, the first case of the human form of the disease should have occurred about 1814. But it didn't.

Yours faithfully,

I. C. SHAW

Hambleton, Lancashire

16 May

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Letter: Risk of scrapie infecting humans

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