Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD)

A prion disease, rare and fatal in almost all cases. Folding proteins.

Brains are not worth eating...

Don't eat meat from animals that are fed brains... this assumes you are aware of that of course

An outbreak occurred in the UK in the 1980s, caused by cows being fed with sheep brains...

Forms/Types

There are four recognised forms of CJD;

cause unclear, a 'naturally' occurring protein 'misfolds'
occurs in adults aged between 45 and 75, with symptoms developing on average between the ages of 60 and 65 ¹
affects only 1 or 2 people in every million each year in the UK ¹
in 2020, there were 131 recorded deaths from sporadic CJD in the UK ¹

likely to be caused by consuming meat from a cow that had bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, aka "mad cow" disease), a similar prion disease to CJD itself
discovered in 1996
has a very long incubation period (10 plus years)
can also be transmitted via blood transfusion
in 2020, there were no recorded deaths from variant CJD ¹

Once symptoms occur there is no known cure. Prions cannot be destroyed by drugs, heat or radiation.

Created: 2026-09-01

Last Updated: 2026-09-07