The fundamentals of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

Since the discovery of a variant form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), the human form of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, researchers have been persistent in their search for the way in which this disease manifests itself in humans. Like all other forms of CJD, vCJD is a prion disease, or transmissible spongiform encephalopathy. The differences from other forms of CID are its manifestation and the population at risk. Diagnosing the disease remains a problem because true diagnosis can be determined only by postmortem evaluation. Because there is no treatment for vCJD or any form of CJD, palliative care is the foundation of care. Nurses should know the risks of the disease and understand its pathogenesis not only to explain modes of transmission to families but also to be able to protect themselves. Researchers are currently investigating a genetic link as well as the immunological relationship of this disease in hopes of providing more answers related to transmissibility, incubation, and risk for the disease.