To the Editor: In regards to “Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy and Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease: Background, Evolution, and Current Concerns” (1), use of the name “variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease” (vCJD) for human cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is regrettable. The disease that occurs in humans exposed to BSE is zoonotic and CJD is not; in addition, the human form of BSE has important clinical, pathologic, and epidemiologic differences from CJD. Continued use of this terminology perpetuates the error. The fact that 12 years after the feed ban bovine cases continue to occur in the United Kingdom at a much higher rate than in any other country could have two possible causes: inefficient controls or additional routes of transmission. Data on alternative routes of transmission must be evaluated, and important gaps in our understanding of BSE in cattle must be addressed.
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