Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD)

Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder caused by the development of abnormal, infective proteins called prions. It is rare in Ontario. CJD can occur sporadically, due to inherited genetic mutations or through exposure to an incorrectly reprocessed medical instrument used on an infective patient. Variant CJD is related to consumption of infected beef.