Green AJ, Thompson EJ, Stewart GE, Zeidler M, McKenzie JM, MacLeod MA, Ironside JW, Will RG, Knight RS. Use of 14-3-3 and other brain-specific proteins in CSF in the diagnosis of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2001;
70:744-8. [PMID:
11385008 PMCID:
PMC1737395 DOI:
10.1136/jnnp.70.6.744]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES
The detection of the protein 14-3-3 in the CSF has been shown to be a reliable and sensitive marker for sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Other brain-specific proteins such as neuron specific enolase (NSE), S-100b, and tau protein have also been reported to be increased in the CSF of patients with sporadic CJD. In 1996 a variant of CJD (vCJD) was described which is likely to be causally linked to the bovine spongiform encephalopathy agent. This study reports and compares the findings of CSF brain specific protein analysis in 45 patients with vCJD and in 34 control patients.
METHODS
The CSF from 45 patients with vCJD and 34 controls were investigated for the presence of 14-3-3 by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and western blotting with chemiluminescent detection. Tau protein, S-100b, and NSE concentrations in CSF were measured using enzyme immunoassays.
RESULTS
Protein 14-3-3 was detected in the CSF of 22/45 patients with vCJD and in 3/34 controls. The mean concentrations of NSE, S-100b, and tau protein in CSF were significantly raised in patients with vCJD compared with controls. The positive predictive value of CSF 14-3-3 was 86% and the negative predictive value was 63%. These values are lower than those reported for sporadic CJD. An increased CSF tau had a positive predictive value of 93% and a negative predictive value of 81%. The combination of CSF 14-3-3 and/or increased CSF tau had a positive predictive value of 91% and a negative predictive value of 84%.
CONCLUSIONS
CSF protein 14-3-3 is not as useful a marker for vCJD as it is for sporadic CJD. Increased concentration of CSF tau was found to be a sensitive marker of vCJD but as concentrations may be increased in many forms of non-CJD dementia, this may limit its usefulness as a diagnostic test.
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