Clean cut

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have developed a new plasma-based process that is claimed to cleanse surgical instruments of the infectious agents responsible for Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD).

While conventional sterilisation techniques can eliminate virtually all pathogens such as bacteria, viruses and fungi, the team at Edinburgh has devised a technique that removes prions. These are fundamentally different from other pathogens as they are proteins, making them resistant to high temperatures and far harder to remove.

CJD is the commonest form of prion disease in humans, comprising a range of disorders including sporadic CJD and variant CJD — the human form of BSE or ‘mad cow disease’.

The progressive neurological disorders are fatal and there is no known cure. In the case of variant CJD, the prion is found to be distributed widely throughout the body and not just confined to the central nervous system, raising fears that it may be transmitted by contaminated surgical instruments.