Detection of Pathologic Prion Protein in the Olfactory Epithelium in Sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob Disease

Abstract

Our pathological and biochemical studies show that PrPSc is deposited in the neuroepithelium of the olfactory mucosa in patients with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, indicating that olfactory biopsy may provide diagnostic information in living patients. The olfactory pathway may represent a route of infection and a means of spreading prions.