Some people have a genetic variation that may help them resist the human form of mad cow disease, a study in mice suggests. But when infection does occur the disease takes a different form, meaning there may be unrecognized cases in the population, British researchers say. This novel form of the brain-wasting disease hasn’t yet been found in humans. But it has been observed in laboratory mice, leading scientists to urge a study of human autopsies to see if people also are affected.
