The first evidence has emerged that clinical features of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia, can be transmitted between people.

世界上首次出现了阿尔茨海默病(Alzheimer's disease)临床特征可在人际间传播的证据。阿尔茨海默病是痴呆症(Dementia)最常见的病因。

John Collinge and colleagues at University College London found signs of developing Alzheimer’s pathology in the brains of people who died of Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (CJD), acquired through contaminated growth hormone¹.

约翰科林奇(John Collinge)和他在伦敦大学学院(University College London)的同事们，在克雅二氏病(CJD)死者的大脑中发现了发展中的阿尔茨海默病病状迹象。克雅二氏病可通过受感染的生长激素患上。

Although the circumstances of the transmission are exceptional, the study of eight CJD patients, reported on Wednesday in the journal Nature and at the British Science Festival in Bradford, raises concerns that Alzheimer’s may be transmissible through some medical or surgical² procedures.

尽管人际传播的情况很特殊，但这项对8名克雅二氏病患者展开的研究得出的结果，还是让人担心阿尔茨海默病或许能够通过一些内科或外科处置得到传播。周三，《自然》(Nature)期刊和布拉德福德的英国科学节(British Science Festival)都发布了这一研究结果。

“I don’t think there is any cause for alarm,” said Prof Collinge. “Evaluating what risk, if any, there might be requires much further research.”

“我不认为有任何理由感到恐慌，”科林奇教授说，“要评估这里面可能存在何种风险——假设风险真的存在的话——需要进行深入得多的研究。”

In response to journalists’ questions about dental procedures, Prof Collinge said: “There are potential risks with dentistry where it is impacting on nervous tissue, for example root canal treatments.” But in a statement issued later he said: “Our current data have no bearing on dental surgery.”

在回答记者们提出的有关牙科处置的问题时，科林奇教授表示：“牙科处置存在潜在的风险，因为它会触碰到神经组织，比如根管治疗。”但他在后来发布的声明中称：“我们当前的数据还牵涉不到牙科手术。”

He added: “You cannot catch Alzheimer’s by living with or caring for someone with the disease.”

他补充道：“你与阿尔茨海默病患者一起生活或照顾他们，是不会被传染上那种病的。”