MHC typing in variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

Identification of factors that cause susceptibility to, and clinical expression of, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) is essential for future management of the disease. We established MHC genotypes of 76 individuals with vCJD and 131 controls, and analysed MHC phenotypes in relation to age of onset of vCJD and its duration from presentation to death. There were no significant differences between vCJD and control populations in frequencies of any MHC types, nor were there associations between MHC type and age of onset or duration of vCJD disease. Our results do not support the idea of an association between MHC types and either susceptibility to, or expression of, vCJD.