Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

(or Creutzfeld-Jacob disease), a rare, fatal disease occurring in middle age; caused by a slow, unidentified virus and marked by muscular deterioration and progressive loss of intellect and personality; signs of disease do not appear until months or years after original infection and may include blindness and loss of speech; unlikely to be transmitted between humans, but some cases have resulted from exposure to instruments used in the treatment of a patient with the disease; death usually follows within a year of onset.