Figure 1

Main neuropathological findings. A: Mild spongiform change in the frontal cortex; B: Mild spongiform change in the putamen/globus pallidus characterised by predominance of large vacuoles; C: A few small vacuoles in the vicinity of a Purkinje cell; D: Focal astrocytosis in the cerebral cortex; E and F: Microgliosis with globular reactive microglia in the cerebral cortex and subcortical white matter, respectively; G: PrP immunostaining with and without PK pre-treatment in the putamen/globus pallidus. PrP immunoreactivity practically disappears in PK-treated section. H: PrP immunostaining in the cerebral cortex without PK pre-treatment showing PrP-positive punctate (synaptic-like) deposits and large granular confluent deposits forming coarse plaque-like accumulations; I: A few PrP-immunoreactive granular deposits are seen in sections after PK pre-treatment. A-C: haematoxylin and eosin; D: GAFP immunohistochemistry; E and F: CD68 immunostaining; G-I: PrP immunohistochemistry.