Patent ID: 7097997

Claim:
A method for diagnosing a TSSE (transmissible spongiform subacute encephalopathy) or a prion disease caused by a UTA strain comprising: (1) treating a sample suspected of containing a prion with proteinase K for a time and under conditions that completely degrade normal prion protein (Prp-sen), but which only partially digest abnormal prion protein (PrP-res) so that all or some of the octapeptide motif repeats comprising P(H/Q)GGG(-/T)WGQ (SEQ ID NO: 1) in the abnormal prion protein (Prp-res) are retained, (2) contacting said sample from (1) with a ligand which binds to said octapeptide motifs for a time and under conditions sufficient for complex formation between said ligand and polypeptides containing said octapeptide motif, and (3) detecting complex formation, wherein complex formation is indicative of the presence of TSSE or a prion disease.