A cluster of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) patients has been identified in Tampa, Florida, with 11 patients diagnosed over the past 18 months. Different clinical features are reported. All had positive 14-3-3 CSF assays and many were positive pathologically. This rate is double the expected rate in Florida in the given time period and may represent an increase in the incidence of the disease in Florida, or perhaps greater case ascertainment based on greater awareness of these diseases by both laypeople and the medical community. The 14-3-3 CSF assay may be an aid in surveillance for CJD among demented populations (particularly in light of the fact that the autopsy rate for suspected CJD is >30% in this country as compared to >70% at the CJDSU) to help determine the true incidence of the disease in this country.
