====== New Brunswick Neurological Syndrome  ======

//New Brunswick Neurological Syndrome of Unknown Cause// (NBNSUC) is a 'disease cluster' centered around the area of New Brunswick in Canada.

It's a severe, persistent disease which causes hallucinations, loss of motor control, blurred vision, muscle wastage, memory loss and other symptoms. As at 2024, around 200 people are known to have been affected.

It was originally thought to be related to //Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease// ('Mad Cow Disease') which is associated with rogue [[content:life_sciences:zoology:prion-replication|prions]]. This has now been largely discounted, as no-one with the disease has tested positive to prions.

Research is currently focusing on //Lytico-bodig// disease, which principally affects residents of the island of Guam in Micronesia. Lytico-bodig also has an unknown cause, but is strongly suspected to be linked to toxins in diet - either from local cycad trees, or from toxic algae products via seafood.

In the case of NBNSUC, it has now been found that some carers have also developed symptoms. This could be caused by contagion, dietary factors, or some other environmental factor - e.g agricultural chemicals.

Further details : [[https://www2.gnb.ca/content/dam/gnb/Departments/h-s/pdf/en/CDC/investigation-neurological-syndrome-unknown-cause.pdf|Public Health New Brunswick]], Epidemiology and Surveillance Branch\\