DUBLIN, Ireland, Oct 24, 2004 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- A man has been hospitalized in Dublin with what was believed to be the first human case of mad cow disease to originate in Ireland.

The man probably contracted the illness -- variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, or vCJD -- by eating contaminated beef in Ireland, the Sunday Times of London reported.

Health officials confirmed Saturday that the patient had never had a blood transfusion or surgery, meaning infected meat is the likely source.

A Dublin hospital has conducted tests to find whether the man has the deadly disease. If the tests are positive, the impact on Ireland's beef industry, which trades on its quality image, could be considerable.

Mad cow has been found in Irish herds, but this would be the first indigenous case of the disease.

Doctors and food experts are playing down possible public fears over the case. Professor William Hall, chairman of the country's advisory group on the disease, said cases of the disease in Ireland had been predicted, and that there would be 15 at the most.

"This is a difficult time and I don't want to sound glib," Hall said. "However, we were expecting at least one case of vCJD based on calculated estimates," he said.

• More news on Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
• More news on International Health

Related MedlinePlus Pages:

• Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
• International Health