France's third suspected victim of the human form of mad cow disease has died at the age of 20, the man's family said today.
He died in appalling conditions. He looked like an old man, Dominique, the mother of Arnaud Eboli, told reporters.
"We insisted on keeping him at home because this disease is too atrocious. We held his hand until the end," said she said."We knew he was going to die, but today it's very hard. It's emptiness."
Mr Eboli, who died on Tuesday, had been ill for two years and was identified last autumn as France's latest suspected victim of the fatal brain-wasting new variant CreutzfeldtJakob disease.
Scientists believe the disease can be passed from cattle to humans who eat beef infected with mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
Nearly 100 people have died in Europe from the disease - around 90 in Britain, three in France and one in Ireland - and there are several more suspected or confirmed sufferers.
Families of French victims of the disease, including the Ebolis, last November filed suit against persons unknown on poisoning and manslaughter charges.
The legal action could see officials from Britain, France and the European Union in the dock for failing tostem the epidemic among cattle and its transmission to humans.