Richmond, Va. - State health officials are investigating a possible case of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rare brain disorder.

The possible victim is a patient at Bon Secours Maryview Medical Center in Portsmouth. A spokesman with the state health department emphasizes that officials are still uncertain of the diagnosis, and CJD is just one of many possibilities.

Another is variant CJD, which has been linked to eating beef from cattle infected with mad cow disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recorded three U.S. cases linked to mad cow to date.

Officials say the condition isn't spread through casual contact. Not every form of the disease is contagious, either.