What is prion?
A pathogen that is made only of proteins, it causes misfolding of other proteins resulting in brain diseases
Prion is a type of infectious protein that can cause several neurodegenerative diseases in animals and humans. Prions are unique because they do not have any genetic material (DNA or RNA), unlike viruses or bacteria. Instead, they are formed by a misfolded version of a normal protein, which can cause other proteins in the body to also misfold and accumulate, leading to damage in the brain and nervous system.
Prion diseases in animals include scrapie in sheep, chronic wasting disease in deer and elk, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle. In humans, prion diseases are relatively rare but can be fatal, and include Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), variant CJD, Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker syndrome, and fatal familial insomnia. These diseases can be transmitted through contaminated food or medical procedures, inherited genetically, or occur spontaneously without any obvious cause.
Currently, there is no cure for prion diseases and the diagnosis can be challenging, as symptoms develop slowly over a long period of time. However, there are efforts to develop early detection methods and treatments to slow down the progression of the disease.
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