Prion Diseases: Causes, Symptoms, and Prevention

Prions

Infectious Proteinaceous ParticlesDo not have nucleic acidResistant to heat , chemicals and irradiation.Neurodegenerative disease in mammals called: Transmissible Spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs)Zoonotic: Infected goat, sheep, and cattle meat and by- products.Scrapie: Fatal, neurological disease of adult sheep and goats.Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE): Progressive neurodegenerative disease of adult cattle.

Prions are infectious agents composed solely of a misfolded form of a host-encoded protein called prion protein (PrP). They are unique because they do not contain nucleic acid and are able to cause disease by inducing conformational changes in the normal form of PrP, leading to the formation of aggregates of misfolded PrP that accumulate in the brain and cause neurodegeneration.

Prion diseases, also called transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), are a group of fatal neurodegenerative disorders that affect both humans and animals. Some of the most well-known prion diseases include Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle (also known as “mad cow disease”), and chronic wasting disease (CWD) in deer and elk.

Prion diseases are rare and difficult to diagnose, but they are highly infectious and can be transmitted through contaminated meat products or contaminated medical instruments. There is currently no cure for prion diseases, and treatment options are limited to supportive care to manage symptoms.

Preventing the spread of prion diseases requires strict measures to avoid contamination of animal feed and to ensure the safety of medical instruments. Additionally, measures such as selective culling of infected animals can be used in the management of prion diseases in animal populations. Awareness and education about the risks and methods of transmission of prion diseases can also help prevent their spread.

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