Article Abstract:
It has been widely believed for some time that transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are caused by a spontaneous change in a cell protein known as PrP. A misshapen PrP protein called a prion develops, and this in turn triggers shape changes in other cell proteins. This view is not shared by Professor Laura Manuelidis and two colleagues from the Yale School of Medicine. They believe that TSEs are caused by viruses, most of which have variants which can make them more virulent.
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Article Abstract:
A prion, a 'rogue' form of a normal protein, is believed to be responsible for humans contracting the fatal brain disease Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) through eating food contaminated with BSE. Scientists are aware that prions can destroy the brain, but they do not know how they function. It appears that CJD and BSE diseases are triggered by a completely new infectious mechanism which sets of a chain reaction in other cells.
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Article Abstract:
It has been impossible until recently to establish a direct link between BSE in cattle and CJD in humans. However, Dr Rob Will, head of the UK's CJD surveillance unit, now believes that there is now firm evidence of a link between the two diseases. Government ministers have had to consider how to stop panic among the general public, but they still fear that the British beef industry could suffer irreversible damage.
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