All articles tagged with #prion
Carol Kovatch, a longtime Rincon Valley Middle School Spanish teacher in Santa Rosa, has been diagnosed with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rare and fatal neurodegenerative condition. After months of tests and a brain MRI confirming the diagnosis, the 64-year-old is set to begin hospice care as her family and community rally to support her and cover care costs through a GoFundMe.
Scientists have documented the first cases of transmitted Alzheimer's disease, linked to a discontinued medical procedure involving the use of growth hormone extracted from human cadavers. The hormone transplant inadvertently transferred beta-amyloid protein into recipients' brains, leading to the development of Alzheimer's in some patients decades later. While these cases are rare and not a public health concern, they provide insight into the potential transmission of Alzheimer's and raise questions about the disease's underlying mechanisms.
The first known case of "Zombie Deer Disease," also known as Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), has been confirmed in Yellowstone National Park in the US. CWD is a contagious and fatal illness that affects cervids, including deer, elk, caribou, reindeer, and moose. It is caused by a malformed protein (prion) that accumulates in the brain and other tissues, leading to physiological and behavioral changes, emaciation, and death. The disease is transmitted through direct animal-to-animal contact or contact with infectious particles in the environment. While there is currently no evidence that CWD can infect humans or domestic animals, it is recommended to avoid consuming tissues from infected animals.
A deer farm in Wisconsin has been placed under quarantine after a three-year-old doe tested positive for chronic wasting disease, a highly contagious and fatal brain disease. The farm, Thundeer Trophy Whitetails, is being tested for the disease among its other 300 animals. Chronic wasting disease, caused by a prion, has no cure or vaccine and can cause weight loss, stumbling, listlessness, and death. The disease can survive in the soil for months, making containment a challenge. Culls have been conducted at 22 farms in Wisconsin since 2002 when the disease was first detected, but no cases have been recorded in humans.