A few more questions about prion diseases

A

areasys

Registered Senior Member
I posted a thread here a few months ago about prion diseases and I have a few questions.

First of all, and I think I asked this back then, are we ANY closer to a cure for things like vCJD? Do we understand anything more about it?

I've heard that there may be an epidemic in the UK in the coming years due to vCJD's incubation period. How many people could die, and how likely is a similar epidemic here? I was in the UK for 4 days in 2005, but I don't think I ate any beef there. The last time I ate beef in the US (where I live) was in 2008, I think. Before then, I think I ate beef a total of less than 60 times in my life (I'm in my early 20's). So how much risk is there of me getting vCJD?
 
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from http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/cjd/cjd.htm

Is there any treatment?

There is no treatment that can cure or control CJD. Current treatment is aimed at alleviating symptoms and making the patient as comfortable as possible. Opiate drugs can help relieve pain, and the drugs clonazepam and sodium valproate may help relieve involuntary muscle jerks.
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If we stop eating animals that eat animals we will probably stop getting CJD. But that does not help people who already have CJD.

I think the governments are trying to stop us from feeding cow and sheep brains and nerves to cows and sheep but they are probably not being as stringent as they should be. Feeding cows meat byproducts helps them grow faster and so will probably will be continued.
 
nirakar said:
If we stop eating animals that eat animals we will probably stop getting CJD.
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No.

vCJD can occur three ways in humans – acquired (ie. contracting the prion form of the prion protein, PrP, from contaminated animal tissue), familial (ie. you inherit a version of the PrP gene that encodes a PrP that is predisposed to transforming into the prion version), and sporadic (ie. the PrP spontaneously converts into the prion version).

Eliminating the consumption of contaminated meat would only prevent the acquired version of vCJD.
 
How do prions reproduce? I think most bacteria do it by subdivision of self, but that is just a guess. I know virus do so but taking at least partial control of a cell's processes for making proteins etc.
 
Walter L. Wagner said:
http://www.wiley.com/legacy/college/boyer/0470003790/cutting_edge/prions/prions.htm
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Thanks that link answers my question very well. I also learned that while isolated misfolded prion, which can multiply by converting others to its shape is less stable than the correctly folded protein, a small cluster of them is more stable - not even denatured by heat like the properly folded ones are.

This is scary. Sounds like the ultimate "germ warfare" aerosol. A drone flying of your enemy could wipe them from the face of the earth a few months later. Who would know? What could they do?

Things like this make me think our level of intelligence and technology with still cave man urges is not a stable life form.
 
Caveman!!!??? I'm insulted!

I take my leave, sir - I must go eat, poop, and possibly have sex with something now.

GOOD DAY!
 
river-wind said:
Caveman!!!??? I'm insulted!
I take my leave, sir - I must go eat, poop, and possibly have sex with something now. GOOD DAY!
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Cave woman, in next valley after you have bashed her caveman's head in, I assume. That is more what I was referring to than a poop and some casual sex.
 
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