Through the use of technology and science, scientists have discovered new diseases and how these diseases came about and how they are developing, such as the Prion Disease. After acknowledging the fact that our bodies have unique ways of morphing beneficiary aspects of our bodies into negative ones it was concluded that the affecting cause of the Prion Disease was not through a virus nor an infection, but thorough our very own protein found in the brain.
Prion diseases have affected not only humans but animals as well. The first case of a prion disease affecting an animal was documented in the 1730’s which was named “Scrapie”. “Scrapie” hosted on goats and sheep which of course ended up being fatal to these animals. Stanley B. Prusiner in Molecular biology and pathogenesis of prion diseases suggests that “the term 'prion' was introduced to distinguish the proteinaceous infectious particles that cause scrapie, CJD, GSS and kuru from both viroids and viruses.” Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease was discovered by Creutzfeldt and Jakob whom connected many other different diseases to the harmful, abnormal prion protein. The prion disease is very unique as it starts off as a protein in ones’ body serving with a positive purpose to later on turn into a fatal, incurable disease. …show more content…
The abnormal prion proteins in the brain cause the brain to shrink since the disease attacks the inner part of the brain along with neurons and cells. Peter Pressman in When Good Proteins Go Bad, claims that “Most prion diseases cause what is known as a spongiform encephalopathy. The word spongiform means that the disease erodes brain tissue, creating microscopic holes that make the tissue look like a sponge.” An interesting part of this disease is that victims go through a period of incubation from the first time they are affected to the time they notice the first symptom occur, some which include neurological
Prion diseases have affected not only humans but animals as well. The first case of a prion disease affecting an animal was documented in the 1730’s which was named “Scrapie”. “Scrapie” hosted on goats and sheep which of course ended up being fatal to these animals. Stanley B. Prusiner in Molecular biology and pathogenesis of prion diseases suggests that “the term 'prion' was introduced to distinguish the proteinaceous infectious particles that cause scrapie, CJD, GSS and kuru from both viroids and viruses.” Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease was discovered by Creutzfeldt and Jakob whom connected many other different diseases to the harmful, abnormal prion protein. The prion disease is very unique as it starts off as a protein in ones’ body serving with a positive purpose to later on turn into a fatal, incurable disease. …show more content…
The abnormal prion proteins in the brain cause the brain to shrink since the disease attacks the inner part of the brain along with neurons and cells. Peter Pressman in When Good Proteins Go Bad, claims that “Most prion diseases cause what is known as a spongiform encephalopathy. The word spongiform means that the disease erodes brain tissue, creating microscopic holes that make the tissue look like a sponge.” An interesting part of this disease is that victims go through a period of incubation from the first time they are affected to the time they notice the first symptom occur, some which include neurological