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What is a prion?

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A prion is infectious agent thought to cause a group of diseases known as prion diseases or transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. Well-known prion diseases are Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and kuru in humans, scrapie in sheep, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also called "mad cow disease," in cattle, and chronic wasting disease in deer and elk (wapiti). There is no effective treatment for any prion disease.

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Get more facts and information about prion . Or, view the full encyclopedia entry from The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition.

Similar questions: What are some examples of prions? What do prions do to the human body? Do they affect organisms other than humans? Is there any cure for prion infection? [ Hide these questions ]

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