Prions Flashcards
1
Q
Features of prions
A
- Smallest infective agents known
- Lack nucleic acid (not living organism)
- Live in neural tissue
- Proteins are abnormal and accumulate
2
Q
How are prions destroyed?
A
Difficult to destroy - standard sterilisation techniques (heating/disinfectants) don’t work
3
Q
What is CJD?
A
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
Rare and fatal degenerative neurological disease
4
Q
How is CJD transmitted?
A
Via human growth hormone, surgical instruments, corneal grafts
5
Q
Who does variant CJD affect?
A
Typically young adults
6
Q
Where was variant CJD supposedly derived from?
A
Mad cow disease (BSE)
7
Q
What is Kuru?
A
Similar to vCJD
Occurred in Papa New Guinea in 1950s
8
Q
How is Kuru spread?
A
Cannibalism (brains of deceased relatives)
