It is the original example of a group of diseases, known as the "transmissible spongiform encephalopathies" (TSE), sometimes known as the "prion" diseases. The diseases include Creutzfeldt Jakob ...

CWD is also categorized as a prion disease, meaning it affects the brain’s prion proteins. When abnormal versions of these proteins infect the animal, they cause normal prion proteins to fold ...

These observations suggest that a diagnostic test for prion infections based on CSF or other non-brain tissues or excretia may be possible. Further studies will be required to demonstrate the ...

For the first time, researchers have developed an in vitro technique to detect the presence of prions in blood samples. An effective blood test for these lethal brain diseases could allow for ...