Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy
Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy
Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy (pronounced as trans-miss-ible spon-gi-form en-ceph-a-lo-pathy) is a group of progressive conditions that affect the brain and nervous system of many animals, including humans.
Etymology
The term "Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy" is derived from the nature of the disease. "Transmissible" refers to its ability to spread, "Spongiform" refers to the characteristic appearance of infected brains, which become filled with holes until they resemble sponges when viewed under a microscope, and "Encephalopathy" refers to any disease of the brain.
Related Terms
- Prion: A type of protein that can trigger normal proteins in the brain to fold abnormally. Prion diseases can affect both humans and animals and are sometimes spread to humans by infected meat products. The most common form of prion disease that affects humans is Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD).
- Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE): Also known as "mad cow disease," is a prion disease that affects cows. Humans can contract a variant form of BSE, known as vCJD, by eating meat from an infected animal.
- Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD): A prion disease that affects deer, elk, and moose. It is similar to BSE and can spread to humans, although this is extremely rare.
- Kuru: A prion disease that was prevalent among the Fore people of Papua New Guinea in the mid-20th century. It is believed to have been transmitted through ritualistic cannibalism.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy
- Wikipedia's article - Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy
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