prion disease

noun

: any of a group of spongiform encephalopathies that are caused by prions and that include bovine spongiform encephalopathy, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, kuru, scrapie, and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

called also transmissible spongiform encephalopathy

Examples of prion disease in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Although Alzheimer’s is not a prion disease, some separate research suggests that the two proteins that are hallmarks in Alzheimer’s disease — amyloid beta and tau — behave like prions. —Jacqueline Howard, CNN, 29 Jan. 2024

What is prion disease? —Miriam Fauzia, USA TODAY, 17 Sep. 2018

Two months after a doctor diagnosed him with a fatal, neurodegenerative prion disease. —David Oliver, USA TODAY, 16 Mar. 2023

Affecting less than one person per million each year, FFI is a prion disease characterized by a buildup of misfolded proteins in the brain. —Rena Kingery, Discover Magazine, 22 Nov. 2021

Of the three autopsies done so far, all have been negative for known forms of prion disease, according to Dr. Michael Coulthart, a neurologist who is leading the investigation. —New York Times, 4 June 2021

When the prion was injected into the brains of mice, the brains became spongy and riddled with holes, the telltale signs of prion disease. —Amber Angelle, Discover Magazine, 3 Oct. 2010

At present, there are no cures available to treat prion disease. —William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 9 June 2022

It’s a prion disease with similarities to mad cow disease, which is scientifically known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy. —Anton L. Delgado, The Arizona Republic, 29 May 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1986, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

prion disease

noun

: any of a group of spongiform encephalopathies that are caused and transmitted by prions and that include bovine spongiform encephalopathy, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, fatal familial insomnia, Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome, kuru, scrapie, and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

called also transmissible spongiform encephalopathy