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

Another prion disease, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), has a similar name but is a different, much rarer, disease, according to the Center of Disease Control. —Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 24 Sep. 2025

To date, there are no known incidents of people acquiring a prion disease by consuming deer, elk or moose meat, said Geschwind, the UCSF professor. —Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2025

The team of experts is planning for a potential outbreak, focusing on public health surveillance, lab capacity, prion disease diagnostics, surveillance of livestock and wildlife, risk communication, and education and outreach. —Jim Robbin, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025

The prion disease, first identified in a Colorado research facility in the 1970s, has been making headlines for decades. —Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 25 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1986, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for prion disease

• abcs
• absentees
• addressees
• adoptees
• allottees
• amputees
• antifreeze
• appellees
• appointees
• arrestees
• artistes
• assamese

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