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
That’s because in the 1980s, a prion disease in sheep, known as scrapies — which humans do not seem to get — moved into cows, and soon people throughout the United Kingdom, France and elsewhere were becoming infected with mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
—
Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 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
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Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 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
See All Example Sentences for prion disease
Cite this Entry
“Prion disease.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prion%20disease. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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