prion disease
nounDefinition of prion disease
: 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
Once the prions were passed to cows, the cows developed a prion disease of their own (mad cow disease). — Fiza Pirani, ajc, "Scientists worry brain-wasting ‘zombie deer’ disease could spread to humans," 25 May 2018 Mad cow disease, for example, is a prion disease that rooted from scrapie, a deadly disease that afflicts sheep. — Fiza Pirani, ajc, "Scientists worry brain-wasting ‘zombie deer’ disease could spread to humans," 25 May 2018 Reaching back to the 1980s raises some eyebrows, linking to the timing of another prion disease epidemic. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "Camels in Africa may have been quietly spreading prion disease for decades," 26 Apr. 2018 Once established in the victim, prion disease destroys the human nervous system. — Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, "Where Do Republicans Go From Here?," 6 Feb. 2018 No case of human prion disease has been associated with CWD. — Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Smith: CWD-positive deer die at three times rate of non-diseased animals in Wisconsin study," 28 Feb. 2018 Because the prion disease has sickened the entire nation now. — Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, "Donald Trump Was the Inevitable Result of Republicanism," 25 Jan. 2018 The oraler will inevitably get water up his or her nose—risking brain-eating prion diseases—and bruise their knees. — Sophia Benoit, GQ, "Nobody Is Good at Shower Sex," 23 Jan. 2018 Chronic wasting disease is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, a family of prion diseases that includes Mad Cow and scrapie. — Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Kit shortage has slowed CWD testing," 9 Dec. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'prion disease.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on prion disease
What made you want to look up prion disease? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Autumn Words of the Day 2018
-
- Which is a synonym of fugacious?
Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Share prion disease
Resources for prion disease