prion disease

noun

Definition 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

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Unlike the situation with the camel prion disease, BSE doesn’t easily jump from animal to animal. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "Camels in Africa may have been quietly spreading prion disease for decades," 26 Apr. 2018 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

These 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.

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prion disease

noun

Medical Definition of prion disease

: 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