More reasons to go vegetarian

..or to not eat mammals. Three outdoorsman have died recently from a mad-cow like disease which was most likely caused by injesting infected deer and wild game like elk and caribou. Mad-cow and other similar diseases are actually caused not by viruses or bacteria but by self-replicating proteins called prions. The prions then are absorbed from the infected tissues and are transported by the lymph system to the brain where they cause the spongey holes characterisitic of these diseases.

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This entry was posted on Saturday, August 3rd, 2002 at 8:39 pm and is filed under Science. You can follow any comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

  • http://goddezzbidches.blogspot.com Da Goddess

    Dear Chris, I’m afraid you misconstrued that info. PRIONS do NOT cause disease. This is what the text says: “The discovery that proteins alone can transmit an infectious disease has come as a considerable surprise to the scientific community” PROTEINS ALONE CAN TRANSMIT AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE is vastly different than causing disease. Proteins are essential in the replication of bacteria and viruses. Proteins are what help DNA and RNA replication. It’s largely a receptor site that is created by proteins to which an infection adheres. That prions are capable of carrying that infectious data with them is majorly significant. Not only are the proteins CHANGED by the infection, they now carry it with them as they go about their business.

    Niggling details….but important and significantly different information.

  • http://goddezzbidches.blogspot.com Da Goddess

    Oh, and Chris……I can hardly blame you for that egregious error….it was CNN’s blunder. Forgive me….

    They should be shot:”Chronic wasting disease is related to mad cow disease in cattle and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans. All three diseases are caused by mutant proteins called prions that make spongelike holes in the brain.”
    That’s inaccurate and dangerous reporting.

  • http://www.letterneversent.com chris

    Thanks for clearing that up. You’re awesome.

  • http://goddezzbidches.blogspot.com Da Goddess

    AWww, thanks……and, you’re right in THAT assessment.

    I am so good I’m bad…..

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