Prions – morphing agents of disease
Further Reading
July 2004, pages 32-33
Evolutionary clues to prion diseases (by Marko Premzl, Jennifer Graves and Jill Gready)
Describes computer analysis of gene sequences that suggests a possible role for prions.
12 January 2006, pages 134-135
Prion disease: The shape of things to come (by Roxanne Khamsi)
Assesses the risks of making large amounts of new prion proteins to study transmissible spongiform encephalopathies.
1 March 2006, pages 201-211
Prions and their lethal journey to the brain (by Neil Mabbott and G. Gordon MacPherson)
This technical paper reviews the current understanding of how prions make their way to the brain.
13 September 2008, page 14
Is rare form of BSE already in people? (by Andy Coghlan)
Reports on a new form of mad cow disease.
12 July 2008, page 13
Ten people felled by new CJD-like disease (by Andy Coghlan)
Describes a new CJD-like disease caused by prions.
19 January 2008, page 12
Super-sensitive BSE tests may not make meat safer (by Debora Mackenzie)
Discusses the need for more sensitive BSE tests.
25 October 2007, page 10
Absent prions blow hole in BSE theory (by Andy Coghlan)
Reports on findings which suggest abnormal prion proteins might not cause BSE-like diseases.
26 August 2007, page 18
‘Shadoo’ prion sheds light on BSE
Reports on the identification of other types of prions in the brain.
7 July 2007, page 14
Prions prevent the progress of Alzheimer’s (by Andy Coghlan)
Reveals the link between prions and Alzheimer’s disease.
17 March 2007, page 11
New twist in tale of BSE’s beginnings (by Debora Mackenzie)
Suggests that BSE may have originated in cattle rather than sheep.
27 May 2006, page 18
Double rethink on prion diseases (by Andy Coghlan)
Suggests that some prion diseases can be transmitted when animals lick each other.
15 April 2006, page 18
Are prions the real cause of BSE and vCJD? (by Andy Coghlan)
Suggests that abnormal prions may not be the only infectious agent of prion diseases.
18 March 2006
How mad cows have been struck off the world’s menu (by Andy Coghlan)
Says that bans on the export of meat products and feeding cattle meat- and bone-meal limited a major outbreak of disease.
18 February 2006, page 12
When prions are 'good for the brain' (by Stu Hutson)
Describes a potential role for normal prions in controlling development of neurones.
29 October 2005, page 19
Did prior infection save British from vCJD?
Reports that infection with a mild strain of prion may protect against later infection by more severe forms.
23 July 2005, pages 33-36
Red alert: The war on tainted donated blood (by Sylvia Pagán Westphal and Clare Wilson)
Covers the efforts to keep donated blood safe for transfusions.
26 March 2005
Prion antibodies open way for vCJD vaccine
Reveals that antibodies can be made against prions in mice.
4 February 2005
First human case of mad cow disease in Japan (by Debora MacKenzie)
Describes the first case of vCJD to be reported in Japan.
12 January 2005
Canada discovers its third mad cow (by Debora MacKenzie)
Discusses the third case of BSE in Canada.
7 August 2004, pages 32-41
This special report on BSE contains the following articles:
- American nightmare (by Debora MacKenzie)
Describes how the USA is responding to the first detection of BSE in its national herd.
- Out of sight, out of mind? (by Andy Coghlan)
Asks whether Americans are already infected with the human form of BSE.
- When proteins attack (by Philip Cohen)
Questions the idea of a ‘species barrier’ in the case of prions.
17 July 2004, pages 30-33
The shapeshifters (by Sylvia Pagán Westphal)
Suggests that the normal role of prions and prion-like proteins is to act as biological clocks.
28 November 2002
BSE may cause more CJD cases than thought (by Emma Young)
Suggests that the increase in cases of sporadic CJD may be due to the BSE epidemic.
9 May 2007
Scientists Closer to Unfolding Mysteries of Prion Formation in Mad Cow Disease (by Nikhil Swaminathan)
Describes how scientists have identified the part of the protein sequence that controls its switch to a prion shape.
19 May 2011, Scientific American Blogs
Natural Born Prion Killers: Lichens Degrade "Mad Cow" Related Brain Pathogen (by Phillip Yam)
Discusses prions' resistance to treatments that would kill most viruses or bacteria, and how lichens can potentially break down the infectious protein.
13 January 2011, Scientific American Blogs
Bad Prion Breath: Mad cow disease agent can infect via the air (by Phillip Yam)
Describes reasearch that has found that mice can become sick from inhaling prions.
1 January 2010, Scientific American Blogs,
Prion evolution takes lessons on diversification from viruses (by Caruba Storrs)
Describes work conducted on how prions can transforma and mutate.
4 September 2008
Podcast - Prions Cross Species Barrier in Lab (by Cynthia Graber)
Explores research into prions and how they can affect other normal proteins.
July 2004, pages 60-67
Detecting mad cow disease (by Stanley B. Prusiner)
Prusiner, the winner of the 1997 Nobel prize for his discovery of prions,
describes several tests used by researchers for rapidly identifying the
presence of the disease-causing form of the BSE prion.
Page updated November 2011.