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Never heard of that hypothesis before, but I'm quite doubtful. Depending on the organophosphate and the amount of the exposure/ingestion, vertebrates can recover. How would the spongiform encephalopathy on autopsy be explained?

It is poured, full strength, right down the back of the cow to treat for the warble fly. Some suggest an interaction with manganese.

http://www.ithyroid.com/mn_and_mad_cow_disease.htm

Sorry, this was the best source for which I had time. Some of the proponents of this theory are reasonably credible. Interestingly, the Swiss owners of the organophosphate patents (Zeneca, IIRC) have supposedly sold off the patents to a shell corporation with minimal assets.

Thanks for the link. I'm not satisfied with any of the explanations about prions. Your link was the first that I saw about "normal" prions. If prions are just misfolded proteins, what's their amino acid sequence and why do they induce misfolding in other proteins? Are the original proteins structural in nature or enzymes?

They need to do a lot more basic science in neurodegenerative disorders. Mice with knocked out genes have become the main model it seems. The author in this article seems to be the guy in the following abstract:

Prions: pathogenesis and reverse genetics.