This has been hypothesized for almost ten years and the first time its been confirmed. This is a scary finding.
BS, reread the story, there is not one bit of confirmation of anything. It is all 100% speculation.
I think the elk with prion disease in Colorado shed the prion in their saliva - they chew on plants and the next animal can pick it up.
I do not like prions.
22 Year Old Portsmouth Woman May Have Rare Disease
22 year old Portsmouth native and Virginia State University grad Aretha Vinson was full of life. In January she had gastric bypass to lose weight and was looking forward to the summer. All of sudden an illness out of nowhere stopped her in her tracks.
Doctors are investigating whether it is variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. The family has never heard of the disease and chances are you haven’t either. CJD is a rare brain disorder.
This of it as the human form of mad cow disease. Even more gut wrenching is there is no treatment or cure. Aretha’s parents say doctors gave her about 6 months to live. Doctors will also investigate whether gastric bypass surgery played a role in Aretha’s sickness. Right now her symptoms seem to be in line with CJD: blurred vision, dizziness, headaches, and memory loss.
The Virginia Health Department is investigating test results and will report the disease to the Centers for Disease Control if the test are positive for CJD.
http://www.wtkr.com/Global/story.asp?S=8131355