Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Report

My fellow scientists, I am writing this report to inform you all of a highly dangerous, fatal disease that is beginning to make a resurgence in society. This disease is called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, or CJD. While CJD is still considered rare due to its relatively low infection rate, it is still critical nonetheless that we and the public be informed of this disease and the devastating effects it can have. CJD is caused by a prion, or a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE). Prions are caused by the abnormal structure and folding of prion proteins in the brain. The abnormality rapidly spreads from protein to protein, causing the patient to experience brain damage and neurodegeneration. Due to the relatively new discovery of prions, not much else is known about them. CJD is seen around the world, but most commonly in American and Europe. The current number of people infected could be anywhere from 7,600 to 22,800, but due to the nature of the prion, the current number of people infected may not be completely accurate. The current rate of infection is estimated to be anywhere from 1-3 people per million people.
While both CJD and mad cow disease are caused by prions, the two diseases are not related. Mad cow disease is a zoonotic pathogen that affects cows in a similar way that CJD affects humans, but if a person is exposed to a cow or meat from a cow that was infected with mad cow disease, the person will not be infected with vCJD. This popular misconception was likely started when an outbreak of mad cow disease between 1984-1986 occurred just before a minor outbreak of CJD between 1994-1996. In general, while diseases like CJD, mad cow disease, and other TSEs like Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker Syndrome are all caused by prions, being exposed to one type of prion disease will not cause you to be infected with