7 ms·

There's really nothing we can do about prion diseases, can we? What does the FDA (or any other regulatory or research institution) even have in the way of prion

There's really nothing we can do about prion diseases, can we? What does the FDA (or any other regulatory or research institution) even have in the way of prion detection?

SapporoChris 2mo ago
Just because something can't be easily detected in a timely manner doesn't mean there's nothing to be done. Banning offal consumption. Banning blood donations from people who could have been exposed. Detecting the disease in postmortem examinations. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_BSE_outbreak https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_BSE_outbreak
- deleted 2mo ago
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- Laurel1234 2mo ago
  Why would offal be more dangerous to consume? The wiki seems to point to feeding offal to cows, which makes sense and I think has been widely banned.
  - manarth 2mo ago
    The prion accumulates in certain tissues: mainly brain and spinal column, but also (to a lesser extent) intestinal tissue and lymphatic system.
mapmeld 2mo ago
There's a U. Minnesota spinoff company Priogen testing for chronic wasting disease. I saw them advertising on Reddit for hunters to test their deer meat. Here's a recent news story about the Pennsylvania Game Commission offering kits: https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/pilot-project-chronic-wasting-diseasepa-game-commission-outdoor-people-animals-wildlife/521-99eff844-e659-4fed-bf11-dd16a6089208 https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/pilot-project-chron...