Brainwaves

Prions are perhaps some of the most terrifying infectious particles known to man. But did you know that patients with some prion diseases actually shed these contagious proteins in their urine? These and other facts about prion diseases are discussed in this week's episode of BrainWaves. BrainWaves podcasts and online content are intended for medical education only and should not be used to guide medical decision making in routine clinical practice. REFERENCES 1. Zabel MD and Reid C. A brief history of prions. Pathog Dis. 2015;73:ftv087. 2. Geschwind MD. Prion Diseases. Continuum (Minneap Minn). 2015;21:1612-38. 3. Rutala WA and Weber DJ. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: recommendations for disinfection and sterilization. Clin Infect Dis. 2001;32:1348-56. 4. Glatzel M, Abela E, Maissen M and Aguzzi A. Extraneural pathologic prion protein in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The New England journal of medicine. 2003;349:1812-20. 5. Moda F, Gambetti P, Notari S, Concha-Marambio L, Catania M, Park KW, Maderna E, Sua