Question

Is CJD caused by a virus?

Answer 1

A submicroscopic infectious agent which is dead outside the environment but is living inside the body of an organism is called a virus. It infects all the life forms from plants to animals to microorganisms. They are the most numerous biological entities present in almost every ecosystem. Virology is the study of viruses.

Complete answer:
A submicroscopic infectious agent which is dead outside the environment but is living inside the body of an organism is called a virus. It is a connecting link between living and non-living organisms. Almost 9000 species of viruses have been discovered so far. They are infectious to all living organisms.

CJD also known as Creutzfeldt- Jakob disease is a very rare disease that is caused by abnormal infectious proteins called prions. Prions are nothing but only infectious proteins. This is a degenerative brain disorder that leads to dementia and finally death. The symptoms of CJD are similar to other brain disorders like Alzheimer's disease but it progresses rapidly. It is a very rare disease and around 300 cases in the USA are found each year.

This disease is caused mainly by eating meat from diseased cattle. Eating contaminated beef causes CJD disease.

Symptoms of this disease are:
Memory loss,
Blindness or blurred vision,
Insomnia,
Impaired thinking,
Difficulty in speaking and swallowing.

No antibiotics or antiviral medicines have an effect on prions, they can only be destroyed by extremes of heat and radiation.

Note: A submicroscopic infectious agent which is dead outside the environment but is living inside the body of an organism is called a virus.CJD also known as Creutzfeldt- Jakob disease is a very rare disease that is caused by abnormal infectious proteins called prions.No antibiotic or antiviral medicines have an effect on prions, they can only be destroyed by extremes of heat and radiation.