Question

Can humans get scrapie?

Answer 1

Scrapie:

1. It is a fatal, degenerative disease affecting sheep and goats' nervous systems.
2. It is a type of TSE (transmissible spongiform encephalitis), which is related to mad cow disease.

Causes and symptoms of scrapie:

1. Scrapie is mainly caused by misfolded proteins called prions in sheep and goats.
2. Initially, the infection remains asymptomatic.
3. The infected animal does not show any signs of illness for some time.
4. After some time, the animal starts showing behavioral changes, locomotor incoordination, weight loss, tremors, etc.
5. The infection quickly progresses and ultimately leads to death.
6. Currently, there is no treatment for scrapie.

Transmission:

1. The disease is typically spread from an infected sheep to a healthy sheep via bodily fluids.
2. The primary transmission source is ingestion of placenta or related fluids from the infected female sheep.
3. The disease can also spread by consuming infectious particles from the soil (prions can persist in soil for some time).
4. However, there is no known evidence of transmission to humans.