Question

Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
A. Is a progressive neurological disorder
B. Caused by prion
C. It is non infections disease
D. Causal organism contain Nucleic acid only
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

• A. A, B and D are correct
• B. A and B are correct
• C. A and D are correct
• D. A and C are correct

Hint:

Prions are purely protein-based infectious agents and do not contain DNA or RNA.
BSE is transmissible and causes progressive, fatal damage to the central nervous system.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as "mad cow disease," is a fatal, neurodegenerative disease that affects cattle.
It belongs to a group of diseases known as Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs), which cause characteristic sponge-like changes in the brain tissue of affected animals.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Let us evaluate each of the given statements:
- A. Is a progressive neurological disorder: This statement is correct.
BSE has a long incubation period (typically $4$ to $5$ years) and causes progressive neurological deterioration.
Symptoms include coordination loss, behavioral changes, aggression, and eventually death, as the brain tissue gradually degenerates.
- B. Caused by prion: This statement is correct.
BSE is caused by an abnormal, misfolded form of a cell-surface protein called a prion ($PrP^{Sc}$).
This abnormal protein induces normal prion proteins in the host's brain to misfold, leading to cellular damage and the characteristic spongiform brain lesions.
- C. It is non infectious disease: This statement is incorrect.
BSE is an infectious, transmissible disease.
It is spread within cattle populations primarily through the consumption of animal feed containing contaminated meat-and-bone meal (MBM).
It also has zoonotic potential, as consuming contaminated beef can transmit the disease to humans, causing variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD).
- D. Causal organism contain Nucleic acid only: This statement is incorrect.
Prions are unique among infectious agents because they are purely proteinaceous particles.
They contain no nucleic acid (neither DNA nor RNA) and replicate by inducing structural changes in the host's existing proteins.
Therefore, only statements A and B are correct, which corresponds to Option (B).

Step 3: Final Answer:
The correct option is (B), indicating that statements A and B are correct.