Question

Mad cow disease causing prion reaches humans through beef and causes which disease?

• A. Sleeping sickness
• B. Parkinson's disease
• C. Yellow fever
• D. Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease

Hint:

NCERT Point: Prions are abnormally folded infectious proteins. Mad Cow Disease in cattle and Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease in humans are caused by prions.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Concept: Prions are infectious protein particles that lack nucleic acids. They cause a group of fatal neurodegenerative diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. Mad Cow Disease, scientifically called Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), affects cattle. Humans consuming infected beef may develop a related disease known as Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease (CJD).

Step 1: Understand what a prion is.
A prion is: \[ \text{An infectious protein particle} \] that causes abnormal folding of normal proteins in nervous tissue.

Step 2: Identify the disease in cattle.
In cattle, prions cause: \[ \text{Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (Mad Cow Disease)} \] which destroys brain tissue and nervous functions.

Step 3: Determine the corresponding disease in humans.
Consumption of infected beef can transmit the abnormal prion proteins to humans. The resulting disease is: \[ \text{Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease (CJD)} \]

Step 4: Eliminate incorrect options.
Sleeping sickness is caused by Trypanosoma. Parkinson's disease is a neurological disorder not caused by prions. Yellow fever is caused by a virus. Only Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease is associated with prion transmission from infected cattle. \[ \boxed{\text{Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease}} \]