Transmissible degenerative encephalopathies

The most resistant of all infectious agents to chemical inactivation are the prions, which cause transmissible degenerative encephalopathies. 

The biological starting material contains other proteins, DNA and RNA, either from the medium or secreted by the host cell, and endotoxins. Endogenous and exogenous viruses, mycoplasma, bacteria, and proteins responsible for transmissible degenerative encephalopathies (TDE) must also to be considered as serious contaminants present in biological starting material. 

Taylor, D. M. (1999) Inactivation of unconventional agents of the transmissible degenerative encephalopathies. In Principles and Practice of Disinfection, Preservation and Sterilization (eds A.D. Russell, W.B. Hugo Sc G.A.J. Ayliffe), 3rd edn. Blackwell Science, Oxford. 

Taylor DM (2000) Inactivation of transmissible degenerative encephalopathy agents a review. Vet J 159 10-17... 

The prion diseases are a closely related group of neuro-degenerative conditions which affect both humans and animals. They have previously been described as the subacute spongiform encephalopathies, slow virus diseases and transmissible dementias, and include scrapie in sheep, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle, and the human prion diseases, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker disease (GSS), fatal familial insomnia (FFI) and kuru. Prion diseases are... 

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