Question

what are prions? what are their characteristics?

Answer 1

Hey friend.....☺

Here is your answer

Prions are small proteinaceous infectious particles which are capable of causing several degenerative disorders of the central nervous system. Prion diseases are often described as spongiform encephalopathies due to the post mortem appearance of large vacuoles in the cortex and cerebellum of the brain.

Hope it helps

Thanks. :-)

Answer 2

Prions are infectious proteins which can cause some interesting disesases.
Most specifically  Prion diseases, also known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE's) are a group of progressive neurodegenerative conditions.

Most imortant are 
1.Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD)
2.Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) or "Mad Cow Disease"

As far as I have read is that these proteins reach the brain from bloodstream and cause some nasty problems there. This was first discovered by WHO I think in Africa where there was a ritual of consumption of Dead Relatives Brain, I have told you this is so nasty......
The affected of the disease die by laughing or maybe laughing at the time of death I sense. So this disease also called Laughing death disease(hahaha).

I think this disease is not seen now as WHO have stopped the cannibalism in those countries.

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I hope it makes sense......