Prion Diseases: If I had Mad Cow Disease, would my children inherit it too?

Question

I just heard a National Public Radio piece on prion diseases.

I learned a lot.

First I had no idea it was a protein misfolding (alpha to beta) disease (as I always thought prions were a form of viruses), and secondly when the protein combines with other normal proteins, the normal proteins are twisted out of there alph configuation to become beta sheets. How fascinating!

My question is this. If I were injected with an extract from a cow that was known to have Mad Cow Disease, would this prion disease be passed to my children (assuming I had no previous genetic defect predisoposing me to prion diseases), or would it end with me, dispite the fact that I fathered children while I was carried the prion.

This wasn't made clear to me in the NPR piece, which really dealt with a predisposing prion disease.

Thanks for your thoughtfull responses!!

p.s. I always respond to the best answer.

Answer 1

Genetic disorders that are passed down to the next generation have usually come from pas generations, you have it becuase one of your parents had, they had it because on of their parents had it, and so on. However, if the injection caused your DNA to mutate before you had kids, then yes it would be possible to pass it to your children through your genes.

Answer 2

I am no expert, but based on what I remember from micro biology, the answer would have to be yes. If you have prion proteins in your brain then you would have them in your system. If you are a pregnant woman with these prions in your system, you will pass them onto baby. However, this is not to say the disease is hereditary. To say that the disease is hereditary, would mean there is a genetic defect, and this is simply not the case.

Answer 3

A prion is itself a misfolded protein, not a unit of genetic material, and it is ingested, gets into the blood stream, and passes the "blood/brain barrier" and causes proteins in the brain to misfold. So it would not be something that is passed on to offspring, much the same as some kind of poisoning would not be. Even viral infections, such as the flu, would not be inherited. It is possible, if you were pregnant, that ingested prions would get into your fetus, but unlikely.

Answer 4

How would a protein cross the blood brain barrier?
That'at incredibly impossible.
Mad Cow disease is a CNS disease in cattle. If a human ate (oral!!!) a meat infected with Mad Cow, how would the prion enter the human BBB?!?!?!?!

Answer 5

no there is two type of cow madness :
first : the genetic creutzfeld-jackob disease which is inhereted and patients pass it to their children
second: the infectious prion disease causing this problem too but you won't pass it on . by the way prion is not a virus nor a bacteria ,it s a type of protein

Answer 6

No, The Prion Has No Way to Effect Germline DNA.

Answer 7

I would think it could be passed on to offspring,but would stop at the next generation.

Answer 8

it wouldnt matter cause BSE,mad cow, does not affect humans,,jus bovine

Answer 9

Viral diseases are not transmitted by genes

Answer 10

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