Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease

Q: What is Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease?

A: Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a neurological disease that is degenerative, incurable, and always fatal.

Q: Is there a cure for CJD?

A: No, there is no cure for CJD.

Q: Why is CJD sometimes referred to as a human form of "mad cow disease"?

A: CJD is sometimes called a human form of "mad cow disease" because bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), which is a cause of one rare type of CJD, is commonly known as "mad cow disease".

Q: What is the cause of CJD?

A: CJD is caused by an infectious agent called a prion, which is a protein that is folded incorrectly and can make copies of itself by changing properly folded proteins into misfolded ones.

Q: What happens to the brain tissue in CJD?

A: CJD causes brain tissue to become unhealthy very quickly, resulting in the development of holes in the brain and a change in the texture of the brain to become like a kitchen sponge.

Q: Is BSE the same disease as CJD?

A: No, BSE is not the same disease as CJD; it is actually a cause of one rare type of CJD.

Q: How do prions cause CJD?

A: Prions cause CJD by folding incorrectly and making copies of themselves at the expense of correctly folded proteins in the brain. This results in the destruction of healthy brain tissue and the development of the holes characteristic of the disease.