Frequently Asked Questions about Chronic Wasting Disease

3. What causes chronic wasting disease?

The theory that's most widely-accepted in terms of what causes the disease is the infectious agent called a prion. This is an abnormal type of cellular protein that's commonly found in the lymphoid tissue and the central nervous system. This prion starts to infect the host by supporting the conversion of the normal cellular proteins into the abnormal form. The infectious agent of this disease is significantly smaller than most types of viral particles. Because of this, it doesn't induce any inflammatory reaction or immune response in the host. Also, the infectious agent may be able to resist chemicals and enzymes which break down the proteins. It's also resistant to disinfecting procedures as well as heat.