No, although there is a hypothesis that prion diseases are associated with an undetected viral pathogen.

All prion diseases are inevitably fatal; there are no known cures.

Patients with sporadic prion diseases may have a susceptibility polymorphism in their PRNP gene, and may have spontaneous mutations forming prion proteins.

There are multiple prion diseases, including bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or "mad cow disease."

No, although there is a hypothesis that prion diseases are associated with an undetected viral pathogen.