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How do prions infect organisms?

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Anonymous

13y ago
Updated: 8/20/2019

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What is the differet between virus and virod?

Virus is a small infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of other organisms Virus can infect all type of life form such as animal ,plant and microorganism ,bacteria and archaea Viroid are a smallest infectious pathogens known but larger only prions Viroid can infect mostly plant pathogens


Do prions contain DNA or RNA?

Prions are an infectious particle made of protein. They do not contain DNA or RNA.


Can prions move?

Prions are not living organisms and do not have the ability to move on their own. They are misfolded proteins that can cause other proteins to misfold in a similar way, leading to disease. Prions spread by coming into contact with normal proteins in the brain and causing them to change shape.


Do prions have RNA?

No, prions aren't organisms or even organism imitators like viruses. Prions are misfolded proteins that can aggregate and cause serious neurological problems. See link below for more info about prions from Answers.com.


What are viroids and prions?

I have no idea so go ask someone else. The similarities between viroids and prions are that both are acellular pathogens, and do not grow and they differ in the sense that prions do not have nucleic acids while viroids have the nucleic acid,RNA.


Is bacterium larger than prions?

Yes, bacteria are larger and more complex than prions. Bacteria are single-celled organisms that have a cell structure and can carry out various biological functions, while prions are infectious proteins that do not have a cell structure.


What makes prions parasitic?

Prions are considered parasitic because they can infect normal proteins in the body, causing them to misfold and aggregate into harmful structures. This process can lead to neurodegenerative diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and Mad Cow Disease. Prions are able to self-replicate and spread within the body, acting in a similar manner to infectious agents like viruses.


How do prions act?

Prions are misfolded proteins that can induce other proteins to misfold in a similar manner. These misfolded proteins can gather together and accumulate in the brain, leading to the formation of plaques that can cause neurodegenerative diseases like Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Once prions enter the body, they can spread and infect other cells, perpetuating the cycle of misfolded protein accumulation.


Why could a virus not infect another virus?

Viruses only infect living organisms and since they are not alive, they can not infect other viruses. The question is interesting though.


Why not use antibacterial or antiviral drugs to destroy prions?

Prions are not susceptible to antibacterial or antiviral drugs because they are not living organisms like bacteria or viruses. Prions are misfolded proteins that cause other proteins to misfold, leading to disease. They are resistant to most traditional forms of disinfection or drug treatment.


Are prions prokaryotic?

No. Prions are neither prokaryotic nor eukaryotic. They are similar to viruses - nonliving. However, they are more "nonliving" than viruses in the respect that they are just protein sans nucleic acid or anything cell-like.


Why don't viruses and prions qualify as organisms?

Both are missing some key characteristics of life - prions more so than viruses. The most prominent feature that is missing is the ability to reproduce without a host. Viruses can't reproduce without a host cell and prions can't propagate without a normal protein that is transformed into a prion.