Go Mad On This
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
 

 
Tonsil biopsy in variant CJD. Prion protein immunostaining. Author: Sbrandner.
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 Spongiform change in brain in CJD

CJD: in its classical form will see you go mad then die in an average time of 4 to 5 months. In it's variant form, 13 - 15 months. It's always fatal and there's no cure.

At times called a human form of mad cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy or BSE) even though classic CJD is not related to BSE, this is something you certainly don't want to get. BSE is believed to be the cause of variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob (vCJD) disease in humans, therefore the two terms are often confused.

 CJD is caused by an infectious agent called prions. Prions are misfolded proteins which replicate by converting their properly folded counterparts, in their host, to the same misfolded structure they possess. The disease leads to rapid neurodegeneration, causing the brain tissue to develop holes and take a more sponge-like texture. (see left).

Most people are only aware of CJD due to the media-scare over one form which causes 'mad cow disease' BSE - (bovine spongiform encephalopathy), and a public awareness that affected beef may have entered the food chain. However, classic CJD is not directly related to BSE.

Prions appear to exist in soil where infected sheep have grazed. They are not living micro-organisms per se. But they have come from animals suffering the prion disorder Scrapie.

Most cases of prion disease are sporadic; that is, they arise spontaneously for no known reason. Sometimes, although rare, a prion disease is inherited due to a faulty gene. Because the infecting agent is a malformed protein capable of influencing healthy protein in adjacent cells, it can also be acquired by  medical procedures, transfusions, or contaminated food. The sporadic occurring form of the disease affect populations worldwide. The incidence of sporadic CJD is around 1 per million of the population per annum; males and females are equally affected. The incidence of the various acquired prion diseases, however, is more localised to specific groups and populations.

The CJD form associated with humans affected by BSE related vectors, is through contaminated meat. But CJD can also occur in humans through contamination of surgical instruments. The existing sterilisation of surgical instruments will not destroy the prions. Food containing prions (malformed proteins) cannot be made safe by cooking. The protein does not break down at cooking temperatures.

FAQ:
Can I get CJD by contact with another human being?
No.

Can I get CJD if I cook all my meat properly?
Yes. Because CJD is not just caused by contaminated food (meat), and if you eat infected meat, cooking does not destroy the malformed protein - prions which cause the issue.

Medical Perspective
Difficult to diagnose because a biopsy involves invasive procedure into the brain and sample taken might be from an uninfected area. There are no cures or remedies, just preventive health measures to minimise cross-contamination.

About Prions
The protein that prions are made of (PrP) is found throughout the body, even in healthy people and animals. However, PrP found in infectious material has a different structure and is resistant to proteases, the enzymes in the body that can normally break down proteins. The normal form of the protein is called PrP^C, while the infectious form is called PrP^Sc - the ''C'' refers to 'cellular' or 'common' PrP, while the ''Sc'' refers to 'scrapie', a prion disease occurring in sheep. While PrP^C is structurally well-defined, PrP^Sc is certainly polydisperse and defined at a relatively poor level. PrP can be induced to fold into other more-or-less well-defined isoforms in vitro, and their relationship to the form  that are pathogenic in vivo is not yet clear.

Giardia will make you run


Source http://phil.cdc.gov/PHIL_Images/8698/8698_lores.jpg
Author CDC / Janice Carr
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3D model of Giardia
by mol smith
Read more about Giardia Here

Giardia
And if those first few don't scare you enough to run to the toilet, this one will take you there. Giardia is flagellated protozoan parasite. If lives inside the intestines of animals, infected with and can can be passed to humans.  Individuals become infected through ingesting or coming into contact with contaminated food, soil, or water, mainly through the presence of waste products from affected animals.

Normally, after a day or two, people infected with this protozoan will get abdominal cramps, violent diarrhea, and will begin vomitting. The infection is untreated can kast for 2 to 6 weeks, and in a few individuals - much longer.  Medication containing tinidazole or metronidazole is used to treat the infection and reduce its sevreity and time suffering.

	FAQ Can I die by being infected? No. Most people recover naturally. Although infection can last for several months to years with continuing symptoms in some people if not treated. Children with chronic infection may fail to thrive while infected.