One Thing Leads to Another

Prions are proteinaceous infectious agents that are transmissible – they can have different structures and infect different animals but they are all proteins. Prions are in all our bodies and the normal forms have some function – although we don’t know exactly what this is yet. The problems arise when these proteins become ‘rogue’. When this happens, their quaternary structure changes and they begin to accumulate in the brain and cause neurological damage. It’s now a well-established fact that prion diseases can be transmitted between people and there have certainly been instances of iatrogenic transference – that is, they have been spread via medical practice or treatment. As such, understanding how to decontaminate medical instruments against prions is crucial. Why have surgical decontamination classifications not been adjusted to mitigate the threat of prion disease transfer?