Two American hunters fell victim to 'zombie disease'

Two people have died from a rare, deadly prion disease that they likely contracted after eating meat from deer infected with chronic wasting disease (CWD). Researchers warn that this may be the first known case of the disease being transmitted from animals to humans.

A tragedy occurred in 2022 in the United States, when a 72-year-old man suddenly began to experience disorientation and aggressive behavior. It turned out that he and his friend had been eating meat from a deer population infected with CWD, also known as "zombie deer disease." 

According to research conducted by scientists from the Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, both patients developed sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) - the most common prion disease in humans. Unfortunately, both men died.

"The patient's history, including similar events in his social group, indicates the possibility of a new transmission of CWD from an animal to a human. Based on non-human and mouse primate models, cross-species transmission of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is likely," write the authors of the study published in the journal Neurology ".

Prion diseases are very rare and terrifying conditions. They are transmissible, incurable and always end in the patient's death. They are caused by the incorrect folding of prion proteins, which naturally occur in healthy cells of the body, mainly in the brain.

In prion diseases, a harmless protein begins to fold abnormally, resulting in a hostile and infectious form. This abnormal protein can then convert other normal proteins into an abnormal form, accumulating in the brain and causing brain damage.

People affected by prion diseases may experience rapid physical and mental symptoms such as severe depression, hallucinations, slurred speech, numbness, loss of coordination, memory loss, aggression, and profound behavioral changes. Unlike most other infectious agents, prions are not inactivated by heat, ultraviolet light, or any other standard sterilization procedures, making them extremely difficult to control and impossible to treat.

Prion diseases such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as "mad cow disease", have been a source of concern among scientists and the public for years. According to the latest statistics from the US Food and Drug Administration, 232 people worldwide have died from a variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease linked to mad cow disease. Most cases were reported in the United Kingdom, where the epidemic was most significant.

When it comes to deer and CWD, it's still unclear whether prions can jump from animals to humans. However, recent research in plaster suggests that the public, doctors and health authorities should consider this possibility.

The tragic story of two American hunters is a warning to all who eat meat from wild animals. Prion diseases, although rare, can have devastating consequences. Experts call for increased vigilance and strict control over animal populations to prevent further tragedies.