Mad cow disease caused by a
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Bacterium
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Prion
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Worm
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Virus
Reveal answer
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B
Correct answer
Explanation
The causative agent of mad-cow disease is a prion. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease, is a fatal neurodegenerative disease or encephalopathy in cattle that causes a spongy degeneration in the brain and spinal cord. It is caused due to a prion. A prion is an infectious agent, specifically a protein in a misfolded form. The protein itself, whether in its misfolded or its correctly folded form, can be referred to as the prion protein (PrP). A protein as an infectious agent stands in contrast to all other known infectious agents, like viruses, bacteria, fungi, or parasitesall of which must contain nucleic acids.