Prion Disease Spreads To Wildlife

The biggest difference between Alzheimer’s disease, mad cow disease and chronic wasting disease is the species under attack. All are forms of prion disease, which is an unstoppable neurodegenerative disease. Thanks to misinformation and mismanagement, prion disease is spreading from infected humans to other mammals and from infected mammals to humans. It is now the fastest-growing cause of death in the world (excluding the coronavirus).

Since the prion pathogen migrates, mutates and multiplies, few cases are identical in terms of presenting symptoms or disease progression. CWD is essentially the same as mad cow disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and other deadly prion diseases. As such, we prefer to cut out the smoke and mirrors and call it what it is–a prion disease epidemic. Some cases strike and kill extremely fast, while others take longer. All cases, however, are fatal and transmissible.

The scientific name for prion disease is transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE). The operative word is transmissible.

Prion disease strikes most mammals, including deer, elk, moose and reindeer. It’s killed several other species, including cattle, mink, cats, sheep, goats, camels and at least one elephant. It’s even striking sea mammals. Sick wildlife is serving as the proverbial canary in a coalmine. Sick deer, elk, moose and reindeer are confirming that the human forms of neurodegenerative disease are transmissible. Norway’s reindeer are the best example. The increasing spread of CWD has raised concerns about the threat to humans. In reality, prion contamination is a threat to all mammals. There is no species barrier.

“It is legitimate to be concerned about the potential for humans being susceptible to CWD,” said noted CWD researcher Dr. Elizabeth Williams. “We don’t have evidence, but we can’t say it could never happen. We have to be prudent.”

Dr. Williams and Stewart Young recognized the brain lesions in deer as those of a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) in 1978. Williams was the preeminent CWD researcher in the world. Unfortunately, Dr. Williams died in a car accident in 2005 when she became more vocal about the risks of CWD to humans. She also knew about some of the early prion research at CSU and the University of Wyoming. She was appointed to a United Nations committee to work on mad cow disease and served on committees for the U.S. National Academy of Science and National Institute of Health. Thanks to her death, concerns about the CWD threat to humans (and the human prion threat to wildlife) lost its voice for years. Government and industry have played dumb and dumber ever since. Innocent people are caught in the crosshairs as the pathogen spreads.

Because of the infectious waste associated with prion disease, humans are spreading prion disease to wildlife and livestock and they are transmitting prion disease to people. Prions + Pathways = Victims. As prions migrate through the food chain, they get stronger and more aggressive.

The Prion Predator

Prions cause fatal neurodegenerative diseases in humans and animals by converting the cellular prion protein PrPC into aggregation-prone PrPSc. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease, also known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE), of free-ranging and farmed cervids. CWD is highly contagious and transmitted through horizontal transmission enabled by the shedding of prions in bodily fluids and cell tissue. Unfortunately, wildlife is exposed to other prion pathways.

Secondly, sick wildlife proves that there is not a species barrier when it comes to prions—especially the aggressive prions shed from humans.

Sure, deer, elk and moose are getting prions from other vectors, including nose-to-nose contact, but we are injecting prion disease into the herds with the reckless dumping of lethal sewage sludge. My guess is that many of the game farms that are being affected have had sewage sludge (biosolids) dumped on their farms in the past to make additional money. Unfortunately, this paydirt is death dirt. It’s infectious waste and much more. Wild deer are exposed to sewage when dumped on farms, ranches and in forests.

Sick cattle also are falling victim to human prions in sewage that’s being dumped on farms and ranches. Mad cow disease isn’t such a mystery. It’s the bovine form of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease or Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. A deadly prion is a deadly prion. The name game is just part of the smoke and mirrors being used to sweep this global prion epidemic under the rug.

Remember, there is no research to contradict or refute any of this prion theory. Prions + Pathways = Victims.

The disease is undergoing a dramatic spread across North America, has been found in South Korea, and, recently, has been identified for the first time in Europe in free-ranging reindeer and moose in Norway.

Prions (PREE-ons) are a deadly and unstoppable form of protein that migrates, mutates, multiplies and kills with unparalleled efficiency. Prions cause fatal neurodegenerative disease in humans and animals by converting the cellular version of prion protein into a toxic form that erodes the brain and body. Prion disease often is described as a wasting disease that causes a loss of body mass and brain mass.

Dr. Stanley Prusiner, an American neuroscientist from the University of California at San Francisco, earned a Nobel Prize in 1997 for discovering and characterizing prions and prion disease. President Obama awarded Prusiner the National Medal of Science in 2010 to recognize the importance of his research.

Prion disease also is known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE). The operative word is “transmissible.” Prusiner claims that all forms of TSE are caused by infectious prions.

TSE is a spectrum disease that varies in severity and symptoms. It depends on which region of the brain is impacted first and by what prion mutation. Few cases are identical in terms of symptoms and diagnoses. When the presenting symptom is memory loss, the diagnoses flow along the following chart.

In humans, the prion spectrum includes Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and an extremely aggressive version known as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The difference between these diseases is very slight and often indistinguishable to neurologists. For example, millions of people have the severe form of Alzheimer’s disease, which is known as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). CJD is clearly a prion disease. According to neuroscientists Dr. Laura Manuelidis, at least 25 percent of Alzheimer’s diagnoses are actually CJD, which is further up the prion spectrum. CJD, without dispute, is extremely infectious to caregivers and loved ones, but it has not been declared a reportable disease across the U.S. and many other nations.

Millions of cases of deadly CJD are being misdiagnosed as Alzheimer’s disease. Millions of patients and caregivers are being misinformed, misguided and exposed to an aggressive prion disease. Millions of people with prion disease have exposed us all to their infectious waste thanks to misinformation, mismanagement and negligence. Animals also are being exposed.

Unfortunately, Prusiner’s science is being ignored and we all are facing a public health disaster because of the negligence and reckless disregard for public health.

Prions are such a formidable threat that the U.S. government enacted the Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002, which included a provision to halt research on prions in all but two laboratories. It classified prions as select agents that pose an extreme risk to food, water and health systems. Unfortunately, the Center For Disease Control quietly took prions off the list about two years ago because the classification threatened to criminalize some multi-billion dollar industries and many industry practices, including the biosolids industry and the wastewater reclamation industry.

Prion Disease

Prion disease is highly contagious, incurable and fatal. Despite all of the smoke and mirrors, prion disease is prion disease. It’s killing more and more mammals, including humans, every year. The hype about species barriers is ridiculous, reckless and irresponsible.

Victims should be quarantined because prions are in the urine, feces, blood, saliva, mucus, skin and cell tissue of all victims–all human byproducts that are washed, dumped, or flushed down sinks and toilets. One can assume that the waste is extra infectious when it comes from funeral homes, nursing homes, hospitals, dental offices, veterinarians, slaughterhouses and some laboratories.

There are many sources and pathways for deadly prions. However, we can’t ignore the biggest pathways. The cruel irony of prion disease is that victims become part of the greater problem. Studies confirm that people and animals dying of prion disease contaminate the environment around them. Infectious prions are in the urine, feces, blood, skin, mucus and saliva of each victim. These infectious bodily fluids are contributing to the rapid spread of prion disease among mammals.

“There is now real evidence of the potential transmissibility of Alzheimer’s,” says Thomas Wiesniewski M.D. a prion and Alzheimer’s researcher at New York University School of Medicine. “In fact, this ability to transmit an abnormal conformation is probably a universal property of amyloid-forming proteins.”

Wastewater treatment plants are spreading this infectious waste because they are incapable of stopping prions. All by-products and discharges from wastewater treatment plants are infectious waste, which are contributing to the global epidemic of neurodegenerative disease among humans, wildlife and livestock. Sewage sludge (biosolids) and wastewater reclamation are causing widespread contamination. This is the primary pathway where livestock and wildlife are contracting prion disease from humans.

Wastewater treatment plants are prion incubators and distributors. Sewage sludge and wastewater pumped out spread infectious disease. That’s right. Wildlife are contracting brain disease from the infectious waste of humans (people with prion disease release prions in their urine, feces, blood, mucus and other bodily fluids. So do the sick deer. It’s a vicious cycle that keeps recycling the prions into our food and water).

Sewage treatment plants can’t detect or stop prions. Just ask the U.S. EPA. Dumping sewage sludge (biosolids) from billions of people on land and at sea spreads prions far and wide. It also spreads heavy metals, radioactive waste, carcinogens, pharmaceuticals and more.

Sewage sludge, biosolids, and reclaimed wastewater are recycling prions from victims into our food and water supplies. We’re dumping killer proteins on crops, ranches, public lands, forests, parks, golf courses, gardens, ski areas, school grounds and beyond. Wind, rain and irrigation spread these contaminants and many more throughout our watersheds and communities.

The risk assessments prepared by the U.S. EPA for wastewater treatment and sewage sludge are flawed. Many risks are not addressed, including prions and radioactive waste. They don’t mention prions or radiation because there is no answer. Most nations are making the same mistake. Failure to account for known risks is negligent. Crops for humans and livestock grown grown in sewage sludge absorb prions and become infectious. We’re all vulnerable to Alzheimer’s and other forms of prion disease right now due to widespread denial and mismanagement. It’s time to stop the land application of sewage sludge (LASS) in all nations. Safer alternatives exist.

Prions are a real-world version of Pandora’s Box. Governments and industries that ignore these pathogens are reckless and responsible.

When the U.S. government enacted the Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002, it classified prions as select agents that pose an extreme risk to food, water and much more. Unfortunately, the CDC quietly took prions off the list about 10 years later because the regulation criminalized entire industries and several reckless practices.

Unfortunately, prions linger in the environment, homes, hospitals, nursing homes, dental offices and beyond infinitely. They migrate, mutate, multiply and kill with unparalleled efficiency. Prions defy all attempts at sterilization and inactivation.

Prions shed from humans are the most deadly. They demand more respect than radiation. They’re being ignored by regulators and industry alike. As such, food and water sources are being contaminated with the deadliest forms of prions. Municipal water systems can’t stop them from reaching your tap. Filtration doesn’t help. It’s like trying to filter out radiation.

Sewage sludge is infectious waste. It’s radioactive waste. It’s carcinogens, pharmaceuticals, heavy metals and more. Putting this deadly soup on crops is criminal. Unfortunately, the criminals at the U.S. EPA say it’s legal—sort of. It’s killing mammals on land and at sea. It’s killing people. It’s contributing to chronic wasting disease.

CWD Mismanagement

Most governments are telling people that the risks from CWD are negligible. Government officials claim that there is no proof that CWD poses a risk to humans. Let’s reverse that perspective–is there any proof that it’s safe to handle an infected animal? Is it possible for a healthy carcass to be cross contaminated at a processing facility that has handled infected carcasses? Are they telling hunters to quarantine clothes, knives, saws and other items that touch blood or tissue from deer and elk, while the head is tested for CWD? Those items can never be sterilized if the deer or elk in question has CWD. The misinformation and mismanagement are criminal.

Prions have been found in the muscle tissue of infected mammals. Many wildlife management organizations are saying the opposite. These groups are more concerned with healthy economies than your family’s health.

Therefore, if you trust the advice that you’re getting from hunters’ organizations and game management agencies, you should get your head checked. Chronic wasting disease will kill you. It’s being fueled by many things, including misinformation and mismanagement. For example, dumping sewage sludge throughout our watersheds is a very bad idea.

Preview and order the eBook now to defend yourself and your family. There is no prevention or cure for Alzheimer’s disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease or Parkinson’s disease, but smart nutrition can save your life. If you have brain disease, nutrition is your best hope for treatment.

Gary Chandler is a prion expert. He is the CEO of Crossbow Communications, author of several books and producer of documentaries about health and environmental issues around the world. Chandler is connecting the dots to the global surge in neurodegenerative disease, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, chronic wasting disease and other forms of prion disease. The scientific name for prion disease is transmissible spongiform encephalopathy.