How is variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) acquired?

How is variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) acquired?

• A. Through eating beef contaminated with BSE (mad cow disease)
• B. Through contaminated drinking water
• C. Through airborne transmission from infected individuals
• D. Through direct person-to-person contact

Answer: (A)

Variant CJD is acquired by eating beef products contaminated with prions from cattle that have BSE (mad cow disease). Prions are misfolded proteins that resist normal cooking and standard sterilization, so consuming tissue—especially brain or spinal cord tissue—can transmit the disease to humans. The other routes listed—drinking contaminated water, airborne spread, or direct person-to-person contact—do not explain how vCJD is typically acquired.

Variant CJD is acquired by eating beef products contaminated with prions from cattle that have BSE (mad cow disease). Prions are misfolded proteins that resist normal cooking and standard sterilization, so consuming tissue—especially brain or spinal cord tissue—can transmit the disease to humans. The other routes listed—drinking contaminated water, airborne spread, or direct person-to-person contact—do not explain how vCJD is typically acquired.