How to Use prion in a Sentence

prion

noun
  • It is caused by a prion, a misfolded protein.
    — Gillian Stawiszynski, The Enquirer, 19 Aug. 2025
  • One theory is that the syndrome is caused by an entirely new prion disorder.
    — Washington Post, 12 May 2021
  • Those prions can then infect living deer that interact with them through grazing or otherwise.
    — Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 21 Dec. 2023
  • Infectious agents known as prions cause chronic wasting disease.
    — George Petras, USA TODAY, 29 Apr. 2024
  • But in other cells, especially some neurons in the brain, a misfolded prion is a death sentence.
    — Sophie Hartley, Scientific American, 10 Jan. 2025
  • Calling the Covid-19 coronavirus a prion would be like calling your bed a toilet.
    — Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 4 Sep. 2021
  • Chronic wasting disease is caused by infectious proteins called prions.
    — Erin Prater, Fortune Well, 26 Jan. 2024
  • In this way, a prion can infect a person’s body like a virus, despite having no DNA, no life, to speak of.
    — Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 11 Oct. 2019
  • The disease is caused by misfolded proteins, or prions, which are also the cause of a disease in deer known as chronic wasting disease.
    — Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2025
  • The prions accumulate into toxic clumps that damage the brain and eventually lead to death.
    — Erin Prater, Fortune Well, 1 Feb. 2024
  • The rare disease is caused by an abnormal form of a protein called a prion, which triggers damaging changes to the brain and central nervous system.
    — Jonel Aleccia, BostonGlobe.com, 20 Nov. 2022
  • It is caused by an abnormal version of a cell protein called a prion, which functions very differently than bacteria or viruses.
    — Jim Robbins, New York Times, 12 Nov. 2020
  • Under a microscope, the brains of people and animals with prion disorders resemble sponges with small holes.
    — Washington Post, 12 May 2021
  • Mad cow disease, which affected cattle in the UK in the 1990s, is caused by a prion that was able to spread to humans.
    — Cameron Knight, The Enquirer, 24 Aug. 2022
  • Mad cow disease, which affected cattle in the UK in the 1990s, is caused by a prion that was able to spread to humans.
    — Gillian Stawiszynski, The Enquirer, 19 Aug. 2025
  • The occurrence of these harsh diseases in two of our scientific colleagues clearly affects the whole prion community.
    — Barbara Casassus, Science | AAAS, 28 July 2021
  • The fatal deer disease, caused by an infectious prion, or mis-shapen protein, has shown a steady pattern of geographical spread and increasing prevalence.
    — Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 3 Oct. 2021
  • Wolves, however, are immune to the prions, deactivating them through digestion.
    — Ted Williams, Denver Post, 26 Mar. 2025
  • The wave of prions slowly accumulates, spreading through the spleen and the lymph nodes and through the peripheral nervous system into the central nervous system.
    — Sophie Hartley, Scientific American, 10 Jan. 2025
  • Animals can also become infected if their feed or pasture is contaminated with the prions carrying it.
    — Li Cohen, CBS News, 17 Nov. 2023
  • Chronic wasting disease is a fatal neurological disease of deer, elk and moose caused by an infectious protein called a prion that affects the animal's brain.
    — Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 27 May 2022
  • Chronic wasting disease is a fatal, neurological disease of deer, elk and moose caused by an infectious protein called a prion that affects the animal's brain.
    — Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 20 Feb. 2022
  • Her friend’s tragic fate pulls readers into the story, which also includes a father and son in wheelchairs who are the first patients in a groundbreaking clinical trial testing a prion drug.
    — Christie Wilcox, science.org, 27 Dec. 2024
  • Given the rarity of human prion infections, this seems an unlikely coincidence.
    — Ted Williams, Denver Post, 24 Feb. 2026
  • However, because the FDA mandates the removal of all tissues shown to carry the prions — such as brains and spinal cords — from poultry diets, the risk is reduced.
    — Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
  • These prions lead to rapid brain deterioration, resulting in severe neurological symptoms and death.
    — Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2025
  • Race went on to explain that the major fear of the vampire bat transmitting the disease is that prions may shift at a molecular level in the species' digestive tract, making the effects in animals unpredictable.
    — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
  • Classic prion diseases occur when PrP prions cascade, infecting other prions and causing them to malfunction.
    — Erin Prater, Fortune Well, 1 Feb. 2024
  • Although Alzheimer’s is not a prion disease, some separate research suggests that the two proteins that are hallmarks in Alzheimer’s disease — amyloid beta and tau — behave like prions.
    — Jacqueline Howard, CNN, 29 Jan. 2024
  • The potential for transmission from the environment depends on contamination levels and the resistance of prions to breakdown.
    — Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 10 Aug. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prion.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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