MbShea@PWP@English@UMCP

Abstract: Prions are a form of disease that has only relatively recently been characterized. For his work on them, Stanley B. Prusiner was given the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 1997. Since the 90s, outbreaks of BSE and other prion diseases in the west have caused significant losses for farmers and caused economic strain on other countries who relied on beef imports. Examining this effect in both the US and the UK shows the seriousness of this issue. However, prion disease is a complex subject that is not well understood. To form a background that can be used to further understand the diseases, sources like the CDC can guide study to an intermediate level. However, more advanced literature sources show the cutting edge of prion study. While there is still much left to understand, greater overall public knowledge can help avoid the economic problems that arise from outbreaks. Prions are a difficult problem to resolve, as they can resist destruction by most affordable methods, and they are difficult to simply filter out of biological materials. However, there are emerging methods that show promise in doing just these things. Therefore, by continuing to fund research, there is good reason to believe the problem will be solved.

Reader's Profile: Someone who is against animal testing and/or use for food production.

Word Count: 206 words.

Reader's Response: While attempting to cure prion diseases is surely beneficial for humanity, we should not be worried about food or animal product contamination. Instead, we should eliminate the use of animal products in general, which would be a far faster way to solve this problem. Sure the economic losses are bad, but they are a necessary step for removing our reliance on animals for food and other products. However, the document does provide sources for further reading that may allow me to deepen my understanding and potentially change my opinion.

T, could read quite well as a medical humanities seminar paper. Is that your thinking now, about audience, context, purpose?

You could leave the vegan or vegetarian reader out of the work, though yes to your identification of that as a hostile or disinterested reader.

Perhaps a more useful profile, one that USDA does think about often, is one concerned with factory farming or big ag. Prion disease spread is more likely in automated farm systems, including feeding the wastes from one species to others or even same species.

Formal citation, right?

Do you read Michael Pollan? Here is one of his pieces that talks about meat supply and prions.
https://michaelpollan.com/articles-archive/the-way-we-live-now-cattle-futures/