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[wombat]

BTW, for those of you who actually watched that silly "medical investigations" show, the NIH has no field staff. That's us at CDC.

Isn't that stupid?  How hard would it have been to get that right?

But aside from mad cow disease, what about things that you get from regular germy things?  Aren't you more likely to catch them from a closely related species?  Especially a closely related, undercooked species?

[CortJstr]

True: Prions are not alive and therefore you can't kill them.

I think, though, that we don't have any good idea on who is susceptible to mad cow, or at least who is more susceptible. And there is no good way to do a dose-response study on a disease that seems to only affect humans. I have a untested and unproven theory that in carcasses of such animals, using some kind of solvent to denature the proteins should destroy also the 'rogue proteins'. The problem would be the environmental impact of using denaturing agents on such a large scale.

So are prions just particularly hardy proteins or what? Because I know that some get denatured just looking at them, others from heat or acid. What's it take to denature a prion? Silver bullets? Kryptonite? Buffy?

[wombat]

That's not the same as heating up all the germs till they die.

This is the best definition of "cooking" ever. It makes me happy inside.

Choop - this is what is missing from your business's website:  We heat up germs till they die, so you don't have to.

[V-Adore]

But aside from mad cow disease, what about things that you get from regular germy things?  Aren't you more likely to catch them from a closely related species?  Especially a closely related, undercooked species?

My best guess here would be yes, which is why I fully advise cooking your ape thoroughly before eating. If nothing else, presumably undercooked ape would be exactly as susceptible to plain ol' food-poisoning bacteria as more mundane, further-related meats.

As for denaturing proteins as a solution to prion problems: hmm. It makes sense in theory, but it took a Google (great is my shame) to realize that this has actually been done successfully in practice. The main impetus appears to be that you need some heavy-duty, food-unsafe things to break prions up, which is fine for cow corpses and other quarantine measures but runs into problems once you consider the problem of sanitizing hamburger meat.

(I am running off my mouth because I'm a biology major and, like most cocky young underclassthings, like showing that off. Also I have nothing of any interest to say in the baby thread, and so I feel the need to compensate elsewhere.)

[jough]

So what, Chimp-Tar-Tar is off the menu?

[V-Adore]

So what, Chimp-Tar-Tar is off the menu?

Well, it depends how much you want to take your own life in your hands. If the sheer risk of Chimp Tartar Avec Nerve Tissue appeals to your thrillseeking lifestyle, by all means do what you must, man.

[AlohaDawg]

BTW, for those of you who actually watched that silly "medical investigations" show, the NIH has no field staff. That's us at CDC.

Isn't that stupid?  How hard would it have been to get that right?

But aside from mad cow disease, what about things that you get from regular germy things?  Aren't you more likely to catch them from a closely related species?

 

I would say that you are most likely to catch something directly from another person. That's the most regular, and most germy thing you come into contact with every day.

Especially a closely related, undercooked species?

That's true when you consider that a close species is more like us - so the conditions for the germ to fluorish would be similar. HIV is thought to have made a species jump from another primate species to man. Flu also often comes from pigs, through fowl and into man. (Pigs could be argued to be 'somewhat closely related'; we have used pig skin, heart valves and insulin in humans for years.) However, we don't generally cook and eat 'closely related' species so this question, is happily, relatively spurious.


Another example I can think of is Tubeculosis in the late 1800s passed to children through unpasteurized milk products. In this case, it was often the species of TB known as M. bovis. I would not call cows 'closely related' to man.

I am concerned, Ms. Wombat, about your obsession with cooking and eating closely related species. Something you want to tell us about?

[AlohaDawg]

As for denaturing proteins as a solution to prion problems: hmm. It makes sense in theory, but it took a Google (great is my shame) to realize that this has actually been done successfully in practice. The main impetus appears to be that you need some heavy-duty, food-unsafe things to break prions up, which is fine for cow corpses and other quarantine measures but runs into problems once you consider the problem of sanitizing hamburger meat.

Once you identify a case in a herd, you would never, ever work to make the meat safe - you would work to destroy both the herd and the prions.
The only reason to find a way to sanitize 'prion infected meat' would be if we were in a position where prions became ubiquitously present in beef.
Which I would hope never happens.

[V-Adore]

As for denaturing proteins as a solution to prion problems: hmm. It makes sense in theory, but it took a Google (great is my shame) to realize that this has actually been done successfully in practice. The main impetus appears to be that you need some heavy-duty, food-unsafe things to break prions up, which is fine for cow corpses and other quarantine measures but runs into problems once you consider the problem of sanitizing hamburger meat.

Once you identify a case in a herd, you would never, ever work to make the meat safe - you would work to destroy both the herd and the prions.
The only reason to find a way to sanitize 'prion infected meat' would be if we were in a position where prions became ubiquitously present in beef.
Which I would hope never happens.

Well, yes -- presumably early-stage destruction/quarantine of affected animals before they even have a chance of infecting the actual food supply is the only way of doing this. But I have this sinking feeling that, if only because of consumer demand, some kind of treatment of meat for theoretical prions is going to be suggested.  

(This is the time when I mention that "Theoretical Prions" would be a good band name.)

[AlohaDawg]

You have a better chance marketing 'prion-free' meat then you will 'previously infected and now cleaned' meat.

[andalucia]

(This is the time when I mention that "Theoretical Prions" would be a good band name.)

Pleasantly reminescent of the Theoretical Girls... I like it.

[CortJstr]

So what, Chimp-Tar-Tar is off the menu?

Well, it depends how much you want to take your own life in your hands. If the sheer risk of Chimp Tartar Avec Nerve Tissue appeals to your thrillseeking lifestyle, by all means do what you must, man.

Why not just have a side of blowgiraffe with that? And wash it all down with a raw pork and egg smoothie?

[wombat]

I am concerned, Ms. Wombat, about your obsession with cooking and eating closely related species. Something you want to tell us about?

Eeeuw, no.  I'd never eat a monkey.  Precisely because they seem like the dangerously germiest animals.  

Working with primates you have to worry about sharing diseases.  But no one ever tells me to wear a mask when I have a cold when I'm volunteering at the Reptile House.  It's very relaxing.

[AugustWest]

You have a better chance marketing 'prion-free' meat then you will 'previously infected and now cleaned' meat.

I read this first as "pron-free meat" and thought, "Gee, those Republicans all have that Meece-Ashcroft anti-pron thing going on."

[AlohaDawg]

Ya want boring? Try Meat-free pr0n.