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Scrapie

Scrapie is a fatal disease that affects the central nervous system of sheep and goats. It is what is known as a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE). Other TSEs include bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle, chronic wasting disease in deer and elk, and Creutzfelt-Jakob disease in humans. The exact cause of scrapie is unknown, but many scientists currently believe that it is associated with the presence of an abnormal protein called a prion.