The question is incomplete and is missing the last part which I write below before the answer;
What is the most likely etiology (cause) of this disease?
The answer is "Prion".
The reason for the Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies is at present obscure, yet the maladies are known to be related with Prions. Weather Prions cause TSEs or are the consequence of contamination with another operator, for example, a virus which involves a debate by a minority of researchers. Prion maladies in a wide number of animal types are related with spongiform changes in cerebrum tissue.