Final answer:
Prion diseases are associated with the abnormally folded state of prion proteins. They can cause normal proteins to misfold and are related to diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Mad Cow disease, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
Step-by-step explanation:
Prion diseases are invariably associated with the abnormally folded state of prion proteins. Prions are small proteins found in nerve tissue, and when they misfold, they can cause normal proteins to also misfold. This protein misfolding is related to diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Mad Cow disease, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Prions are an entirely new form of infectious agent that do not rely on genes made of DNA or RNA for transmission.