Final answer:
Eating meat from a prion-infected animal can cause variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), a fatal condition that arises from consuming beef infected with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE). Transmission occurs through prions that misfold normal proteins, leading to rapid brain degeneration.
Step-by-step explanation:
Eating the meat of a prion-infected animal is the cause of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD). This disease is part of a category of fatal neurodegenerative diseases caused by prions, which are infectious agents composed of misfolded proteins. Variant CJD in humans can occur by consuming beef from cattle infected with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), also known as "mad cow disease". Prions lead to rapid degeneration of brain tissue, resulting in characteristic sponge-like lesions seen in affected brains.
These prions have an unusual means of transmission and are notorious for their ability to induce their misfolded structure onto normally folded proteins, leading to an exponential increase in the diseased protein conformation. The introduction of BSE prions through consumption of infected beef has had significant impacts, including international bans on the importation of British beef and restrictions on blood donations from regions associated with BSE to prevent further spread of the disease. Variant CJD is extremely difficult to treat and always fatal.