[Mr. Freeze]

As has been mentioned, the infectious particle is EXTREMELY hardy, surviving even on surgical instruments, which of course get autoclaved. It is probably anecdotal, but I've been told you won't find very many patients that get diagnosed pathologically, i.e. by someone looking at a slide, because surgeons don't want to risk getting a specimen and pathologists probably wouldn't let it in the lab anyway. So I think it gets diagnosed based on HOW it presents, like SSG Alford's case, where those sorts of signs just don't happen that quickly in someone so young and healthy. There just aren't that many things that do that, so by exclusion they pick CJD.

All of the SE's are prion diseases, so I think to group them into human and animal is dangerous. It has been a few years since I did any work regarding them, so things may have changed, but last I heard the stance was "We are neither confirming nor denying that humans can get CWD (for instance) from eating infected ungulates". I'm of the mind that if they can get it, we can get it. That may be overly cautious, albeit logical.

In states where CWD is rampant (directly related to human encroachment on habitat, since natural selection doesn't weed out before transmission occurs and animal contact is higher), I believe it is illegal to transport carcasses in which the bones have been compromised, like bone-in cuts. And I believe taking heads and capes for later mounts is a big no-no as well, since the infectious material is present in nervous tissue/CSF. But again, somewhat anecdotal, since I personally haven't been drawn for my Colorado elk hunt.

Now I can't remember what I logged on to look for. Got all excited about prions there for a minute.