When university president, George Caspase, hung up the phone, he had a very worried look on his face. Another alumnus had passed away. It was the second time that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had called in the past week. Henry Proton, age 26, Emily Reticulum, age 25, and Frank Spongiform, age 26, had died in the past year. The loss of these young people was tragic enough, but it was the way they died that had the President’s mind reeling and the CDC concerned. Henry had been a communications major, married, and had an infant baby girl. In the past spring, he had started to feel very depressed, and he was put on an antidepressant. This seemed to help for a short while, but within a few weeks he was depressed again, and this time also hallucinating. As the fall approached, Henry ’s movements became very rigid, and he was brought to a neurologist. His physical movements continued to deteriorate and within months he passed away without a definitive diagnosis, about half a year following his initial symptoms. Upon his death, an autopsy was ordered, and the pathologist discovered small holes within the brain tissue, and reported this to the CDC. Emily was a year below Howard and they never interacted formally, as Emily studied finance, but both attended the University at the same time and were part of a study-abroad program. Her story was similar to that of Henry. Her roommates reported some personality changes, as well as what they described as "increased memory loss and clumsiness." Her condition deteriorated rapidly and she passed away. Upon pathological examination, it was revealed that her brain also had small holes within the tissues.1. What is the name of the prion disease that likely caused both Henry and Emily ’s deaths?2. Propose a plausible explanation for how Emily and Henry were infected.3. What is a prion disease and how can prions cause the symptoms seen in these individuals?4. Are the family members of the affected individuals at risk for acquiring this disease?5. If either patient had received an early diagnosis, could they have been treated, and if so, how?