This definitive account of prion biology and disease was assembled to provide investigators with reliable reference material, young scientists with encouragement to explore the field, and educators with information on a topic that has captured the imagination of students at every level. The most authoritative and up-to-date source of knowledge yet published on this unique form of pathogen, the book has been written by Stanley Prusiner, winner of a 1997 Nobel Prize for his discovery of prions, and a group of internationally recognized experts on prions' biology and pathogenic effects.