I would like to thank Dr. Lori Boies for her guidance and feedback that gave me confidence to continue with researching this topic. Bioinformatics is a field that is rapidly growing and evolving, so I’m grateful for the opportunity to contribute and inform others of its importance. To my anonymous peer editors, thank you for your comments and feedback, as they made revision much less stressful for me. Finally, I’d like to thank Dr. Gary Ogden, for making me aware of this issue and its recent appearance in cities like San Antonio.
21 comments
Dillon Lopez
I found this infographic really interesting because it connects wildlife disease to human health. The way you explained prion diseases and how bioinformatics helps track and understand them was easy to follow. I also liked the safety tips for hunters since it shows the application in real life. Overall, this infographic made a complicated topic feel understandable and showed why bioinformatics matters beyond just humans.
garana
What I liked most about this infographic was how it framed bioinformatics as a tool for understanding and preventing disease rather than just a technical field personally I found the section about analyzing PRNP sequences especially interesting because it shows how computational biology can predict cross species risks the visuals and statistics made the message accessible and engaging. One small improvement would be to add a simple definition of prions up front for readers who may not know what they are overall great infographic!!
Ashley Garcia
Hi Sophia, I liked your infographic, because it educates us about something that could be threatening to us humans. Although with precautions, there’s a very low chance, but it could cause worry. For CWD, it’s unfortunate that this is very fatal for animals, such as the ones you listed (deer, cows and sheep). Although this was an outbreak that occurred in San Antonio, my home city, I don’t remember hearing about it, so I appreciate being educated on it.
Gabriella Silva
This infographic has a great flow of information! The wording and presentation keeps listeners who might not be familiar with these biological concepts engaged. I’ve learned of CJD and “Mad Cow’s disease” but was not aware that the prions could affect other animals such as CWS. The statistics on Bexar and Medina county were very helpful to make this topic more personal to the SA community.
Jacqueline Flores
This infographic was honestly super interesting. I had no idea that a disease like CWD could be so deadly and possibly affect humans. The way bioinformatics was used to study prion mutations was cool, it made science feel more like detective work. Adding a visual timeline of how the disease spreads would probably help people understand the urgency better about this disease.
jrosas11
This infographic really caught my attention because the idea of “zombie deer” prion disease sounds disturbing and interesting at the same time. As a forensic science major, I liked seeing how bioinformatics can be used to study diseases in a way that isn’t just lab based but also has real environmental and public health effects. The visuals helped explain a pretty complicated topic in a way that didn’t feel overwhelming. One thing that could make it even better is adding a simple example of how this research helps scientists track or control the disease. Overall, it was engaging and definitely made me want to learn more.
Raynne M
This infographic was very informative and really interesting. The topic of chronic wasting syndrome is extremely interesting to me, especially as a pre-veterinary student. I appreciated the section regarding transmission to humans, as I was unaware that CWS may be transmissible to humans if it is passed through an organism with similar prion gene positions to humans. I was also surprised to learn that Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease was originally developed in sheep and not transferable to humans, until cows contracted it and were able to infect humans. I would suggest re-formatting the figure at the bottom-right of the infographic, as the small size makes the words difficult to read. I appreciated the connection to bioinformatics and found the section explaining what bioinformatics ae and how it may be applied to this topic to be very informative.
Aaron Lupian
This infographic covered a very interesting subject that can even have human applications though very rare. The template of how the information was displayed was very clever as it represents a wildlife brochure considering the disease heavily targets deer. The information provided on Prions succeeded in conveying what the disease entailed and why it’s commonly referred to as “Zombie deer” disease. My only critique would be that the text is a little small which made the data seem kind of cramped and could be enlarged slightly to provide better visibility.
Samantha Nguyen
Hey Sophia! Your infographic scheme is so well put together and neat, and when I scrolled down and saw the award for best infographic, I was seriously impressed! I always knew about CWS, but I had no idea it was a prion disease, how daunting. I can’t believe we had a breakout in San Antonio, that is quite alarming. I wonder how we can even test for this disease, especially for hunters who use up most of their kills with little to no waste.
Laila Sosa
Hi Sophia,
I was imminently intrigued by the use of “Zombie Deer” in your title and what this disease entails. The way the infographic is formatted allows for easy understanding of both bioinformatics and the “Zombie Deer” virus. Learning about this disease and how it deals with the prions is extremely intriguing since I’ve only heard of mad cow disease (MCD) and how unlike MCD it is not transmissible to humans. Which leads to my biggest question as to why and how this is, but it can spread to other species. Overall, this is a well put together and informative infographic that has increased my understanding on this matter. Thank you and Great Job!