Which practice is essential for decontaminating prion-contaminated tools?

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Prions are exceptionally resistant infectious proteins, so ordinary cleaning and sterilization often won’t inactivate them. The essential approach is to apply decontamination protocols that have been specifically validated to reduce or inactivate prions. Using these validated methods provides demonstrated effectiveness, protecting others from transmission. Because of their resilience, contaminated instruments should not be reused unless they have been properly decontaminated with a validated prion protocol; otherwise, there’s a real risk of spreading prion disease. Wiping with soap or soaking in water and standard sterilization are not reliable for prions.