The virino was described partially to protect the central dogma of molecular biology, which was threatened by the existence of a series of degenerative neurological TSE diseases including kuru, CJD, scrapie in sheep, and BSE in cattle.
The virino also has the benefit of explaining the traits of TSEs which resemble nucleic acids: for example, their occurrence in strains, which positively indicates the TSE agent is information carrying, and not merely a toxin.