Mad Cow Disease

Mad cow disease

Facts
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Facts

Better known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy or BSE. It is a very deadly degenerative brain disease that scientists still do not know much about, well at least not sufficient.
Once upon a time, farmers began feeding their cattle using feed made of cattle carcasses as a cheap protein supplement. If only they knew the serious consequences that followed. Cows are herbivores and they should stay that way.
Back in 1984 at Pitsham Farm in South Downs, Sussex England a few days before Christmas, farm owner Peter Stent noticed that 1 of his cows (named Cow 133) was losing weight and balance so when the veterinarian was called in, Cow 133 was behaving really strange or rather pathetic - losing balance, swinging its head, its back arched, drooling and et al. It died 6 weeks later and was the first official case of BSE.
During the end of 1986, pathologists at the Central Veterinary Laboratory (CVL) identified similar degenerative changes in the brain samples of diseased cattle from 2 different herds. These were early cases of BSE.
1 gram of a meat-and-bone meal (MBM) is enough to transmit the disease to a cow.
The human version of BSE is called Creutzfeldt Jakob disease or CJD or vCJD (variant of CJD).
CJD had already been discovered by German researchers back in the 1920s.
Humans can contract CJD through the consumption of beef tainted with BSE.
In the 1980s Stanley Prusiner discovered prion molecules which are held responsible for causing BSE.
A prion is said to look like a common protein found in humans and animals. As a protein molecule is made up of a long chain of amino acids entwined in a complicated structure, a prion is said to look similar but otherwise entwined in an abnormal manner.
A prion consists of protein only.
These infectious prions enter the body through the stomach and make their way to the brain turning brain tissues spongy.
The incubation period of the prion is not known. It could be 10 years or more.
Prions are unlike bacteria and virus. They attack only the nervous system.
US banned British cattle feed in 1988.
France and Germany banned the import of British beef in 1989. However, after protests by the European Union (EU), the prohibition was later lifted, restricting only imports of calves and beef bowels.
Health agencies in Europe believe that the greatest source of prion carriers are found in burgers, sausages or other meaty parts with bones still attached.
In 1990, a cat was diagnosed with BSE.
Fears were even cast on Norwegian salmons which have been fed with British MBM pellets. However no one is certain if fishes can pass on BSE.
Since CJD can be transmitted through blood, some countries have banned blood doners who have stayed in the UK during the 80s and 90s for more than 6 months.
So far, other countries with reported BSE cases include Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and the United States.
Now and then, there were be warnings of some sort regarding BSE or CJD. It is very much a race against time as scientific researchers seek to arm themselves with vital information before this evil menace turns everybody mad. In the meanwhile, it's a good time to consider filling your stomach with the wonderful array of vegetables, fruits, grains and nuts.

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