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Mad about "Mad Cow Disease"
Vietnamese
May 2, 2004
ASHInfo Health Review
Mad Cow Disease is the common
name for Bovine Spongiform
Encephalopathy (BSE). BSE is a
transmissible, neurodegenerative,
deadly brain disease of cattle. The
disease usually takes 2 to 8 years to
show signs of infection from the time
an animal first becomes infected.
But it is often fatal within weeks to months of its onset. Most cases
in Great Britain occurred in dairy cows between 3 and 6 years of age.
Currently, there is neither known treatment nor vaccine to prevent
BSE.
Infected cows are observed to have mood changes. They usually
become more aggressive or nervous. They also may have difficulty
in rising, trouble standing or walking, and show decreased milk
production. Despite normal eating habit and appetite, loss of body
weight is usually seen. Their condition deteriorates until eventually
they either die or are destroyed.
BSE in cattle was first reported in November 1986 in the United
Kingdom. Since then, over 178,000 cattle have been diagnosed with
BSE in Great Britain. The peak of the epidemic happened in January
1993 when approximately 1,000 new cases were reported per week.
The exact origin of BSE remains a mystery. However, some
scientists believe that cattle may have become infected by eating
contaminated feed from scrapie-infected sheep meat and bone.
Outbreaks occurred when these BSE infected cattle were killed and
fed to calves.
The pathology of BSE is still not completely understood. But it is
thought that a modified form of protein known as prion is the
culprit. This protein may turn infectious and accumulate in the
affected animal’s brain or spinal cord leading to damage and
degeneration of these tissues and functions. Under a microscope,
BSE lesions appear to be sponge-like in character. Unfortunately,
these abnormal prions are highly stable and very resilient. They can
not be destroyed by common food disinfection measures such as
freezing, drying, or heat.
Even though BSE is a form of infectious disease affecting cattle only,
its variant, Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease (vCJD) has been found in
humans. vCJD is believed to be caused by eating contaminated
beef products from BSE-affected cattle. So far, 155 human cases
have been confirmed worldwide with vCJD as the probable cause.
But there is only one reported case of vCJD in the United States, in
which a young woman who contracted the disease while residing in
the UK and developed symptoms after moving to the U.S.
As BSE has not been known to spread through milk, milk and milk
products are considered to be safe. Additionally, safety guidelines
have been established and enforced through health organizations
such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA). Under these guidelines, the use
of ruminant tissues in ruminant feed is prohibited.
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