Mad Cow Disease (BSE)

Mad Cow Disease is a transmittable, slowly progressive and fatal disease that affects the central nervous system of cattle. The infectious agent that causes mad cow disease is an abnormal version of a protein found on cell surfaces, called a prion. For reasons unknown, this protein becomes altered and destroys nervous system tissue in the brain and spinal cord.

MAD COW DISEASE bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)

Symptoms Early:mood swingsdepressionanxietymemory lapsessocial withdrawalclumsiness or lack of coordinationinsomnia

Infection causes tiny sponge-like holes in parts of the brain making the tissue look sponge-like when viewed with a microscope. These cause slow deterioration in the cow's brain and eventually other symptoms develop affecting the entire body.

A human version of mad cow disease called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) is believed to be caused by eating beef products contaminated with central nervous system tissue from cattle infected with mad cow disease.

Mad cow disease can affect all age groups and is hard to diagnose until it has nearly run its course. In the early stages, people have symptoms like depression and loss of coordination. Later, dementia develops. Only in advanced stages can brain abnormalities be detected by MRI. vCJD is fatal, usually within 13 months.

According to the CDC, 4 deaths from vCJD have been identified in the U.S. However, it's believed those cases were caused by eating meat outside of the U.S.

Later:visual deterioration and eventual blindnessdementiainvoluntary muscle contractionsmuscle paralysisslurred speechdifficulty swallowingincontinencecoma

There is not a cure discovered for vCJD; only treatments and medications for relieving many of the symptoms. There are current clinical trials working to find the cure.

Diagnosis:A health-care professional would do initial testing similar to checking for dementia by looking for progressive deterioration of the patient's ability to think and control movement.

Prevention:1) prohibit the importation of live cattle and certain cattle productsrom countries where BSE is known to exist. 2) FDA prohibited the use of most animal protein in the manufacture of animal feeds given to cattle3) tracking cattle from birth to slaughter in case an infected animal is found and its meat can be destroyed4)using less aggressive ways to harvest meat from carcasses to avoid brain and spinal tissues