Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (Mad Cow Disease) Fast Fact
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Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) Mad Cow Disease What is BSE and what swaying and behavioral changes (e.g., Who should I contact if I causes it? nervousness, aggression or frenzy) suspect BSE? Bovine spongiform encepha- are seen. Weight loss and a drop in In Animals – Contact your lopathy (en-CEF-A-LOP-a-thee), also milk production may be noted. Rarely, veterinarian immediately. called BSE or “mad cow disease,” is a cattle with BSE will become suddenly In Humans – Contact your disease that affects the brain of cattle ill within days. All cattle with BSE will physician immediately. and humans. Most scientists believe die from the disease. How can I protect my animal that it is caused by an abnormal Can I get BSE? protein in brain tissue, called a prion from BSE? Yes. Humans who eat BSE- (PRY-on), that can cause fatal disease Only a few cases of BSE have ever contaminated beef products can when eaten. been found in the U.S., so the risk that develop a disease called variant your animal will become infected The disease was first diagnosed in Creutzfeldt-Jakob (KROITZ-felt YAH- is very low. As a precaution, the the United Kingdom in 1986. Since cub) disease (vCJD). This disease is government has passed regulations then the disease has occurred in many called ‘variant’ to distinguish it from a to prevent certain tissues from being European countries as well as Japan, different, genetically acquired disease fed to cattle or other ruminants. Canada and the United States. Most of of humans called classic Creutzfeldt- the reported cases of BSE (95%) have Jakob disease (CJD). How can I protect myself occurred in the United Kingdom. Initial signs of vCJD include from vCJD? What animals get BSE? behavioral changes and abnormal In the U.S. your risk of getting BSE is a disease of cattle; however, sensations. As the disease progresses, vCJD is extremely low. Regulations under experimental conditions, incoordination and dementia develop, prevent certain tissues of cattle from scientists have found that sheep, goats, followed by coma and death. There being used in human foods. Import pigs, cats, mink, mice, marmosets and is no cure for vCJD. Most people die restrictions prevent BSE positive cattle some species of monkeys can be within a year after signs occur. Most from entering the U.S. and there is a infected with the BSE agent. cases have been in people who lived monitoring program for the disease. in the United Kingdom during the BSE BSE does occur in other countries How can my animal get BSE? outbreak in the late 1980s. but most have implemented strict Most cattle are infected when they control measures to prevent the ingest (oral) prion contaminated disease from entering the human “ruminant” meat and bone meal food supply. Milk and milk products contaminated with prions. This are thought to be safe. dietary supplement has been banned from feed since 1997 in the For More Information United States. A few cows may be CFSPH Technical Fact Sheets. Bovine able to pass BSE to their offspring, Spongiform Encephalopathy at but animals don’t infect each other http://www.cfsph.iastate.edu/ by direct contact. It has never been DiseaseInfo/ found in milk, meat or blood. CDC website. Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob How does BSE affect my Disease at http://www.cdc.gov/ ncidod/dvrd/vcjd/ animal? BSE or “mad cow disease” USDA-APHIS-VS. BSE at http://www. BSE is typically a slow developing causes “spongy” holes in the aphis.usda.gov/newsroom/hot_is- disease. Infected cattle appear brain tissue of affected cattle. sues/bse/index.shtml normal for 2 to 8 years. As the disease develops, the brain is affected. Photo from USDA APHIS, Dr. Al Jenny Signs such as trembling, stumbling, Last Updated: April 2008 © 2008 BSE_F2008.