Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease Mad Cow Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease By Krislyn Dull

Symptoms In Cattle Changes in temperament Aggression, Nervousness, etc. Abnormal posture or stance Lack of Coordination Difficulty in rising Decreased Milk Production Lose of weight Despite continued appetite

Symptoms In Humans Loss of bodily movements or spasmodic jerky movements Difficulty walking, Dementia Loss of memory and confusion Depression

Symptoms In Other Animals Symptoms in other animals are very similar to those experienced by cattle and humans. For example, cats suffer ataxia Cats are the only common household pet able to contract this disease, however no cat has been reported with BSE in the U.S.A

Transmission This disease is believed to not be caused by a virus or bacteria, but rather a prion A prion is an abnormal, harmful protein. An animal’s body cannot detect a prion, therefore has no immune defenses It spread by the consumption of prion contaminated meat The brain, and spinal cord are most likely to contain prions It may also be spread via blood transfusions

Incubation Period Typically, 4 - 6 years for cattle On average, 8 years for humans Incubation period could last for 50+ years Most cattle never display symptoms before butcher due to long incubation period Most symptoms are therefore witnessed in dairy cattle, and/or in cattle infected before the age of 1 Live cattle cannot be tested for BSE

Treatment There is no current treatment for Mad Cow disease in cattle, humans, or other species. While symptoms can be eased, the disease is fatal and results in death.

Prevention Eliminating the practice of mixing leftover bovine meat into the feed of cattle Elimination of of high-risk bovine meat (such as spinal cord, brain) in pet food products Not allowing high-risk individuals to donate blood Banning imported meat from high risk countries/regions For example, The United Kingdom Testing for BSE in butchered cattle Strictly tracking cattle Prions can survive extremely high temperatures Cooking infected meat does not make it safe

vCJD Statistics (Humans): Since 1996 United Kingdom - 178 France - 27 Canada - 2 United States - 4