2.  slowly progressive, degenerative, and fatal disease affecting the central nervous system of adult cattle.  abnormal version of a protein normally found on cell surfaces, called a prion.  For reasons still unknown, this protein becomes altered and destroys nervous system tissue -- the brain and spinal cord.

3.  No because unlike in other diseases there aren’t any bacteria.  Instead of bacteria there are prions.  A prion is a small infectious particle composed of abnormally folded protein it causes neurodegenerative conditions.

4.  No humans cannot get Mad Cow disease.  However there is another disease transmitted by Mad Cows called Creutzfeld Jakob disease.  Yes, this disease is deadly, within 13 months a human being is usually dead.  However this is always fatal for cattle.

5.  This disease was first discovered around1986 in Great Britain and the first occurrence of a infection was in the 1970s.  This disease is far less common then in 1992.  Rate declined by 99% worldwide

6.  Between the two diseases there is no real difference except for the fact that vCJD is transmitted by Cow’s with BSE.  As well as that this disease is basically the same as BSE just for humans

7.  There are currently no treatments for prion diseases.  The disease is usually fatal  The best way to prevent the disease is to avoid feeding cattle rendered material from slaughtered animals, and to isolate and destroy all infected animals.

8.  feeding cattle meat-and-bone meal that contained BSE-infected products

9. Information from: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/04/25/10 -facts-about-mad-cow-disease.html, http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_viral/ mad_cow_disease.html, http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/10/t reatments-for-mad-cow-other-prion-diseases-may-be- coming/246421/, http://www.medicinenet.com/mad_cow_disease/arti cle.htm, http://chealth.canoe.ca/condition_info_details.asp?c hannel_id=0&disease_id=24&page_no=2#Treatment http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/04/25/10 -facts-about-mad-cow-disease.html http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_viral/ mad_cow_disease.html http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/10/t reatments-for-mad-cow-other-prion-diseases-may-be- coming/246421/ http://www.medicinenet.com/mad_cow_disease/arti cle.htm