BSE is a progressive neurological disorder of cattle that research suggests is caused by a pathogenic form of a normally occurring protein known as a prion (PrP.) BSE belongs to a family of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). The disease may have been caused by feeding cattle rendered protein produced from the carcasses of scrapie-infected sheep or cattle with a previously unidentified transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE).Ī. There are different scientific hypotheses concerning the origins of BSE. The number of cases peaked in 1992, and has declined continuously since that time, with only 29 cases worldwide in 2011.Ī. Since that time, more than 190,000 cases have been confirmed world-wide. BSE was first diagnosed in 1986 in Great Britain. This is directly attributable to the impact and effectiveness of feed bans as a primary control measure for the disease.Ī. In 2011, there were only 29 worldwide cases of BSE, a dramatic decline and 99 percent reduction since the peak in 1992 of 37,311 cases. Evidence shows that our systems and safeguards to prevent BSE are very effective, as are similar actions taken by countries around the world. How effective are the safeguards against BSE?Ī. These additions to the feed ban prohibit the use of brain and spinal cord from cattle 30 months of age and older for use in any animal feed. The feed ban was strengthened in 2008, by additional prohibitions on those tissues that have the highest risk of transmitting BSE. This feed ban is the most important measure to prevent the transmission of the disease to cattle. In 1997, the FDA implemented regulations that prohibit the feeding of most mammalian proteins to ruminants, including cattle. The primary animal-health protective measure is a feed ban. What is being done to protect animal health?Ī. Milk and milk products, are, therefore considered safe. The World Health Organization (W HO) has stated that tests on milk from BSE- infected animals have not shown any BSE infectivity. Scientific research indicates that BSE cannot be transmitted in cow's milk, even if the milk comes from a cow with BSE.Ī. Inspectors in every slaughterhouse in the United States work to ensure these and other food safety standards are met.Ī. To prevent the disease's transmission to people, the single most important food safety measure is to avoid human consumption of SRMs. FSIS inspectors also condemn any cattle that display clinical signs of neurological disease or central nervous system disorders. In addition, they prevent certain slaughter practices that might present a risk of transmission of BSE. Inspectors from USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service also prevent non-ambulatory disabled cattle from entering the human food supply. These safeguards include the removal of specified risk materials (SRMs) – those tissues that may contain the BSE agent in an infected animal – from the human food chain. A system of strong interlocking safeguards protects human and animal health, as well as food safety, in the United States. This process usually takes from 2 weeks to 6 months. Following the onset of clinical signs, the animal's condition deteriorates. The incubation period is from 2 to 8 years. The causative agent of the disease is not completely characterized, and there is neither any treatment nor a vaccine to prevent the disease. Affected animals may display changes in temperament (nervousness or aggression), abnormal posture, incoordination and difficulty in rising, decreased milk production, or loss of condition without noticeable loss of appetite. Cattle affected by BSE experience progressive degeneration of the nervous system. The disease belongs to the group of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, which also includes scrapie of sheep and goats and chronic wasting disease (CWD) of elk and deer.Ī. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), sometimes referred to as "mad cow disease", is a chronic degenerative disease affecting the central nervous system of cattle. What is Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy?Ī.
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