#144 Mad Cow Disease/Creutzfeldt Jacob Disease (CJD) (English)

Mad Cow Disease/Creutzfeldt Jacob Disease (CJD)

 Mad cow disease, otherwise known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, is a fatal neurodegenerative disease. It causes the degeneration of the brain and spinal cord. A cow gets this disease by eating the remains of other cattle (cannibalism). A cow with this disease will become more aggressive and will react to noise or touch more than before. The cow will also have a drop in milk production and may get anorexia, over time they will lose their ability to stand.
 The triggering agent is a mis-folded protein called a prion. Even if the meat of the animal is cooked, the prions are not destroyed. The prions carry the disease and cause the brain to degenerate. The protein forms dense plaque fibers that make holes in the brain which causes a decline in mental and physical abilities and eventually death. It is hard to test cows for the disease, as the prion protein has low levels in blood or urine. The only reliable test is examining the tissues through a necropsy.
 The disease is transmitted to humans by eating food contaminated with the brain, spinal cord, or digestive track of infected carcasses. For most patients, it is assumed that they ate tainted beef and contracted it. In humans the disease is called Creutzfeldt Jacob Disease (CJD).To prevent the disease, there has been a ban on feeding cattle any meat and bone meal. In countries that have not had the disease, prevention relies on feeding regulations, import control, and surveillance measures. For example, in UK the spinal cord, brain, intestines, eyes, and tonsils must be disposed of correctly.

 However, there are two types of CJD. There is variant CJD and sporadic or classic CJD. Variant CJD is caused by eating nervous tissues from diseased cattle. Classic CJD can affect vegetarians or meat eaters and is not linked to eating nervous tissues from diseased cattle. There are one to two cases per million people in one year. This disease is usually fatal within six months.

Resources:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bovine_spongiform_encephalopathy
http://www.webmd.com/brain/mad-cow-disease-basics
PoS