Ranie L.

Magpoc
BIO149/ A1

History
1986 Mad cow disease is of great
concern
January 1993 at its peak with
1,000 new cases per week
1996 disease was known to be
transferrable to humans
*light green areas Mad cow disease
*dark green areas variant CJD

Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE)

Form of Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy (TSE)

Caused by misfolding of protein called prion
(Dr. Stanley Puisiner)

Has long incubation period about 2.5 to 8 years

Affects the cows nervous
system and causes brain and
nerve cells to die

How are Prion Proteins Affected

Infected cows brains were

shot full of holes filled
with empty spaces

Origin of BSE
Two possible hypothesis
Transmission of TSE from the
disease scrapie from sheep
Spontaneous form of Mad
Cow Disease

Symptoms of BSE to Cattle

Stagger, drool
Weight Loss
Drop in production of milk
Unable to stand
Mad seizures (2-8 years after infection)

Current Prevention
Infected farm animals are
destroyed
Use of animal parts as protein
source in feeds has been
banned

Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD)

PrPsc - Heat resistant
Digestive tract of
infected carcasses is
also contaminated
Infectious agent can be
found in all tissues
throughout the body
including blood
Milk and milk
products do not pose
any risk460,000 to 482,000 BSE infected animals had
Between
entered the human food chain before control is introduced

Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

Long incubation period:
roughly 20 to 80 years
Duration before death: 16
Depression
months
As of 2011, 176 cases in UK and
Ataxia
49 elsewhere
Myoclonus (Seizures)

Symptoms
Dementia

Treatment
No treatment is
currently available