How Does A Cow Get BSE?
The parts of a cow that are not eaten by people are cooked, dried, ground into a powder, and used for many purposes, including as ingredients in animal feed. A cow gets BSE by eating feed contaminated with parts that came from another cow that was sick with BSE. The contaminated feed contains the abnormal prion, and a cow becomes infected with the abnormal prion when it eats the feed. If a cow gets BSE, it most likely ate the contaminated feed during its first year of life. Remember, if a cow becomes infected with the abnormal prion when it is one year old, it usually will not show signs of BSE until it is five years old or older.
