What is BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy)?
BSE, which occurs in adult cattle, over 30 months of age, is one of a group of brain wasting diseases known as Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathys (TSEs). It was first identified in Britain in 1986. The disease has an incubation period of 3-5 years. Brain cells develop holes resulting in the loss of control of limbs, trembling, wide-eyed staring, swaying of the head and erratic behavior including charging, hence the term mad cow disease. • What other TSEs are there? Other TSEs include chronic wasting disease(CWD) that occurs in deer and elk, this was first noted in captive deer at a research facility in Colorado in the early 1970s, some of these animals were released back into the wild resulting in the spread of the disease into other states thru wild herds. Another TSE is scarpie which has been known for about 250 years to occur in sheep and goats. • Where did BSE originate? There are several theories as to the origin of BSE. A common one is that Scrapie jumped the species barrie
