What is Mad Cow disease?
Variant CJD (vCJD) the human form of bovine spongiform encephelopathy (BSE) commonly known as mad cow disease has not occurred in Australia, although there are approx 160 case worldwide with the majority of those recorded in UK. VCJD was first recognised in 1996 in the UK after the first death occurring in England in 1994. Variant CJD is probably related to the consumption of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) contaminated meat products following the epidemic of BSE (a prion disease that occurs in cattle) in UK cattle during the 1980 and 1990s.
Bovine Spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), widely known as mad cow disease, is a chronic, fatal disease affecting the nervous system of cattle. BSE belongs to a family of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) that afflict various animals, including humans. These diseases are caused by an unconventional and still poorly-understood transmissible agent. The most popular theory is that this agent is a prionan abnormal protein. Unlike most food-borne pathogens, prions are extremely resistant to heat, irradiation and other common sterilization processes that would otherwise kill infectious agents.
