December 29, 2003

• Thoughts on Mad Cow Disease by procrastin8

  Will You Get Mad Cow Disease???

  “Mad Cow DIsease”, known in scientific circles as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, is caused by a misshapen protein which attacks the cow’s brain, turning it into a sponge. The disease can be transmitted to humans, as evidenced by 143 individuals who died of mad cow disease after an outbreak in Great Britain in the 1980s.

  It is linked to a human illness, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, that people can get from eating meat that contains an infected cow’s brain or spinal tissue.

  Since 1997, the United States has banned feeding cattle, sheep and goats any feed that contains brain and spinal cord material. That ban is important because consumption of contaminated feed is the only known way the disease spreads. In the current case, investigators are trying to trace the infected cow’s feed. WAIT ! ARE ALL OF OUR COWS CANNIBALS???

  The FDA has considered expanding the ban on cattle brains and spinal tissue in all animal feed, not just meal for cattle, sheep and goats. The government now allows meal containing brain and spinal tissue from cattle to be fed to chickens. One concern is that the government allows mixing chicken waste into cattle feed, another possible route for spreading mad cow disease that critics say should not be dismissed.

  I am not sure how to convince my pets to eat vegetables (could there be a Mad Cat Disease — how would you tell?). For me, the veggie burgers are looking better all the time . . . .

  • 6:41 pm
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