Special Sub-Topic: Mad Cow Disease Click Here To Play: Mad Cow Disease

When was the first case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, or BSE, diagnosed in the United States?

December 2003. The cow was diagnosed in Washington State, but was purchased from a Canadian farm in 2001.

Can cow's milk transmit BSE?

n. Even if a cow happens to be infected with BSE, its milk can't transmit the disease to humans.

In which of the following parts of a cow has the BSE agent not been found?

Muscle tissue. The BSE agent has also never been found in milk.

Humans can't get BSE from eating contaminated beef. However, a human eating BSE-contaminated beef might get a disease similar to which of these diseases?

Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease. Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease (CJD) is a fatal, slowly progressive infection. People who have CJD generally show symptoms of dementia, and they sometimes have muscle spasms. It is believed that a variant of CJD (vCJD) may develop in a human who has eaten BSE-contaminated meat. There have been over 150 reported cases of this variant form of CJD around the world.

The majority of reported BSE cases have occurred in which country?

The United Kingdom. Over 97% of all BSE cases have been found in the United Kingdom!

What is the incubation period for BSE among cattle?

2 to 8 years. In humans, vCJD (see question 4) has an incubation period of around 13 years.

Where did the first suspected case of BSE occur?

France. The first suspected case was in 1914. The animal was never actually diagnosed, but showed symptoms.

Which part of cattle does BSE affect?

The nervous system. BSE is a progressive disease that affects the cow's nervous system. All cattle who become infected with BSE will die from it. Unfortunately, there is no treatment or vaccine.

Which of the following is not a typical symptom of BSE?

Weight gain. Other symptoms include weight loss and unusual posture.

As of April 2004, there is a test used to detect BSE in a live animal.

f. A veterinarian can detect BSE by examining brain tissue from a dead animal, or by looking for an abnormal protein in the body. However, there is being work done on creating a new test for a live animal. I did most of my research at www.fda.gov, and thank you mugaboo for the corrections. Hope you enjoyed this quiz!