Mad Cow Disease
Mad Cow Disease
Mad Cow Disease, also known as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (pronounced boh-vine spon-jih-form en-sef-uh-lop-uh-thee), is a neurodegenerative disease that affects cattle. The term "Mad Cow Disease" is derived from the erratic behavior (mad meaning insane) exhibited by infected cattle (cow), and the disease's bovine origin.
Etymology
The term "Mad Cow Disease" is a colloquialism that originated in the United Kingdom during the 1980s when the disease was first identified. The scientific name, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, is derived from the Latin bos (ox), spongiform (sponge-like), and encephalopathy (disease of the brain).
Symptoms
Infected cattle exhibit a range of symptoms including changes in behavior such as aggression, incoordination, difficulty in standing and walking, decreased milk production, and weight loss despite having an appetite. These symptoms are due to the damage caused to the brain and spinal cord.
Transmission
Mad Cow Disease is believed to be transmitted through the consumption of contaminated meat and bone meal by cattle. The disease can also be transmitted to humans who consume the brain or spinal cord of infected cattle, leading to a variant of the disease known as Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD).
Prevention and Control
Prevention and control measures include banning the use of meat and bone meal in cattle feed, culling of infected animals, and stringent surveillance.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Mad Cow Disease
- Wikipedia's article - Mad Cow Disease
This WikiMD dictionary article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.
Languages: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
Urdu,
বাংলা,
తెలుగు,
தமிழ்,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
русский,
português do Brasil,
Italian,
polski