Mad cow disease

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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 term "Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy" is derived from the Latin words bos (meaning ox), spongiform (meaning sponge-like), and encephalopathy (meaning disease of the brain).

Symptoms

Infected cattle often exhibit changes in behavior such as aggression, nervousness or anxiety, and decreased milk production. Physical symptoms may include difficulty in coordination and standing, weight loss, and decreased interactions with other animals.

Cause

Mad Cow Disease is caused by a type of protein called a prion. Prions are misfolded proteins that can cause normal proteins in the brain to also misfold, leading to brain damage.

Transmission

The disease is typically transmitted to cows through feed that contains the remains of other cows that were infected with the disease. There is also a variant of Mad Cow Disease, known as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (pronounced kroits-felt yah-kohb), that can affect humans who consume the meat of infected cattle.

Prevention and Control

Prevention and control measures include banning the use of animal byproducts in cattle feed and regular testing of cattle for the disease. There is currently no cure for Mad Cow Disease.

See Also

External links

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