BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy)

Category: science

A fatal, transmissible neurodegenerative disease in cattle caused by abnormal proteins called prions.

Commonly called Mad Cow Disease, BSE causes slow, progressive degeneration of the central nervous system. Because the misfolded prions can cross the species barrier to cause variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans via meat consumption, agricultural veterinarians enforce strict brain-tissue surveillance codes.

Common Examples

• The veterinary inspector confirmed the carcass met all slaughter tracking rules to guarantee complete exclusion of potential BSE tissue.
• Prion proteins responsible for BSE are entirely immune to standard cooking temperatures and routine hospital chemical disinfectant washes.