Download (BSE), but its more popular name is “Mad Cow Disease.”

Brian Gelbach
Mad Cow Disease
May 4, 2012
Mad Cow Disease is a fatal brain disease. Its real name is bovine spongiform
encephalopathy (BSE), but its more popular name is “Mad Cow Disease.” This disease
affects mostly cattle, hence its name. It also can affect other animals, such as goats and
sheep. It is also caused by prions. Cows get Mad Cow Disease from eating infected grain.
Mad Cow Disease causes irregular movements and the loss of the ability to walk
correctly, through the nervous system.
Humans do not get Mad Cow Disease, but it affects cows. However, there may be
a link between Mad Cow Disease and a disease humans can get, Creutzfeldt-Jakob
Disease (vCJD). If a human eats beef from a cow that has been infected with Mad cow
Disease, they may contract vCJD. You cannot get vCJD through touching, as it is not
contagious. But there is not much worry because, as of October 2009, only 217 cases of
vCJD have been diagnosed.
Prevention of getting vCJD is very important. Even though once the beef is
infected and there is no way to remove it, the government is still working hard. Meat
processing plants have been set up for the purpose of removing the most likely parts of
the cow that could be infected, like the brain that could infect other parts of the cow that
people eat. The best thong people can do to prevent themselves from getting vCJD is to
not eat meat from an unknown source and just be more cautious when consuming beef.
Brian Gelbach
Mad Cow Disease
May 4, 2012
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Works Cited
Helmenstine, Anne Marie. "Mad Cow Disease." About.com. 4 May 2012
<chemistry.about.com/cs/howthingswork/a/aa122703a.htm>.
Hirsch, Larissa. "Mad Cow Disease." May 2010. TeensHealth. 4 May 2012
<kidshealth.org/teen/infections/bacteria_viral/mad_cow_disease.html#>.