Systematic Veterinary Virology

BOVINE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY

• Commonly known as Mad cow disease. It is a fatal, neurodegenerative disease in cattle, that causes a spongy degeneration in the brain and spinal cord. BSE has a long incubation period, about 4 years, usually affecting adult cattle at a peak age onset of four to five years, all breeds being equally susceptible. It is believed by most scientists that the disease may be transmitted to human beings who eat the brain or spinal cord of infected carcasses. In humans, it is known as Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease