Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy :: Biology Cattle Disease Essays

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is a relatively novel disorder foundprimarily in cows. This disease of the bovine variant was first seen in the linked Kingdom in November 1986 by histopathological examen of affectedbrains (Kimberlin, 1993) . From the first discovery in 1986 to 1990 thisdisease developed into a large-scale epidemic in most of the United Kingdom,with very unplayful economic consequences (Moore, 1996).BSE primarily occurs in adult cattle of twain male and female genders.The most common age at which cow may be affected is between the ages of fourand five (Blowey, 1991). overdue to the fact that BSE is a neurological disease, itis characterized by many discrete symptoms changes in mental state mad-cow,abnormalities of posture, movement, and sensation (Hunter, 1993). The durationof the clinical disease varies with each case, but most comm just now lasts forseveral weeks. BSE continues to give and is usually considered fatal(Blowey, 1991).After extensive res earch, the pathology of BSE was finally determined.microscopical lesions in the central nervous system that consist of a bilaterallysymmetrical, non-inflammatory vacuolation of neuronal perikarya and grey-matterneuropil was the scientists overall conclusion (Stadthalle, 1993). Theselesions are consistent with the diseases of the more than common scrapie family.Without further investigation, the conclusion was made that BSE was a clean memberof the scrapie family (Westgarth, 1994).Transmission of BSE is rather common throughout the cattle industry.After the incubation period of one to two eld, experimental transmission system wasfound possible by the injection of brain homogenates from clinical cases(Swanson, 1990). This only confirmed that BSE is caused by a scrapie-likeinfectious agent.How does the transmission plump so readily available among the entireUnited Kingdom feedlot existence? Studies showed that the mode of infectionwas meat and bone meal that had been incorporated into strong feedstuffsas a protein-rich supplement (Glausiusz, 1996). It is thought that the outbreakwas started by a scrapie infection of cattle, but the subsequent course of theepidemic was driven by the recycling of infected cattle material within thecattle race (Lyall, 1996). Although the average rate of infection is verylow, the reason why this guide to such a large number of BSE cases is that much ofthe United Kingdom dairy cattle population was exposed for many, continuousyears (Kimberlin, 1993).To help control the outbreak, the British government in 1988 introduceda ostracize on the feeding of ruminant protein to other ruminant animals (Lacey, 1995).Such knowledge for the pathogenesis of the BSE disease shows precisely theactions that must be taken in order to control and minimize the risk of