Mad Cow Disease
The Mad Cow Disease might sound like being an animal disease but it is spreading fast in the humans according to latest reports. Where it’s actually called Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy or BSE, it was first discovered in 1993, the time when it was very rare. It is a very fatal disease as it causes resilient degeneration of the brain cells. The Mad Cow Disease actually affects the brain or the spinal cord area of all the cow breeds so it might very easily be transferred to humans if they eat the affected parts of the contaminated food. The disease was first found in UK where large number of cattle have been killed to date but recent surveys have shown the disease hitting some parts of the U.S. where protective measures are already coming in.
Mad Cow Disease – What causes it?
The word is “Prion”. So now, what is a Prion? A prion is a small infectious particle that can be called as contaminated protein that causes Mad Cow Disease. All the prion related diseases we know of, are notorious for affecting the brain and spinal regions so prions should not be confused with bacteria. As of date, it is still unknown as to how the prion protein particles cause the Mad Cow Disease which indicates that it can happen only if the cattle is fed with protein affected particles. There is also a misconception of hard-cooking or boiling the meat to a high temperature considering that it will kill the prion, however this does not happen and one may still find himself affected with the disease that would directly deteriorate his brain tissues and cells.
Mad Cow Disease
Symptoms and Effects of Mad Cow Disease
The symptoms of Mad Cow Disease range to high numbers in humans and cattle. In humans, the symptoms maybe one or more of the following:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Behavior Changes
- Muscle Contractions
- Memory Loss
- Dementia
Symptoms of Mad Cow Disease
In cattle as the above symptoms are almost impossible to diagnose so we have some cattle specific symptoms as well which may be one or more of the following:
- Difficulty to stand or walk
- Weight loss
- Abrupt decrease in milk production
Coming to diagnosis or treatment of the disease, then sadly there is no way for the doctors to currently diagnose the disease, however some scans might be recommended. Since it affects the brain, there is also no effective treatment for it. Research is still being made into this but we hardly have any cure for diseases affecting brain. Providing the affected person with love and affection might help him or her fight against it. This was all, so keep visiting for more updates on Mad Cow Disease.