February 7, 2012

BSE still affects UK cows

Although none entered the food chain, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) still affects UK herds with11 known cases in Britain in 2010.

BSE first emerged in Britain in 1986 as a result of cannibalism, after beef offal was fed to cattle, who are natural grass eaters.

BSE itself is caused by proteins which are called prions.

During the 90s epidemic these proteins were found in large quantities in the brains, spinal cords and spleens of cattle (and later in meat tissue) and when animal carcasses were ground down to form feed stuff for other cattle, the prions were passed on.

They then colonised brains of the cattle which ate them, and the prions were passed to humans via cheap, mechanically-recovered meat - such as processed sinews and offal - that were used at the time, including in school dinners and baby food.

In humans the prions trigger the development of virus Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), a form of the fatal human dementia.

The first symptom of CJD is rapidly progressive dementia, leading to memory loss, personality changes and hallucinations.

Physical problems include speech impairment, jerky movements, balance and coordination dysfunction, changes in gait, rigid posture, and seizures.

There is still currently no cure. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) is just one of the organisations keeping a close eye on the situation.