January 26, 2001, Hour 2: Mad Cow Disease / BSE

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Science Friday > Archives > 2001 > January > January 26, 2001:

Hour Two: 'Mad Cow Disease' / BSE

Concern over 'mad cow disease' continued to spread in Europe this week. Two cases of the disease, more properly known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, have been found in cattle in Italy. In November 2000, Germany and Spain reported discovering their own native cases of BSE. BSE has not yet been found in the USA, although scrapie (found in sheep) and chronic wasting disease (found in deer and elk), two related diseases, have been found on U.S. soil.

Medulla of BSE affected cow
showing formation of vacuoles.
Dr. M. Kubo, NIAH, Japan.

BSE is thought to be passed from animal to animal through consumption of nervous system tissues from infected animals. These tissues have been included in 'meat and bone meal' in the past, which many farmers have used as protein supplements for their livestock, thus spreading the disease. Many scientists believe that BSE is linked to a human brain disease, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD). According to the World Health Organization, vCJD is "strongly linked to exposure, probably through food, to BSE." Worldwide, over 80 people are known to have died from vCJD.

In addition to food products, there is concern over some vaccines made with animal products. Although an FDA advisory committee found the risk of transmission of BSE through vaccines to be 'theoretical and remote,' the committee recommended that vaccines produced with bovine-related materials from countries known to have BSE be replaced with ones from BSE-free countries.

Last week, another FDA advisory committee recommended to the agency that an existing ban on blood donation from people who have spent over six months in the United Kingdom between 1980 and 1996 be extended to include people who lived in France, Ireland or Portugal for 10 years or longer between 1980 and 1996. The FDA is considering the recommendation.

On this hour of Science Friday, we'll discuss the state of BSE in Europe, what's being done to try to prevent a similar outbreak in the US, and what the efforts to control BSE are doing to the world economy. Call in with your thoughts and comments at 1-800-989-8255, and share your opinions online in our Listeners' Lounge (registration required)

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Guests:
Dr. Paul Brown
Senior Investigator
Laboratory of Central Nervous System Studies
National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, Maryland

Linda Detwiler
Senior Staff Veterinarian
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
United States Department of Agriculture
Robinsville, New Jersey

Gideon Rachman
Correspondent, The Economist Magazine
Brussels, Belgium

Dr. Murray Lumpkin
Senior Medical Advisor
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Washington, DC

Books/Articles Discussed:

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