K. banned all meat still sold on the bone. The at risk groups for BSE are cows that are domesticated in densely packed areas, where there is a greater chance that one might eat infected feed or feces. Humans are also at risk; however, not for BSE. A human can develop a disease similar to BSE called variance Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (nvCJD) by eating meat infected with BSE, but few cases of (nvCJD) have been detected. People who eat poorly packaged or stored meat from an unreliable source would be greatly at risk for nvCJD. .
Mad Cow Disease is one of many diseases called TSE's. TSE's (transmissible spongiform encephalopathies) are diseases that cause holes in the brain. Some of them include transmissible mink encephalopathy, chronic wasting disease, scrapie, kuru, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
Transmissible mink encephalopathy (TME) is a fatal spongiform disease that affects mink. Early symptoms are similar to BSE. More advanced symptoms include excessive soil droppings, constantly stepping in soil droppings, increased excited ness, the mink arches its tail over its head like a squirrel, severe incoordination, difficulty walking, pronounced jerkiness of the hind limbs, rapid circling, excessive chewing of the tail, and clenching of the jaw. Near death they become sleepy and unresponsive. There is no cure and the only result is death.
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease that affects the central nervous system of white-tailed deer, mule deer, and Rocky Mountain elk. Symptoms include difficulty walking, severe weight loss, excessive urination, and, eventually death. All CWD cases end in death.
Scrapie is a spongiform disease that affects sheep just like it affects cows with BSE. The holes in the brains of the sheep cause them to bite their legs and feet, smack their lips, and hop like rabbits. The disease gets its name from the sheep scraping themselves against trees and fences, causing them to scrape off their wool and skin.
