Tuesday, October 21st, 2008
In the mid-90s, mad cow disease was on everyone’s lips and the front page of every newspaper. What made the epizootic outbreak so alarming was the as-sumption that a mutation of the fatal Creutzfeld Jakob Disease (vCJD) could be triggered in humans through the consumption of BSE-infected beef. In both species, the diseases result in brain degeneration.
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Friday, October 17th, 2008
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) Board today agreed to support a move to increase the age at which UK cattle are BSE tested from 30 months to 48 months, subject to a review of current and continued BSE surveillance.
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Thursday, October 9th, 2008
The cause of diseases such as BSE in cattle and Creutzfeld-Jakob disease in humans is a prion protein. This protein attaches to cell membranes by way of an anchor made of sugar and lipid components (a glycosylphosphatidylinositol, GPI) anchor.
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Tuesday, September 30th, 2008
Prion protein, a form of protein that triggers BSE, is associated with other brain diseases in cattle, raising the possibility of a significant increase in the range of prion disease.
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Friday, September 12th, 2008
New findings about the causes of mad cow disease show that sometimes it may be genetic. “We now know it’s also in the genes of cattle,” said Juergen A. Richt, Regents Distinguished Professor of Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology at Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
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Monday, September 1st, 2008
The findings underline the importance of precautions against vCJD transmission, such as the Government decision in 2004 to ban blood donations from anyone who had received a blood transfusion since 1980.
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Friday, August 29th, 2008
Blood transfusions are a valuable treatment mechanism in modern medicine, but can come with the risk of donor disease transmission. Researchers are continually studying the biology of blood products to understand how certain diseases are transmitted in an effort to reduce this risk during blood transfusions.
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Tuesday, August 12th, 2008
Prions, the pathogens that cause scrapie in sheep, can survive in the ground for several years, as researchers have discovered. Animals can become infected via contaminated pastures. It is not yet known whether the pathogens that cause BSE and CWD are equally resistant. A flock of sheep at pasture - a seemingly idyllic scene.
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