What is Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy?

• A fatal neurodegenerative disease that affects cattle
• Caused by abnormal prion proteins that damage brain tissue
• Can be transmitted to humans through consumption of infected beef
• Human form is known as variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD)

What Causes It?

• Abnormal prion proteins (misfolded proteins that cause brain degeneration)
• Cattle infected by consuming contaminated animal feed
• Human exposure through eating contaminated beef products
• Prions resist heat, freezing, and standard sterilization

What Are the Symptoms in Cattle?

• Changes in behavior (nervousness, aggression)
• Lack of coordination and difficulty walking
• Weight loss despite normal appetite
• Decreased milk production
• Collapse or inability to stand
• Ultimately fatal within months of symptom onset

What Are the Symptoms in Humans (vCJD)?

• Personality changes, anxiety, or depression
• Memory loss and impaired thinking
• Muscle stiffness, unsteady gait
• Involuntary muscle movements
• Difficulty speaking or swallowing
• Coma and death, typically within a year of symptom onset

How is It Diagnosed?

• In cattle: brain tissue analysis post-mortem
• In humans: MRI, EEG, cerebrospinal fluid tests, or brain biopsy
• No reliable test for early diagnosis while alive in either humans or animals

What is the Treatment?

• No cure or effective treatment available
• Supportive care to ease symptoms in humans
• Prevention is key in both humans and animals

What Are the Complications?

• Rapid neurological decline
• Severe cognitive and physical disability
• Death is inevitable in both cattle and human cases
• Risk of human outbreaks if not controlled in livestock

Can It Be Prevented?

• Strict regulation of cattle feed (no animal byproducts)
• Surveillance and testing of livestock for prion diseases
• Removal of high-risk cattle parts (like brain and spinal cord) from food chain
• Avoid consuming beef from unregulated sources
• In humans: avoid blood transfusions from vCJD-exposed donors

When to Seek Medical Help?

• If neurological symptoms appear after potential exposure to contaminated beef
• Unexplained psychiatric or movement disorders
• Family history of prion disease with new symptoms
• Travel to areas with a history of BSE outbreaks