Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, known as mad cow disease, was discovered in a California dairy cow. The finding could have major implications for the state’s meat industry, even though officials insist the human food supply is safe.
Mad cow hasn’t been found in U.S. since 2006. The disease dealt a crippling blow to the industry, especially when foreign countries refused to import American beef when mad cow was first uncovered in 2003.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture tests about 40,000 cows a year in its effort to catch the disease.
In California, cattle ranching takes up about 38 million acres, according to the California Cattlemen’s Association. There are about 620,000 beef cows on 11,800 California ranches. The state also hosts 1.84 million dairy cows, according to information compiled by the California Beef Council.
Nationally, California ranks fourth behind Texas, Kansas and Nebraska in total cattle numbers.
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that causes a spongy destruction of brain tissue and the the spinal cord. BSE has a long of about 30 months to 8 years, usually affecting adult cattle at a peak age onset of four to five years.
The agent is believed to be a specific type of misfolded protein called a prion. Prion proteins carry the disease between individuals and cause deterioration of the brain. The prion is not destroyed through normal cooking, as is the case with bacteria. This results in protein aggregates, which then form dense plaque fibers, leading to the microscopic appearance of “holes” in the brain, degeneration of physical and mental abilities, and ultimately death.