Study Shows Mad Cow Disease Can be Genetic

[n2doc]

Written by Alex Felsinger
Published on September 12th, 2008

Previously believed to be a food-borne disease, researchers have discovered that some cows are genetically predisposed to contract bovine spongiform encephalopathy. The report shows that up to 48,000 cattle in the United States alone could carry the gene.

The study concludes that even under the best grass-fed, grazing conditions, cows could still contract the fatal disease. “Our findings that there is a genetic component to BSE are significant because they tell you we can have this disease everywhere in the world, even in so-called BSE-free countries,” said Juergen A. Richt, the professor at Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine who conducted the study.


If the spinal chord or brain matter of an diseased cow is consumed, a human will contract BSE in the form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The human form can also be genetic, which led Richt to compare genes from these cases to the genes from a 10-year-old infected cow from Alabama—as it turned out, they shared the same protein gene mutation.

Richt has created and submitted a patent for a test to detect genetic BSE that could be given to all bulls and cows before they are used for production. In the meantime, this is another reason to cut down on the beef, or at least lay off the cabeza at your local taqueria.

http://planetsave.com/blog/2008/09/12/study-shows-mad-cow-disease-can-be-genetic/

[spin]

1. But Bush opposes testing all animals for mad cow...

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration said Tuesday it will fight to keep meatpackers from testing all their animals for mad cow disease.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture tests fewer than 1 percent of slaughtered cows for the disease, which can be fatal to humans who eat tainted beef. A beef producer in Kansas, Creekstone Farms Premium Beef, wants to test all of its cows.

Larger meat companies feared that move because, if Creekstone should test its meat and advertised it as safe, they might have to perform the expensive tests on their larger herds as well.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18924801/

[tiptoe]

2. K&R! thanks for posting! nt

[n2doc]

3. kick n/t

[LeftishBrit]

4. kick