Outbreak of Mysterious Pig Brain Disease at Slaughterhouse Mystifies Investigators

[donsu]

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_10192.cfm


An illness among workers at pig slaughterhouses had the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) worried, and it has begun investigating the mystery ailment. The new disease has surfaced in 12 of 1,300 employees at the Quality Pork Processors factory near Minneapolis. Patients complain of burning sensations, numbness, and weakness in the arms and legs. For some, walking is difficult and work impossible and, while symptoms have slowly lessened in severity in some, it has not completely disappeared in any of the patients.

The CDC and they are looking into about 25 other large-scale pig slaughterhouses in 13 states to locate other cases. CDC investigators believe they found a few more at an Indiana slaughterhouse, one of only two places other than the Minnesota plant that use compressed air to empty pig skulls. All three establishments have ceased that activity.

The illness is similar to some known conditions, but is not an exact match to any, nor is its cause. The ailment-tentatively being called "progressive inflammatory neuropathy"-resembles Guillain-Barre syndrome, an autoimmune condition that sometimes follows fairly benign infections, particularly those caused by an intestinal bacterium called Campylobacter. In the Minnesota cases no germ is involved. Apparently, the seemingly new illness is a result of inhaling microscopic flecks of pig brain. "This appears to be something new," Minnesota's state epidemiologist, Ruth Lynfield, said last week.
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karma

[flvegan]

1. "...inhaling microscopic flecks of (raw) pig brain"

Now, who woulda thunk THAT'd be bad for your health.

Anyone who has read "Fast Food Nation" will be reminded that slaughterhouse workers get some of the worst on the job treatment/conditions that exist.

[billyoc]

2. lol, Yeah, it seems so natural.

:rofl:

[donsu]

3. yes, and in the chicken killing business it is mostly women workers

who work under awful conditions and have to put up with being hired temp. until time for them to go perm. and then laid off/fired. then later rehired as temp. again.

[nebenaube]

4. prions

from feed made with neurological material from scabies infected sheep; that's my guess.

[eppur_se_muova]

5. A reminder ... BSE takes years to show symptoms in cattle ...

but pigs are typically slaughtered at only 3 yrs, not enough time for any similar disease to be outwardly detectable. Cattle are typically slaughtered at 5 yrs or so, giving the disease more time to display outward symptoms. With pigs, the first knowledge that a PSE even exists may be its crossover to humans -- especially if are trying very hard NOT to look for it (would cost $$$ ya know).

[warren pease]

6. "microscopic flecks of pig brain..."

It's rumored that Tom Delay was in the area last month, but the CDC refused to speculate about cause and effect.


wp