Mad Cow Disease Research Paper

Mad cow disease is a condition that effects the brain. The medical terminology for it is Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy. If you break down the name, it tells what the disease is. Bovine is the term for a cow, encephalopathy means a disease in the brain, and spongiform describes the appearance of the brain. The term mad cow disease came from the way the cow acts when it has the disease. It is a progressive neurologic disease, affecting the central nervous system. It also effects the immune system because it does not recognize the abnormal prion so the body cannot fight off the disease. It is believed to be caused by a prion, and the body cannot fight off the disease. It is not contagious, but can be spread from cow to cow in other ways. The FDA and USDA have rules and regulations to make sure humans and animals are safe from mad cow disease. (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2014) (MN State, n.d.) Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy was first diagnosed in 1986 in Great Britain. (United States Department of Agriculture, 2013) Cows were fed meat and bone meal from infected sheep. (Bassert, 2008) Between then and 1992, there were over 190,000 confirmed cases. The origins are unknown, but it is …show more content…
There are normal protein prions in the body, and these can turn abnormal and cause the illness. The body does not even recognize that the abnormal proteins are there, so it cannot fight off the disease. When the prion becomes abnormal, it changes its shape and can influence other proteins to change shape as well. This conversion takes place in lysosomes and causes the lysosome to rupture. When it ruptures, it leaks enzymatic contents into the cell. This causes the cell to digest itself and die, and the prions can then attack other cells. Once enough cells are killed, it can leave the visible holes in the brain. (Bassert, 2008) (U.S. Food and Drug Administration,