Bovine spongiform encephalopathy in South America: a regional preventive approach

Abstract

How much is known about bovine spongiform encephalopathyBovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as 'mad cow disease', is a neurodegenerative disease of cattle caused by prions (12), first described in the United Kingdom (UK) in 1986 (17). Bovine spongiform encephalopathy has been shown to belong to the group of disorders known as the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies affect both animal species and humans, and include, among others, scrapie of sheep and goats, chronic wasting disease of deer, transmissible mink encephalopathy, feline spongiform encephalopathy (FSE), and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), fatal familial insomnia and Kuru of humans.At present, feeding cattle with contaminated meat-and-bone meal (MBM) constitutes the main route of infection (18). Vertical or other means of transmission, should they occur, would be at an extremely low incidence.

Análise das importações brasileiras como fatores de risco de difusão da encefalopatia espongiforme bovina no país

“…Diversos países que relataram a doença concluíram que a importação de farinha de carne e ossos e outros produtos bovinos de países contaminados com o agente foi o fator de risco mais relevante (Gelderen et al, 2003).…”