Places with reported cases of CJD

The table to the right summarizes reported cases of BSE and of vCJD by country. BSE is the disease in cattle, while vCJD is the disease in people.

The tests used for detecting BSE vary considerably as do the regulations in various jurisdictions for when, and which cattle, must be tested. For instance, in the EU the cattle tested are older (30 months+), while many cattle are slaughtered earlier than that. At the opposite end of the scale, Japan tests all cattle at the time of slaughter. Tests are also difficult as the altered prion protein has very low levels in blood or urine, and no other signal has been found. Newer tests are faster, more sensitive, and cheaper, so it is possible that future figures may be more comprehensive. Even so, currently the only reliable test is examination of tissues during an autopsy.

It is notable that there are no cases reported in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, Uruguay, and Vanuatu where cattle are mainly fed outside on grass pasture and, mainly in Australia, non-grass feeding is done only as a final finishing process before the animals are processed for meat.

As for vCJD in humans, autopsy tests are not always done and so those figures too are likely to be too low, but probably by a lesser fraction. In the United Kingdom anyone with possible vCJD symptoms must be reported to the Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance Unit. In the United States, the CDC has refused to impose a national requirement that physicians and hospitals report cases of the disease. Instead, the agency relies on other methods, including death certificates and urging physicians to send suspicious cases to the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center (NPDPSC) at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, which is funded by the CDC.

Read more : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bovine_spongiform_encephalopathy

Post by: Jovin

New FEARS for Food

I was using the OPAC system in the library to search for books and happened to see this DVD in the list after i typed "Mad Cow Disease". I found that it could be interesting as i had never tried using any of the media resources  for my projects other than newspaper and internet.

I watched this 18mins video, i didn't lose the interest throughout the video perhaps it was a good summarized video and i could understand what they are talking about even without the subtitles :D From this video, the host (Gayle Friedman) actually emphasized that there is no cases of MCD yet in US. Perhaps, it was due to US, putting strict surveillance systems in place. That is what she said in the video:

"About 20000 cases are confirmed in UK and few thousands cases in other Europeans country but so far none of them appear in US. I would like to repeat that, the US department of agriculture has reported no cases of MCD"

A doctor (Dr Vincent B.Young) was interviewed and said the following:

"You may get infected by the meat you consume ten years ago and you totally forgot about it"

That was really scary as it may take years from the time the person ate the meat which contains prions and only get infected after a long period of time.

It was indeed very good to have a bottom line messages at the end of this video to sum up the whole video. It was summarized as below with other concerns:
- TSE is discovered in UK in 1986 and it was caused by feed animal by-products to cattle
- Chronic wasting disease, found in western U.S and Canada, infects deer, elk and mule deer, will also degenerates brain disease, resulting in death. However, so far there is no risk to humans
- Bovine Tuberculosis: bacteria respiratory infection of cattle will eventually leads to death. Moreover, it could be transmitted to humans.

- Yueming

Mad Cow Disease prevented by AVA

11 Sep 2001

Japan: Mad Cow Disease The Agri-food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) has suspended the import of beef from Japan with immediate effect. This is in response to the report that Japan may have found its first case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE, or Mad Cow Disease) in a local dairy cow there. Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) is a slowly progressive disorder of the central nervous system. The affected animals show behavioural changes (eg. becoming aggressive, and unmanageable – hence the term "mad cows"), have difficulty in moving about and will finally become paralysed and die from the illness. Countries must first be accredited by AVA to export beef to Singapore. AVA first suspended the import of beef from UK in March 1996 when the link between BSE and the variant Cruetzfeldt Jakob Disease in humans was announced in the British Parliament. As a precaution, AVA also imposed an additional condition that all countries exporting beef to Singapore must certify that the country had been free from BSE for six years prior to the date of export. To date, imports of beef from UK, Belgium, France, Denmark, Ireland, Switzerland, Germany and Netherlands have been suspended due to BSE. Our beef is imported from BSE Free countries such as Australia, Brazil, New Zealand and USA. Last year, Singapore imported 18,500 tonnes of beef valued at $92 million. This year only 4.95 tonnes of beef valued at $694,000 were imported from Japan. AVA would like to reassure the public that beef in Singapore is safe for consumption. AVA takes stringent precautions to prevent the introduction of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease, into Singapore. Any country found to have BSE will be immediately suspended from exporting beef to Singapore. AVA will continue to closely monitor the occurrence of BSE worldwide. Should any country be found to have BSE, we will take immediate precautions by imposing an outright ban on the country. Issued by AVA 11 Sep 2001

	Last updated on 12 May 2010
	Posted by: Sandy

Mad cow disease can be airborne even if you are vegans!

                                      Risky business: People who work in abattoirs, slaughterhouses

                                         and laboratories could face a higher risk of catching BSE

Mad cow disease can be spread by airborne particles, researchers warn.

And they fear that those who work in abattoirs, slaughterhouses and laboratories could be at risk.

Their study shows prions, the infectious agents which cause BSE and its human form, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, can be dangerous if carried through the air.

ONE CAN TAKE BITS OF INFECTED COW BRAIN, THROW THEM AROUND LIKE CONFETTI, AND IF THEY FALL IN YOUR MOUTH, YOU DIE!

In tests, mice who breathed them in developed the brain disease with ‘frightening’ speed and died.

However, prions, a type of protein, can spread on surgical instruments and in blood transfusions. It had been assumed they were not transmitted by air.

Reference: University Hospital Zurich

Beatrice

Mad cow disease is a hoax?! An irony?

Mad Cow disease was also said to be a hoax because there are also confirmed cases of non-beef eaters, vegetarians, and vegans who have died from diseases that are very similar to Mad Cow!

Beatrice

Mad cow disease originated from sheep?!

Flock of sheep

Cow

                                                                     Sheep cow? Cow sheep?

Ok we all know mad cow disease is a fatal brain disease in cattle that is also known as Bovine Spongiform Encephalitis (BSE).

It is caused by harmful proteins called prions, and the symptoms are similar to Altzheimers, because the brain basically turns into a useless sponge!

However do you know mad cow disease was a brain disease in sheep caled scrapie?

It was eventually transferred to cows by some cheapass farmers who saved a few bucks by mixing sheep brains in the cattle feed, knowing well that cattle are herbivores.

Humans who eat Mad Cow beef develop a similar brain-wasting disease called Creutzfeld-Jakob disease.

As for mad cow disease in the U.S., the cow that was tested positive for the disease was still sent to the slaughterhouse and its meat shipped out two weeks.

And every step now taken to prevent the disease from spreading to humans may be too late because there may have already been hundreds or thousands of Mad Cows that have been slaughtered, chopped up, purchased by consumers, eaten, digested, and metabolized!

It is only a matter of time before some of us start to drop dead from Mad Cow disease.

Beatrice

Biology of BSE

This is an interesting animation that depicts a current theory on prion proteins and how Mad Cow Disease affects the neurons in a cow's brain.

Post by: Jovin

Mad Cow Disease is ScArYy......

 


Interesting documentary about Mad Cow Disease. Including a true story about a agriculture minister John Gummer who persuaded people to eat beef because it is safe, had a tragic event where he had to watch his friend's daughter dying from CJD (human form of mad cow disease). This video will give you further insights about mad cow disease, which is a very serious condition.

Post by: Jovin

Think that medium rare steak is nice? It can be the next step to MCD!

Is medium-rare or undercooked steak still yummy

after learning about mad cow disease?

A brain from a person with mad cow disease, caused by prions (left)

Some people think that if you cook beef that makes it safe!

However, that's absolutely untrue because the prion protein can survive extremely high temperatures, so cooking will not protect anyone from this abnormal prion protein.

Mad cow disease has NO treatment, NO cure, and it's 100% fatal.

It is deadly, because once contracted there is nothing that can be done for the progression of tremors, loss of eyesight, loss of bodily function, dementia, and respiratory arrest.

Infection can occur very easily and it has been verified that if one gram of infected cow brain is consumed by another cow, transmission will occur.

 Avoid medium-rare steak just because for maximum flavour and texture!

Stay away from mad cow disease! Have fully-cooked steak or beef product!

Reference: University of Maryland Medical Centre

Beatrice

Proteins which lead to the cause of MCD!

Images curtesy of University of Leicester

 
Here, it is clearly apparent that some spirals in the normal protein, have failed to form from the flat amino acid ribbons in the misfolded protein.

The Cause of Malfolded Protein

All proteins are assembled in our cells from ribbons of amino acids.

In every case, these ribbons are then folded into highly and precisely specific configurations - according to the electromagnetic charges and potentials of the component elements, according to the blueprint in the DNA - in order to carry out their specific functions.

In most cases, an atom of a specific trace metal lies at the nexus of every fold and turn.

It is our contention that a missing trace element is the cause of the misfolding of this natural protein.

The following is a conceptual illustration of the cause of misfolding:

            

Normal protein        Misfolded protein

Here, a certain trace element which is crucial for the proper folding of the protein as in the "B" example, is missing and not available when the protein was assembled, resulting in the misfolding of the protein into the malformed "D" example.

Obviously, the ability of the malformed protein to perform its normal function is sabotaged.

Beatrice

The most frightening threat to food safety!

One of the mad cow disease cases :(

A six-year old Alex Donley died of an infection he picked up from eating an contaminated hamburger that contain certain types of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSEs), which is characterized by spongy appearance of the brain tissue of the infected organisms.

His mother, Nancy Donley wrote of his death over a four-day period.

“I helped him to change blood diapers that he had to wear as he could no longer eat or walk. Alex’s screams were followed be silence as the evil toxins at attacked his brain causing him to lose neurological control. His eyes crossed and he suffered tremors and delusion. He no longer knew who I was.”

From Alex’s case, it shows that mad cow disease had actually lead to memory loss which caused Alex, not being able to recognised his mother at all unfortunately. Even worse, this brain damage can happen to such a large extent that eventually it becomes weak and leading to coma.

Mad cow disease is just as scary with any other disease! 

By: Yueming

Fun Fact !

Fun FACT !

Although a cow infected by BSE is considered unsafe, research has shown that the milk produced by the infected cattle is free from the disease, and can be consumed ! However, due to safety reasons, it is not recommended. That will put your mind at ease when purchasing milk from countries with known cases of BSE. The number of cases has decreased significantly over the years due to the increasing stringency of food safety requirements for manufacturers, hence, it is not much of an issue to worry about !


Post by: Jovin

Going Mad about Mad Cow Disease ??

Going mad ...  about Mad Cow Disease ??

What is Mad Cow Diesease ?

It is an illness also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy(BSE). BSE is a degenerative neurological disease caused by an aberrant protein called a prion. It's called mad cow disease because it affects a cow's nervous system, causing a cow to act strangely and lose control of its ability to do normal things, such as walk. An infected cow would act "mad'.  A cow with BSE develops these problems because it has developed an infection. This infection causes its brain to waste away and become spongy.

How does it affect us humans ?
BSE is a concern because it can be transmitted to people if they eat meat that came from a cow with BSE. If a person eats BSE-infected beef, the person is at a higher risk for getting a human form of the disease, called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, or CJD. It is a very serious disease that affects the brain, but CJD is very rare in the United States. Only 1 in a million people get it. Furthermore, it is not contagious. Likewise, a cow that has BSE can't infect other cows.

Actions done by beef processors to prevent Mad Cow Diesease
Many people in the United States are working to prevent BSE-contaminated beef from getting to stores. There are rules against beef processors using the brains or spinal cords of the animal to make food products, as this are the main parts affected by the disease. In addition, there is a testing system in place designed to identify cows that may have the disease. There's also a recall system that allows companies to notify consumers and pull products off store shelves if there could be a problem with them.

Effects of cooking:
The prions (abnormal proteins) that are the disease agents are not destroyed at normal cooking temperatures - the meat remains infectious. It has not been demonstrated that high temperatures or irradiation have any effect on the prions. That said, most of the prions are found in the brain and spinal cord tissue. It is considered safe to consume meat from an infected animal, provided you avoid the infected areas(not permitted according to USDA standards). although the chances of getting it is very slim.

Read more:
http://kidshealth.org/kid/talk/qa/mad_cow_disease.html,
http://www.mad-cow-facts.com/mad-cow-faq/  

Post by: Jovin

Yumm... Tasty BBQ BEEF :D

Yum...... Tasty BBQ BEEF :D

 The unique aroma of smoked BBQ Beef is sure to set your taste buds on fire, with its chewy and moist texture as a complement to its palatable flavor that makes it so tasty that you just want to take another bite out of it again and again !

The extensive history of BBQ Beef was since the 1800s, where it was first discovered when people in the olden times found curing & smoking/drying as way to preserve meat and make them last longer without spoiling. This was a method of food preservation slightly before the invention of the first refrigerator in 1876.

These tasty snacks are actually found to be rather low in fat as most of the fat had been trimmed off prior to drying the meat(as fat does not dry), thus, reducing the potential for spoilage as the fat becomes rancid. Because of the necessary low fat and moisture content, jerky is high in protein. A 30 g (about 1 oz) portion of lean meat, for example, contains about 7 g of protein. To think of it, actually, its quite a source of protein ! 

Read more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beef_jerky

Post by: Jovin

History of BBQ beef

History

BBQ beef, also known as beef jerky is thought to have originated in South America during the 1800s. The Quechua tribe, who were ancestors of the ancient Inca empire, produced a meat similar to beef jerky called ch'arki, or charqui. It was made by adding salt to strips of muscle tissue from game animals such as deer, buffalo, and elk, and allowing them to dry in the sun or over fires for extended periods of time. This method of preparation enabled the people to preserve meats during times when it was readily available and eat it when food was scarce. When the Spanish encountered this method of meat preservation, they adopted it and made it available to the rest of the world. It became a staple foodstuff for American cowboys and pioneers. Early explorers built smoke huts and hung cuts of meat over a fire to smoke cure the meat. True jerky was made when the meat was first flavored and then cured. Over the years, people discovered that the meat could be made more palatable by the addition of various spices.

Read more: How beef jerky is made - material, making, history, used, processing, components, steps, product, machine, History, Raw Materials, The Manufacturing Process of beef jerky, Quality Control http://www.madehow.com/Volume-4/Beef-Jerky.html#ixzz1HoGaKTgR

Post by: Jovin

General Information (posted by Sandy)

Name: Lee Son Fei Sandy
Admin no.: 0902303G
Class: TA01
Internship Company: Defence Science Organisation (DSO) National Lab
                         - Doing research in Nutrition, assisting in research projects regarding the defence of Singapore