BSE in Cattle Flashcards

Question	Answer		Article
What is a prion (PrP)?	A prion (PrP) is a protein that occurs normally in the nervous and lymphoreticular tissues. When it changes conformation (PrPsc/PrPRes) it becomes an infectious agent and causes degeneration of neurological tissue.		Link to Article
How are cattle exposed to BSE?	Through the feeding of ruminant-derived protein within feedstuffs such as meat and bone meal (MBM).		Link to Article
What is the average incubation time of BSE?	4-5 years		Link to Article
What are the main clinical signs of BSE in cattle?	Progressive neurological and behavioural changes Changes in sensation and temperament (increased agression) Progressive weakness and hind-limb ataxia Decreased milk yield		Link to Article
What area of the brain do prions mainly accumulate in?	In the medulla oblongata (Obex)		Link to Article
Can serological tests be used for BSE?	No, because BSE does not cause an immune or inflammatory response.		Link to Article
How is BSE diagnosed?	Observation of clinical signs Postmortem and the presence of bilateral symmetrical vacuolation in the grey matter Western Blot Test (detection of PrPRes) Elisa Test		Link to Article
What are the most important control measures for BSE?	The 1988 feed ban prohibiting the feeding of ruminant derived meat and bone meal (MBM) to ruminants Post mortem testing schemes Culling of infected cohort animals		Link to Article
Is BSE a zoonosis?	Yes, there is evidence to suggest that humans are at risk of developing variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD)from eating BSE infected meat.		Link to Article
What measures have been put in place to reduce the risk of humans developing variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD)?	All visible nervous and lymphatic tissue that are classified as specified risk materials (SRM) are removed during the processing of cattle The removal of any suspect animals from the human food chain. In 1996, cattle over the age of 30 months were eliminated from the food chain within the UK under the ‘over thirty months scheme’ (OTMS). This ban has now been lifted and it is now compulsory to test all cattle over the age of 48months for BSE.		Link to Article
What are the specified risk material (SRM) for cattle?	Brain Eyes (retina) Trigeminal ganglia Spinal cord Dorsal root ganglia Mesentery Intestines (duodenum to rectum) Tonsils		Link to Article