Bovine spongiform encephalopathy

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease, is a fatal, neurodegenerative disease of cattle, which infects by a mechanism that shocked biologists on its discovery in late 20th century and appears transmissible to humans. While never having killed cattle on a scale comparable to other dreaded livestock diseases, such as foot and mouth and rinderpest, BSE has attracted wide attention because of its apparent transmissibility and lethality to humans, as well as for the nature of the mental decay it causes.

Related Topics:
Cattle - 20th century - Foot and mouth - Rinderpest

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