Is the New Variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease from Mad Cows?

摘要

A decade ago, the first instances of "mad cow disease" [bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)] were described in what has become a major epidemic of more than 160,000 cases in cattle in the United Kingdom (UK) (see figure). Recently, BSE has been linked to 10 cases of a new variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), a severe neurologic disease of humans. This association has had major repercussions on Britain's relations with her European neighbors, has led to a ban on the export of British beef and a ban in the UK on the consumption of British cattle more than 30 months of age, and is likely to lead to large-scale culling of cattle to curtail the epidemic.