Summary

Original source:
http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/01/21/news/beef.html

Details

• Mad cow disease has long been thought to occur in just the brains and nervous systems of infected animals.
• The research is based on experiments with mice, but if it is borne out in other species, it may suggest that no part of an infected animal is safe to eat.
• In humans, the disease manifests as a fatal brain infection.
• In the mouse experiments, reported in the journal Science, researchers in Switzerland worked with the proteins thought to be the infectious agent in mad cow disease.
• When these prions were given to mice that had been infected with chronic diseases of the liver, kidney and pancreas, they made their way to the infected organs.
• Dr. Adriano Aguzzi, a neuropathologist at the University Hospital in Zurich, who led the experiments, said this meant that cows and sheep infected with prions could harbor mad cow disease in any inflamed organ.
• Many countries, including the United States, require the removal of skull, brain, eyes, spinal cord and other nervous tissues from slaughtered animals, because prions are known to accumulate in those tissues.
• Even in countries with mad cow disease, which include Japan, Canada, Oman, Israel and 20 European countries, meat is considered safe if those tissues are removed, Aguzzi said.
• But the disease could spread more readily if infections are not obvious or inspections are done sloppily, he said.
• It is now collecting information on European farm animals, including sheep, which can carry their own prion disease, scrapie.
• While this has yet to be demonstrated in a cow, it has been seen in humans with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which is related to mad cow but arises spontaneously rather than from eating infected beef or some other route.

Related Articles

Popular Topics: Mad cow, Disease, Prions, Diabetes, Breast cancer, Prostate cancer, Heart disease, Depression, High cholesterol, Osteoporosis, Vaccines, Autism, ADHD, Infertility, Weight loss, Cancer, Alzheimer's, Trans fats, Acrylamides, Fluoride, Mercury	Take Action: Support NaturalNews.com Email this article to a friend Share this article on: NewsVine | digg | del.icio.us Permalink to this article: http://www.naturalnews.com/003928_mad_cow_disease_prions.html Reprinting this article: Non-commercial use OK, cite NaturalNews.com with clickable link. <a href = "http://www.naturalnews.com/003928_mad_cow_disease_prions.html">Mad cow prions may not be limited to just the nervous system, say researchers</a>
Receive our Natural Health Newsletter for FREE Subscribe now (it's free!) to win. We randomly choose a subscriber each month to send $100 in eco-home products or a RealGoods.com gift certificate (our choice). Plus, you'll receive FREE news, articles and action alerts from NaturalNews.com editors and join over 800,000 monthly readers who report extraordinary health improvements after becoming a subscriber! Receive breaking news alerts on natural health solutions, renewable energy, the environment, global warming and more. Receive a free instant download of our $29 Secret Sources guide that reveals top sources for little-known health and diet solutions.	Your Email Address: Free Subscription Code: Enter the numbers you see: 100% free of charge. Unsubscribe anytime. Absolutely no spam. We respect your email privacy.
Recommended Special Report: Seven Words that can Change the World by Joseph R. Simonetta Read this special report now... "Seven Words That Can Change the World reveals the astonishing, simple truths that have the power to forever transform our world for the better while freeing our minds from the enslavement of limiting beliefs. This is not a text for the simple-minded; it is a guiding philosophy for the mindful, intelligent few who are wise enough to seek out -- and recognize -- the higher simplicities of truly purposeful living." - Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, editor of NaturalNews.com	More on NaturalNews.com: • Streaming Health Ranger Videos • CounterThink Cartoons • FREE Special Reports • Podcasts