Review article

Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) and Milk

Mirko Jung ; Thalwil, Zurich, Švicarska
Polona Lavtar ; Kmetijsko-gozdarska zadruga, Lesce, Slovenija

Abstract

BSE, a prion disease of cattle, started about in 1985 and caused a large food epidemic in Great Britain with over a million of infected animals. The disease has spread, by British foodstuff export, involving most of the European countries, Canada, United States of America and Japan. BSE was transmissible for humans by infected meat consumation; over 160 cases of this »variant« Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease were confirmed in Great Britain, 26 in France and rare cases in many other countries. Connatal infection in cattle ocurrs in some 10 percent. Milk appears of enormous importance for humans in general, but particularly for children. Its BSE infectivity has not been clear at present as shown by recent studies in another similar prion disease, scrapie. The situation in the world milk market appears actually chaotic requiring a close cooperation between authorithies in politic and economy as well as between veterinary and human medical officers studying the situation in Croatia.

Keywords

BSE; milk; prions; PrPSc

Hrčak ID:

30539

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/30539

Publication date:

3.9.2008.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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