The official name of mad cow disease is bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). BSE lesions are characterized by sponge-like changes seen under an ordinary microscope.
Eating contaminated meat or other products from cattle (excluding dairy products) with BSE is thought to be the cause of vCJD.
BSE is passed between cows through the practice of recycling bovine carcasses for meat and bone meal protein, which is fed back to other cattle.
Both mad cow disease and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) are fatal.
Symptoms of vCJD involve psychiatric symptoms and behavioral changes, movement deficits, memory disturbances and cognitive impairments.
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April 24, 2012 – The USDA confirms the fourth case of BSE, found in a dairy cow from central California. The announcement maintains that the cow was never presented for slaughter for human consumption and poses no risk.
March 2014 – After 15 years, the United States lifts the ban on beef from the European Union, pending inspections.
May 2014 – The fourth person in U.S. history with vCJD dies in Texas. The individual traveled extensively and there are no public health concerns.
June 11, 2014 – The USDA announces a recall of 4,000 pounds of beef; a spokesperson cites “an abundance of caution.” The meat comes out of the Fruitland American Meat processing plant in Jackson, Missouri.
January 5, 2015 – Ireland’s minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine announces that Ireland has been approved and will be the first EU country to export beef to the United States since the ban was lifted.
