No, BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy, the scientific name for mad cow disease) is generally thought to be caused by a prion, a misfolded protein. There are some theories that BSE could be caused by a virino, a very small virus, but this is not the currently accepted research.
At one time, cattle were fed the unwanted parts of ground up sheep. Some of those cows became infected with mad cow disease. Mad cow disease spread to humans. Cattle were also fed parts of ground up cow parts, cows eating ground up cattle were infected with that disease. The breakthrough came in New Guinea. There, women and children would eat the brains of dead people. Men would not. Women and children would catch a disease similar to mad cow disease. Men would not. That made it obvious that the disease came from something common to women and children and not to men. Since they behaved the same as nearby groups except for eating the brains of dead people, that had to be the difference. The only difference in the brains of the dead people with mad cow disease and those without mad cow disease was the prions. This was then tested in England where mad cow disease was common. The only difference between cows with mad cow disease and those without mad cow disease were the same prions. The people with mad cow disease had the same prions in their brains.
Mad cow disease happens when the proteins in the brain of cow become misfolded. This is called prion. In simple words all proteins have to be folded before they can function and when some proteins in the brain become misfolded, such a state is called prions (misfolding of proteins) and it results in mad cow disease.
A prion, or misfolded protein caused by genetic mutation.
They are known as prions and cause many diseases such as Mad Cow Disease and Creutzfelt-Jacob disease.
One disease of cattle caused by a prion is BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) aka Mad Cow Disease
We are aware of mad cow disease
At one time, cattle were fed the unwanted parts of ground up sheep. Some of those cows became infected with mad cow disease. Mad cow disease spread to humans. Cattle were also fed parts of ground up cow parts, cows eating ground up cattle were infected with that disease. The breakthrough came in New Guinea. There, women and children would eat the brains of dead people. Men would not. Women and children would catch a disease similar to mad cow disease. Men would not. That made it obvious that the disease came from something common to women and children and not to men. Since they behaved the same as nearby groups except for eating the brains of dead people, that had to be the difference. The only difference in the brains of the dead people with mad cow disease and those without mad cow disease was the prions. This was then tested in England where mad cow disease was common. The only difference between cows with mad cow disease and those without mad cow disease were the same prions. The people with mad cow disease had the same prions in their brains.
There is no such thing as "cow disease" unless you are referring to MAD cow disease, which is something else entirely.
mad cow disease is when cows get it. when the disease is passed on 2 humans, it's called the Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. so technically its the same thing, just in different species
At this point, only one cow is known to be affected by Mad Cow Disease in the latest case (which was in April of 2012). The other cows from the same herd as the one known to be affected will be tested for the disease as well.
Unfortunately, the same thing that happens if someone tries to treat the disease - the cow develops a progressive neurologic disease that eventually kills the cow.
No.
no
Mad cow disease cannot be treated. The only solution is eradication to prevent the spread of the disease.
No, mosquitoes do not carry mad cow disease. Mad cow disease, or Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), is caused by prions that affect cattle and is not transmitted by insects. The disease primarily spreads through the consumption of infected animal products. Mosquitoes are not involved in the transmission of prion diseases like mad cow disease.
they go mad
Mad Cow Disease is a layman's term for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy.