Interesting commentary

[Guest guest]

Terry - do you want to handle this guy for us? I am going to write him an

email also. http://www.fb.com/views/com/nomadcow.html " >CJD is not

" Mad Cow Disease "

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CJD is not " Mad Cow Disease "

Ken Olson, Ph.D.

Policy Specialist - Dairy and Animal Welfare

AFBF Public Policy Division

With increasing frequency, we see news reports of people who have died of " Mad

Cow Disease " , or CJD that is linked to " Mad Cow Disease " . Such headlines raise

fears in peoples minds, and have had a negative impact on cattle markets.

Fortunately these headlines are not true and with continued effort, on the

part of industry, they never will be. Let's take a look at why the sensational

headlines might occur.

What is CJD?

Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) is a rare degenerative brain disease found in

humans that is always fatal. It occurs at a rate of approximately one in a

million world wide. It is one of a number of Transmissible Spongiform

Encephalopathies (TSE's) that infect humans and animals. CJD typically occurs

in individuals over 60 years of age, it progresses relatively rapidly and is

always fatal.

What is BSE?

Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) is a TSE that has been found in cattle.

It was first identified in Great Britain, but a limited number of cases have

been found in other countries as well. It should be noted that it has never

been found in the U.S. Over 168,000 cases have been reported in British cattle

since it was first identified in 1986. Animals with the disease are not " mad " ,

but do suffer from a degenerative brain disease. They become nervous, lose

body weight, lose control of their legs and die. Like CJD, it is always fatal.

It appears that the disease was spread by the feeding of rendered animal

protein to cattle. One difficulty with identifying BSE, and any other TSE's is

that there is no live animal test for it. In order to confirm the presence of

the disease, brain tissue needs to be examined.

Is there a link?

Concerns were raised when the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee of

the United Kingdom indicated that BSE might account for 10 cases of a variant

form of CJD that had been found in the country. Since that time an additional

six cases have been confirmed. The new variant CJD (nv-CJD) is different than

the conventional form in that it affected younger people (average age, less

than 30), takes longer to progress and shows somewhat different damage to the

brain tissue when autopsies are conducted. The possible link between nv-CJD

and BSE caused beef sales to plummet in Great Britain and in Europe.

Do we have it in the US?

We do have the conventional form of CJD in the United States. The Center for

Disease Control in Atlanta indicates that we have had from 0.8 to 1.1 cases

per million people per year from 1979 to the present. This would mean that

approximately 200 deaths per year would be attributed to CJD. There is no

indication that any of the deaths have been nv-CJD or that there is any link

to any other TSE related disease. USDA has in place an active surveillance

program for BSE in the United States. Since 1990 they have examined

approximately 2,800 brains of animal that would be the most likely suspects to

have the disease, none have been found to be positivefor BSE. Together, with

the industry, they have put in place programs to prevent the introduction of

the disease to the U.S. cattle herd.

SUMMARY

When reporters, or members of the public, hear of a case of CJD they often

make an association with BSE. While any case of CJD is unfortunate, the urge

to tie it to BSE can lead to sensational headlines and raise undue concerns.

We have no evidence that BSE has occurred in the United States or that any

cases of nv-CJD, the disease of concern in Great Britain, have occurred here.

The cattle industry, in cooperation with FDA and USDA, is working to assure

consumers that the U.S, food supply is safe, and that they have no reason for

concern.

Questions about this issue can be sent to Ken Olson via e-mail at keno@....

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