Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) Pathology

The nature, cause, origin, and progress of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE).

The causative agent of BSE, as well as other TSEs, is yet to be fully characterized. The most widely accepted theory is the disease is caused by an unconventional transmissible agent termed a prion (infectious protein).

The BSE agent is smaller than most viral particles and is highly resistant to heat, ultraviolet light, ionizing radiation, and common disinfectants that normally inactivate viruses or bacteria. It causes no detectable immune or inflammatory response in the host; and has not been observed microscopically. At this time, there is no test to detect the disease in a live animal.

Related Diseases

Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies are caused by similar uncharacterized agents that produce spongiform changes in the brain. TSEs that have been found in the United States include:

• Scrapie of sheep and goats
• Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) of deer and elk
• Transmissible Mink Encephalopathy
• Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) of humans has been found in 1 case per 1 million population per year. Source: CDC
• New Variant CJD (vCJD) of humans. As of December 1, 2003, one case in the United States (note: the U.S. case was reported in a person who resided in the United Kingdom during a key exposure period of the U.K. population to the BSE agent). Source: CDC