Mad cow disease.ppt

Mad cow disease The 2001 biology project Made by TommyChan The Contents of the project Section1 : What is Mad Cow Disease Section2 : The cause of Mad Cow Disease Section3 : Mad Cow Disease with Human Section4 : Mad Cow Disease in the world Section5：Prevention What is Mad Cow Disease (The definition of Mad Cow Disease) Mad cow disease, formally known as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), chronic degenerative brain disease of cattle that attacks the central nervous system of cattle, destroying brain tissue and eventually causing dementia and death. Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) is so named because of the spongy appearance of the brain tissue of infected cattle when sections are examined under a microscope. Clinical Signs Cattle affected by BSE experience progressive degeneration of the nervous system.? Affected animals may display changes in temperament, such as nervousness or aggression, abnormal posture, inco-ordination and difficulty in rising, decreased milk production, or loss of body weight despite continued appetite.?Affected cattle die.? Take a change for the worse The incubation period (the time from when an animal becomes infected until it first shows disease signs) is from 2 to 8 years. ?Following the onset of clinical signs, the animals condition deteriorates until it either dies or is destroyed.? This process usually takes from 2 weeks to 6 months.? Most cases in Great Britain have occurred in dairy cows between 3 and 6 years of age. Inspection Currently, there is no test to detect the disease in a live animal; veterinary pathologists confirm BSE by postmortem microscopic examination of brain tissue or by the detection of the abnormal form of the prion protein.? The cause of Mad Cow Disease The causative agent of the disease is not completely characterized, and there is neither any treatment nor a vaccine to prevent the disease.