There is a wealth of information available on the topic of Bovine Spongiform Encephalapothy more commonly known as Mad Cow Disease, or so it seems. Any of the search engines on Netscape will bring up hundreds of A closer look will reveal however, that the plethora of articles, links and homepages are quite parochial in their focus. Looking primarily at the pages of academia and government documentation (OK I admit I spent some time scrolling down the joke pages), one will notice an overwhelming consistency in the information provided (not necessarily data, but rather focus). Herein lies the problem. The majority of these articles provide the same information, which I might add usually is pre-emptied with a "We still don't know much bet here goes..." . As I set out to write this paper my aim was to examine how Bovine Spongiform Encephalapothy (BSE) has infiltrated the beef industry. I was hoping to come to a conclusion as to what lies ahead for this fatal disease and mankind. Specifically, to determine what beef production techniques are failing to detect the contaminated meat and to what extent has man-made technology contributed to the production of BSE.

 After Compiling my research it became clear that although a concrete thesis, my task would be close to impossible to do from Middletown, Connecticut. The web, and even texts, fail to reach beyond the preliminary discussion of BSE and its dangers to the public. This is a fairly new disease, (in the sense of public and national acknowledgment of its existence), that has met many political battles. Its pseudo decline as stated by certain affected parties (ie. the beef industry), has definitely halted much speculative research beyond diagnosis and cures, of which there are none. Alas, the decision that fell upon my shoulders was where to go with this report. The only logical and responsible thing to do was to try to unbiasedly present the information that does not exist. With so little organized information it seemed necessary to construct a basic history of the disease. Furthermore, I felt obligated to offer my research without the constraints of agendas. The majority of pieces that I looked at were sponred by some political motive. Be it the British or United States governments, the beef industry or even PETA ( People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals), the inclusion of their beliefs and/or political alteriors were always included. herein lied the major problem with getting information off the web.

 Most often business' or organizations are the forces behind web contributions. They have both the time and technology, not to mention the cause, to devote to creating web sites. Although web use is definitely increasing by the individual, it still is not a tool that is readily contributed to. The result is thus, a source of information that is provided by an elite, so to speak, group. Public information prior, and still existing, to the advent of the web was much more likely to be produced free of constraints. National newspapers try to provide all relevant information. Authors of texts write for themselves and the reader. Every author obviously has an agenda, but the psychological effects on the public vary significantly amongst sources. What would you accept more readily; Joe Blank's article about the conditions of the meat packing plant he visited or the National Cattle Ranchers Association's ten page synopsis of the government's findings followed by a BSE fact sheet?

 Thus, the following is an effort in case construction. Omitted are the funders' for the pages creation and the arbitrary selection of what to and not to print for the "organizations" sake. I pick up with BSE at the beginning of its major outbreaks in the 1980's. For a more detailed history of where and how diseases of this nature originated I recommend Richard Rhodes new book; Deadly Feasts.

 Of all the web pages devoted to Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), perhaps the most telling are those with the words "revised" on top. The links provided by the search of BSE often have several entries on various dates. For example the World Health Organization (WHO) deals with many of the morbidity statistics, so it constantly needs to be revised. The overwhelming theme for most of these articles is that they are constantly being revamped. Because so little is known about this disease of the brain, scientists much constantly update their records. This is both reassuring and worrisome. It demonstrates continued research of the disease but also the lack of concrete information. Government officials who have played an enormous role since the onslaught of the first cases must restate their positions in response to the scientific developments. As history has shown, this weakens their credibility with the public. It is then with great reluctance that they issue new findings, complicating even further the facts of the disease. But before delving into the political significance of the disease, it is first necessary to understand, )even if it is only rudimentary), its biological nature.

 Animals are susceptible to several kinds of brain disease. Although the first case of BSE was only documented in 1986, it is believed that the diseases of the same nature have been around since the 1900's. Kuru, a disease very much like that of BSE, was discovered in the Forbe tribe. Its members live in Papua New Guinea. Cannibalism was an accepted act hat was thought to increase fertility. Almost 80 percent of the resulting deaths were in women. Furthermore, the families of these women also eventually suffered the same fate and thus scientists thought that it was spread genetically. Research has disproved this theory. Kuru was found to be an infectious disease transmittable through meat (Lacey ).

 BSE was initially dismissed as Variant Creutzfeldt disease. As cases began to increase though, the link became questionable and BSE was thought to be modern day Kuru. The uncertainty lay in whether or not the disease was actually contracted through eating meat. "Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (CJD) is a human spongiform encephalapothy" which has many of the same symptoms as BSE. There is a gradual deterioration of the mind and body. Victims become afflicted with blindness and epileptic seizures as their brain becomes "riddled with holes." (Gregor ). The possible link to CJD served as an aid and a hindrance. to BSE research. It strengthened the argument that an epidemic was brewing but it also caused scientists to devote their skills to the wrong causation factor. The unknown link to cattle products were prolonged.

 As cases began to increase in the 1980's, doctors began to notice alarming discrepancies between BSE and CJD. The average age of the victim had fallen from 63 to 27. It took twice as long for patients to die. EEG reports were atypical as were the results of the autopsies. It became clear that this was not CJD (Gregor). This was the beginning of something new... with a familiar ring to Kuru.

 The question at hand was thus to determine the cause and spread of the fatal disease. Focus shifted to BSE. This disease in cattle was becoming more prevent in the late 1980's. It is believed that a change in the processing of cattle feed around 1981-82 was the cause for the recent influx of cases (World 1). There was now a use for every apart of the animal carcass. The pieces unfit for human consumption are boiled to produce protein and fat. This in turn is fed as a protein rich substance to the herds (Lacey).

 BSE is strong enough to outlive even the boiling process and this is why it is such a threat. Sterilization has been mans most efficient means of combating germs, disease ect. If it is impossible to kill the BSE contaminate then mankind is at its mercy. Unfortunately it has been proven that BSE even remains viral long after its carrier is dead.

 During the post mortem, extreme care must be taken because the disease is incredibly infectious. The pathologist wears a mask, goggles, gloves, boots and a plastic apron and any instruments that have been used on patients suffering from CJD [or BSE] have to be thoroughly sterilized. For example, the silver needles used for the EEG (brain examination) must be treated with high pressure steam for prolonged periods of time or put through six successive heat cycles in a sterilize. Even then there is no guarantee of destroying the infection. If contaminated instruments are used on another patient (which they will be if the person was not visibly ill with CJD), the disease can, and indeed has been, transferred (Lacey).

 One must wonder then what can be done. Even if detected early, the cattle can not be slaughtered because instruments that come in contact will become contaminated. Slaying the animal from afar, perhaps with a bullet, would cause problems as well. What to do with the carcass? It would be no surprise if in thirty years scientists discovered that the water system was contaminated because of decomposing buried infected carcasses. Thus, it is clear that drastic measures be taken to prevent future cases.

 Furthermore BSE has a prolonged incubation period which further complicates tracing its origin. The symptoms in cows begin usually when pressure or stress is placed on the infected animal. Milk production will decrease significantly as will weight. The cow will stand apart from the rest of the herd and will hold its head a noticeably different angle. Twitching, quivering, and shaking as the muscle tissue depletes are still more signs of an infected cow. Odd behavior such as grinding teeth or mooing oddly have been reported. The symptoms escalate until the cow can no longer stand up and eventually dies. (lacey)

 The head, as examined by veterinarians, is believed to be the only infected part of the animal. However, the nature of the disease carries it through out the entire body and especially into the spleen. The head is tossed, but unaware of danger, the other parts of the infected body are thrown into production; beef for consumption, canned goods, household products. By 1995 just under ten years after the initial report in 1986, approximate 150,000 cases, out of a herd of about 33, 500, 000 had been reported with BSE (World). BSE affects all kinds of breeds including , Jersey and Guernsey. The most common cow in Britain, the black and white Friesian Holstein, is most often afflicted (Lacey).

 The symptoms in humans are similar to those found in cattle. Mental capacities become affected. The patient experiences a loss of coordination, memory loss and slurred speech. As in the cows, the nervous system is affected causing muscle spasms and a change in facial expression. The final stages of the disease leave the patient in a state of unconsciousness. They are fed to keep them alive, but are seldom placed on respirators or given antibiotics. The infection spreads into the lungs eventually killing the victim. (Lacey)

 The symptoms of BSE should be clear, although the disease itself might not be. Having established the link between animals and humans and the effects in both, it is now possible to explore the cause of the disease. BSE is neither bacteria , virus, or fungi. It is a "prion-an infectious protein (Gregor )." Prions are at the core of the mystery of BSE. Not fully understood, these complex proteins resists cooking, canning, and freezing (Lacey). "Prions have been called the smallest, most lethal self-perpetuating biological entities in the world (Gregor )." Neither sterilization nor radiation has any effect on them. Their seemingly indestructible nature is at the heart of the panic. How then can one fight this unrelenting molecule?

 At this point it is possible to see the implications of web research. The uncertainty of ever being able to fight this deadly disease causes panic. The people who are providing the information on the web do not want to be responsible for bearing the burden of telling this to the public because it will implicate them in a negative way. So to speak, this is bad for business.

 The government is an especially interesting case study in responsibility of reporting information to the public. The British government has stepped in a number of ways over the course of the past decade or so. At first, it denied the link between BSE in cattle and humans but eventually retracted their statements issuing new information to the public. The cause for the initial attempts at "covering up" (Lacey) the reported cases was due to the connection and interdependence of the meat industry. The conspiracy to keep BSE out of the public spotlight began with the Southwood Committee (Gregor and Lacey). This group was made up of neither scientists nor specialists on spongiform encephalopatjies. By June 1988, only a month after their initial meeting the committee ordered the eradication of all infected cattle. However, two years had passes since the first case in 1986. Contaminated meat from those herds was still ion market shelves (Lacey) The committees second recommendation was for assistance. The problem had grown to big for them to handle. This group then reported its findings which "admitted that spongiform encephalopathies are a danger to humans and stated: 'With the very long incubation period of spongiform encephatlpthays in humans, it may be a decade or more before complete reassurance can be given. ' (Lacey)"

 The Southwood report also included statements that have since been proven incorrect. The implications of this is that BSE has the potential to reach crisis levels reminiscent of the Black Plague. South wood said, that vertical transmission, passing the disease from mother to calf, was non-existent and that a dead cattle could not serve as a host (Lacey).

 In the summer of 1988 the UK finally banned the use of cattle carcasses for feed. By1989, the use of brain, spinal cord, tonsils, thymus, spleen and intestine in food for human consumption had also been banned (World). The World Health Organization (WHO) organized a committee to meet regularly and monitor the course of BSE. Meetings were held in 1991, 1993, and 1995. In 1994, it met with the office of International Epizootic. The aim of these meetings was to access the accuracy of the existing knowledge on spongiform encepalopathies. Special attention was placed on examining BSE. The findings of these groups stated that a comparison of CJD in France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and the UK revealed similar incidences in all. There was no noticeable change that could be attributed to BSE. WHO also reported that if the guidelines for production and other various levels of processing were followed, the problem should remain at its current level.

 Between 1990 and 1994, just before the British government began to rethink their position on BSE, several significant events occurred. A pinnacle time had been reached. The UK was going to have to acknowledge the potential epidemic that they had on their hands.In 1990, the Humberside County Council banned the use of British beef in school meals. The number of cases of BSE also passes the 10, 000 mark (Lacey). In 1991, the Ministry of Agriculture predicted that the number of BSE cases would climax in the same year and be extinct by 1994. The growing numbers as the year progressed affirmed that there had to be a link between the passing of the disease from cow to calf (Lacey). These statistics are the foundations, along with death tolls, that provide the only concrete evidence in the history of BSE (available on the web).

 In 1994 the British fianlly relinquished the lackadaisical and secretive approach they had taken with BSE. Ten cases were reported- eight resulted in death. These deaths were reviewed by the Untied Kingdom Advisory Committee on Spongiform Encephalklpathy. They decreed that although it was not definite, it appeared that all of the victims cases were linked to exposure to BSE sometime before the official ban in 1989. (World) The total number of BSE cases confirmed in August 1994 was 137,000. This toll far exceed anything that the Southwood Committee had ever imagined (Lacey). It was now undeniable that BSE was spreading rapidly. The disease had been integrated into the bloodstream therefore infecting the entire animal. Every beef product was at risk (Lacey).

 A ban on all British meat imports was placed creating a drastic decline in the industry. In light of the falling economic market Britain's Meat and Livestock Commission began a $6.5 million dollar effort to the rebuilding of the market. Their efforts were successful and beef consumption returned to almost "normal" levels as well as to school menus (Gregor). Warnings still lingered in the air by such scientists as Dr. Lacey, but were ignored...until 1996.

 1996 was a critical year. In response to the outbreak of several cases, WHO issued a number of statements and positions on BSE. These are accessible to the public on the World Wide Web. They are constantly being revised.

Look at recommendations by International experts who propose measures to limit spread of BSE.

 BSE or Mad Cow Disease is obviously a serious threat to humans. The backlash from the low profile low priority stance that scientists and the government took has left its mark. The research that is finally produced still shirks complete accuracy. It is difficult to asses the damage that has and is being done when so little concrete information is available. Advances are slow to surface as the web contributors shirk responsibility. Government agencies are beginning to act more promptly but still are sluggish in their reports. In conclusion, this paper has hopefully traced the brief history of this complicated disease. It will hopefully have covered the basics, bringing you, the public, one step closer to the truth about something that could potentially be on your dinner plate.

 Bibliography Web Sites that can be reached through yahoo - Bovine Spongiform Encephalapothy New Worries on Milk Potential Transmission of BSE via Medicinal Products The Public Health Implications of Mad Cow Disease. Michael Gregor How Now Mad Cow? Richard Lacey International Experts Propose Measures to Limit Spread of BSE and Reduce Possible Human Risks From Disease; Press release WHO/ 28-3 April 1996 WHO- Emerging and Other Communicable Diseases (EMC), Bovine Spongifom Encephalapothy (BSE) Fact Sheet