In this Article

• What is "Mad Cow Disease" (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy/BSE)?
• What causes BSE?
• Was a second case of BSE identified in the U.S. in June 2005?
• Did meat and meat products from the June 2005 cow enter the food supply?
• Was a case of BSE identified in the U.S. in December 2003?
• Did meat and meat products from the 2003 BSE cow enter the food supply?
• Will there be additional cases?
• Does BSE affect people?
• What measures are being taken to ensure food safety in the U.S. from BSE?
• Are the protective measures in place sufficient to ensure the safety of the human food supply in light of the June 2005 BSE positive cow?
• Is the food in the U.S. likely to be a BSE risk to consumers?
• Is cow's milk a source of BSE?
• Can milk be infected with BSE from a BSE-positive cow?
• Does the use of bovine-derived ingredients in dietary supplements mean that they are not safe?
• Since the BSE-positive cows were discovered in the U.S., does that mean that dietary supplements made with domestic ingredients might be unsafe?
• What steps is FDA currently taking to ensure the safety of dietary supplements that contain bovine ingredients?
• Given the BSE case in Washington State and the case in Texas, should consumers be concerned about cosmetics made using tallow from the rendering process?
• What about the use of gelatin, another bovine-related material, in cosmetics and dietary supplements and other foods?
• When and how did BSE in cattle occur?
• Is BSE in cattle the same disease as CWD in deer and elk in the U.S.?
• What countries have reported cases of BSE or are considered to have a substantial risk associated with BSE?
• Mad Cow Disease Glossary
• Mad Cow Disease Index

Will there be additional cases?

In 1998, USDA commissioned the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis to conduct an analysis and evaluation of the U.S. regulatory measures to prevent the spread of BSE in the U.S. and to reduce the potential exposure of U.S. consumers to BSE. The Harvard study concluded that, if introduced, due to the preventive measures currently in place in the U.S., BSE is extremely unlikely to become established in the United States.

FDA and other Federal agencies have been vigilant in strengthening protective measures to reduce the U.S. consumer's risk of exposure to BSE-contaminated food and cosmetic products. Since 1989, USDA has banned imports of live ruminants, such as cattle, sheep and goats, and most products from these animals from countries known to have BSE. Subsequently, USDA expanded this ban to include both countries with BSE and countries at risk for BSE. In 1997, FDA prohibited, with some exceptions, the use of protein derived from mammalian tissues in animal feed intended for cows and other ruminants. See the FDA/CVM website at www.fda.gov/cvm for information on the "ruminant feed ban."

On Jan. 8, 2004, the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service issued new rules to enhance safeguards against BSE. Details on these rules may be found at USDA's website, www.usda.gov. Also in 2004, FDA issued a rule that prohibits the use of certain cattle material, because of the risk of BSE, in human food and cosmetics.

Does BSE affect people?

There is a disease similar to BSE called Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease (CJD) that is found in people. A variant form of CJD (vCJD) is believed to be caused by eating contaminated beef products from BSE-affected cattle. To date, there have been 155 confirmed and probable cases of vCJD worldwide among the hundreds of thousands of people that may have consumed BSE-contaminated beef products. The one reported case of vCJD in the United States was in a young woman who contracted the disease while residing in the UK and developed symptoms after moving to the U.S.

What measures are being taken to ensure food safety in the U.S. from BSE?

Since 1989, the FDA and other federal agencies have had ongoing regulatory measures in place to prevent BSE contamination of U.S. food and food products. Following the identification in a Washington state dairy herd of a BSE-positive cow imported from Canada, USDA issued new regulations containing additional safeguards to further minimize risk for introduction of the BSE agent into the U.S. food supply. See USDA's website www.usda.gov for further information.

Similarly, FDA has prohibited the use of the cattle materials that carry the highest risk of BSE in human food, including dietary supplements, and in cosmetics. FDA's rule (and September 2005 amendments) prohibit use of the following cattle material in human food and cosmetics:

a. cattle material from non-ambulatory, disabled cattle,

b. cattle material from organs from cattle 30 months of age or older in which infectious prions are most likely to occur, and the tonsils and the distal ileum of the small intestine of cattle of all ages,

c. cattle material from mechanically separated (MS) (beef), and

d. cattle material from cattle that are not inspected and passed for human consumption

FDA's rule also requires that food and cosmetics manufacturers and processors make available to FDA any existing records relevant to their compliance with these prohibitions. FDA has also published a proposal requiring manufacturers and processors of food and cosmetics made with cattle material to establish and maintain records demonstrating that their products do not contain prohibited cattle material.

In September 2005, FDA amended the interim final rule to allow use of the small intestine in human food and cosmetics, provided the distal ileum has been removed. FDA also clarified that milk and milk products, hide and hide-derived products and tallow derivatives are not considered prohibited cattle materials. Finally, in response to comments the agency has reconsidered the method cited in the interim final rule for determining insoluble impurities in tallow and is citing a method that is less costly and requires less specialized equipment.

Suggested Reading by Our Doctors

• Encephalopathy - Learn about encephalopathy, a brain disease, damage, or malfunction. There are a variety of causes of encephalopathy. The most common symptom is an altered mental state.
• Food Poisoning - Read about the types of food poisoning from bacterium infection from Campylobacter, Salmonella, Shigella, E. coli O157:H7, Listeria, and botulism. Symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and prevention information is included in the information.
• Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease - Learn about Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) symptoms such as progressive dementia, insomnia, dperssion, and unusual sensations.

Read more Mad Cow Disease related articles »

Latest Medical News

• Abnormal Protein May Signal Pancreatic Cancer
• Protein Branded As Culprit in Mad Cow Disease
• Blood Test for 'Mad Cow' Disease May Be Near
• FDA Issues Final Regulations for Genetically Engineered Animals