Related to Brain & Nervous
Mad Cow Disease Directory
Mad cow disease, also called bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), is a deadly nervous system disease that slowly destroys the brain and spinal cord of cattle. The human form of mad cow disease is called variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). You may get this rare disease if you eat nerve tissue from infected cattle. There is no evidence that you can get this disease from eating other parts of cattle, such as those used for ground beef and steaks. The cause of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and mad cow disease is unknown, although it may be due to protein changes in animal cells. Follow the links below to find WebMD's comprehensive coverage about how mad cow disease develops, what the symptoms are, how it's treated, and much more.
Medical Reference
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The Basics of Mad Cow Disease
WebMD corrects some of the misconceptions about mad cow disease and its risk to humans.
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What Is Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease?
Learn the symptoms of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rare but fatal disease of the brain.
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What Is Dementia?
What dementia is, the different kinds, and what to expect.