Link Between Mad Cow Disease and Human Deaths Questioned (BSE May Not Cause nvCJD)

WebMD ^ | Oct. 11, 2001 | By Salynn Boyles

[facedown]

Huh? Would YOU eat BSE contaminated meat?

Jeeeez.....P. T. Barnum was right.

[torstars]

No causal relationship between the two has been proven

This is NOT a new problem. Much sequencing has been done. 72 of 72 vCJD patients are homozygous for M at position 129. vCJD is caused by bovine prions.

[FollowingTheGrace]

So, are you saying there is no such thing as BSE?

[torstars]

that the BSE prion hasn't ever been confirmed present in beef muscle tissue.

Assay is too short. vCJD transmitted by transfusion. Prions in blood. Blood in muscle cuts.

[hedgetrimmer]

Links to papers?

[facedown]

So, are you saying there is no such thing as BSE?

Another dopey non sequitur. Are you guys a tag team?

[HungarianGypsy]

Not to sound like an idiot, but I wondered. If there were a link to meat and MCD, would it be better to go with corn-fed or organic type of beef? Showing my ignorance and admitting it.

[discostu]

Yeah, but how is it transmitting from one species to another? Why is it that unlike other species jumping illnesses it's maintaining such similar symptoms? The answer is simple: not the same illness. There is NO evidence of species jump, period. Any attempt to find such evidence has failed miserably.

[hedgetrimmer]

vCJD is prevalent in younger people, under 26 years of age. Do they check for history of transfusions in victims?

[torstars]

You're going to have to come up with more than this to convince me

I have provided links to the data. This is NOT a new problem to those in the field and the data are quite clear. Don't know your background, but it doesn't sound like you have any familiarity with the science side.

[torstars]

Must be those smart pills I bought.

Try looking at the data, which are pretty straightforward.

[FollowingTheGrace]

Another dopey non sequitur. Are you guys a tag team?

No, don't know him/her...don't necessarily agree. Would you just answer my question? I'm trying to figure out what you mean.

[Pubbie]

The BSE Outbreak in the UK was probably caused by Some sort of pesticide frequently injected into British Cattle:
http://www.westonaprice.org/myths_truths/myths_truths_mad.html

[torstars]

Here is a link to the sequences and it has links to much more

http://w3.aces.uiuc.edu/AnSci/BSE/Human_TSEs_Mutations.htm

The data are pretty straightforward.

[facedown]

No, don't know him/her...don't necessarily agree. Would you just answer my question? I'm trying to figure out what you mean.

Okay. I'll take you at your word.

Huh? Would YOU eat BSE contaminated meat?

BSE has been found in the brain and spinal chord of infected animals....not in the muscles, ie. the meat.

[Old Professer]

The links you provided do not establish a pathway from ingestion of contaminated beef to disease in humans back to source; I don't know of any that do.

I asked for your credentials as you come on here new to the site just in time for this "crisis," am I wrong to request this?

[Old Professer]

Over 2 million people die in the U.S. every year, some of them from old age but you would never know that from the media.

[Toskrin]

It's true that prions have not been found in muscle of BSE cattle. However, prions have been found in muscle of both humans and mice with prion disease.

I suspect that it is unusual, but not impossible, for BSE cattle to have muscle involvement. In a study of humans with CJD, only a minority had muscle involvement.

[Old Professer]

I especially like this weasel-wording: "Unluckily the founder BSE animal is required to identify the original mutation.."

[FollowingTheGrace]

The point I was making is that, since so much is not known at this point, I would prefer to avoid (if possible) meat from cattle that might have BSE. The USDA does not do a particularly thorough job of checking US cattle. Some countries check ALL cattle for BSE. In this Washington case the cow in question was slaughtered on Dec. 9, the brain and spinal cord removed for testing, then the rest of the meat was processed--whether for human or animal consumption, I'm not sure, stories have not been clear on that point. Given that it is 100% fatal, I would rather they were more careful.