Second Human Mad Cow Blood Case Raises Concerns

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=5890281 ^ | Thu Aug 5, 2004 | reuters

[Zeroisanumber]

Corpse came into the hospital morgue tonight to be tested for C-J. No one in security would get anywhere near the thing.

[bikepacker67]

[Grani]

This is a scary article, given the lack of inspection by the USDA in the US. This is a good time to be a vegan!

[BlackVeil]

Scary. I imagine that those religious sects, like the JWs, who wont have blood transfusions for religious reasons, must be congratulating themselves.

[BigLittle]

How many mad cows did you say?

[NotQuiteCricket]

"The second patient did not die of vCJD but an autopsy showed the infectious agent in the spleen." If it was in the spleen, does that mean the body was attempting to dispose of it? The spleen is a nasty little organ (I mean that in the nicest way possible by the way).

[struwwelpeter]

Red Cross won't take my blood since I lived in Europe from 1988-94. Too bad they weren't that careful with donations from San Francisco bathhouse patrons.

[Paleo Conservative]

We're doomed!

[GVnana]

Where?

[weegee]

There were recently some deaths when people had organs transplanted from someone who died with rabies (and wasn't tested). Medical officials said they were surprised at the outcome.

Just because you don't eat meat doesn't mean that you are safe in this world.

[Zeroisanumber]

Minneapolis.

[GVnana]

It's not typical to test for CJ. Was there some kind of diagnosis that lead to this?

[Zeroisanumber]

I believe that CJ was the suspected cause of death and that they sent the corpse to our hospital to have it's brain pulled and dissected. I imagine that they want to be sure it's CJ before they released the news that a local had died from having a virus eat his brain.

[King Prout]

prion, actually.

this wasn't, by any chance, just south of Valdosta GA, was it?

[Zeroisanumber]

Nope. Minneapolis, Minnesota.

[King Prout]

nevermind - Minneapolis.

we have an odd case down here.
might be CJ.
Victim's mother would not allow an autopsy to determine COD

[GVnana]

This disease just scares the hell out of me. Imagine a 10 year incubation period. I keep telling myself I'm going to buy freezer beef from a local rancher. But I haven't done it yet!

[Zeroisanumber]

It's scary, but rare as all hell. It's just the "deadly disease of the week" like that flesh eating virus that was making the rounds in the media a few years back. I've never seen a case of it in my entire time here at the hospital, nor met anyone who has.

Antibiotic-resistant staph infections scare me a lot more these days.

[bluecollarman]

HOW TO SPOT A MAD COW!