French goat confirmed with 'mad cow' disease in disturbing world first

Yahoo! News | AFP ^ | 1/28/05

[Just mythoughts]

"A goat slaughtered in France in 2002 has tested positive for "mad cow" disease, French and EU officials said,"

2002 and we are just now hearing about it. Could it be this is what ails the French they have MAD goat disease?

[mlc9852]

Well, I won't be eating goat for awhile.

[skinkinthegrass]

Hmm..Was this Happenstance or were they watching this/these herds of goats and when did it start? ..Have the French stopped taking $$$ bribes?

[MineralMan]

"2002 and we are just now hearing about it. "

Well, apparently they were suspicious, because the meat wasn't sold and the rest of that herd of goats was destroyed. Since the disease wasn't known in goats, it could have taken some time to confirm it.

[lonevoice]

ping

[LibWhacker]

. . . although they lean towards prions, which are supposedly virtually indestructible, even at autoclave temps.

Yep . . . They seem to be such simple things (not that I know anything about them!) operating at such a fundamental cellular level, it'll be absolutely amazing to me if prions can target one species and not another.

Wonder if the darned things can mutate?

[Freebird Forever]

it'll be absolutely amazing to me if prions can target one species and not another.

This study published 2-17-04 by the National Academy of Sciences stated that:

"The unprecedented biological properties of the BSE agent, which circumvents the so-called "species barrier" between cattle and humans and adapts to different mammalian species, has raised considerable concern for human health. To date, it is unknown whether more than one strain might be responsible for cattle TSE or whether the BSE agent undergoes phenotypic variation after natural transmission. Here we provide evidence of a second cattle TSE."

Not only can it jump species barriers, there appears to be several strains.

[Cicero]

It's almost certain that this disease in cows comes from feeding them bits of ground-up cow, ground bones, or the like in their feed.

Presumably this goat was fed some such contaminated feed. My comic mind also raised the idea of a bit of goat/cow frolicking in the pasture, but I think it's only transmitted by eating a diseased animal.

[UnklGene]

[VeniVidiVici]

Darn, no more goat head cheese.

[MomwithHope]

You are correct, we are safe in the US, there are regulations banning feed containing animal products.

vanity - we have enjoyed our Saanen dairy goats for 17 years. They have given us great dairy products from milk, butter, cheese, ice cream, kefir, and yogurt. They are a great source of entertainment too, and given our daughter 9 years worth of 4H projects animals. It's been a great ride.

[Sentis]

I have had this gut feeling that Mad cow is some how being purposly transmitted by the enviromentalist movement.

[farmfriend]

Rights, farms, environment ping.
Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from this list.
I don't get offended if you want to be removed.

[Thinkin' Gal]

I have had this gut feeling that Mad cow is some how being purposly transmitted by the enviromentalist movement.

Maybe the vegans know something. Sort of like muslims getting off the bus before the homocide bomber blows.

[Seadog Bytes]

[Gargantua]

SACRE BLEU!

[farmfriend]

Where do you come up with these things?

[BurbankKarl]

Did he get it from a frenchman?

[Seadog Bytes]

RE: "Where do you come up with these things?"

Google is our friend.

Seriously, where did you get all the articles you posted in the past hour or so? I would have no prayer of even reading them all in that short a time, much less reading them AND posting them. You must both read AND type WAY faster than I do. Thanks for all the great articles. Most are pretty DEPRESSING, but I DO read as many as time allows.

Best,

   

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!