What is mad cow disease?

Mad cow disease, or Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), is a progressive neurological disease that a ects cattle. A mutated prion protein infects the central nervous system of cattle, causing a spongy deterioration of both their brain and spinal cord. This neurologic deterioration causes the cow to exhibit behavioural changes, lose control of its muscles and eventually its ability to walk. Cows, which are naturally herbivores, become infected when they are fed the remains of other infected cattle in the form of meat and bone meal, causing the infectious prion to spread.

Mad cow disease is rearing its ugly head again in the U.S. with the rst discovery of the disease since 2006. The case was discovered in a cow in California on Tuesday. Two major South Korean retailers halted sales, but Canada, Mexico, Korea, Japan and the European Union said they would continue to import U.S. beef.

Mad cows
EUROPEAN UNION $243 million +60% % change from 2010 EGYPT $236 million +33%

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U.S. beef exports, 2011

CANADA $1,032 million +41% MEXICO $985 million +20% GUATEMALA $15 million +62% PERU $20 million +79% CHILE $22 million +262%

1 2
CARIBBEAN $117 million +14%

RUSSIA $255 million +68%

SOUTH KOREA $686 million +32% HONG KONG $237 million +50% VIETNAM $192 million +17% INDONESIA $28 million +12%

JAPAN $874 million +37%

SAUDI ARABIA $31 million +40% U.S. beef exports (tonnes 000s)

TAIWAN $200 million -8% PHILIPPINES $38 million +30%

Austria 5 Belgium 133 Canada 18 Czech Republic 28 Denmark 14 Falkland Islands 1 Finland 1 France 900 Germany 312 Greece 1 Hong Kong 2 Ireland 1,353 Israel 1 Italy 138 Japan 26 Liechtenstein 2 Luxembourg 2 Netherlands 85 Oman 2 Poland 21 Portugal 875 Slovakia 15 Slovenia 7 Spain 412 Sweden 1 Switzerland 453 Thailand 0 U.K. 183,841 U.S. 4 Total 188,580

Country

BSE vCJD cases cases

0 0 2 0 0 0 0 25 0 0 0 4 0 2 1 0 1 3 0 0 2 0 0 5 0 0 2 176 3 280

1,273.2 1,274.1 $3.4B $3.9B 1,233.8 2003-06: $3.2B

In humans
BSE can be transferred to humans through consumption of BSE-infected cattle. Cannot be transmitted by milk. When a human is infected, the disease is called variant Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease (vCJD) It is marked by neurologic degeneration and behavioural changes. vCJD is not contagious among humans.

Three cases 984.7 of BSE detected $3.6B in U.S. 897.4 Eight cases 771.2 $3.1B in Canada $2.6B

1,067.3 1,287.6 $4.1B $5,421B

NEW ZEALAND $4 million +3,749%

2011 beef exports:

655.9 322.0 $2.0B $809M 472.7 $1.4B

2007-11: 10 cases of BSE detected in Canada

$5.4 billion

2011 U.S. cattle inventory:

92,582,400
Average weights at slaughter Steers 830 lbs Heifers 769 lbs Bulls 893 lbs Cows 617 lbs

30.9 million beef cows 26.7 million feeder calves

Both Canada and the United States ban using parts of ruminant animals (including cattle) in feed for other ruminant animals, a step that guards against the spread of mad cow through feed.

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Sources: National Cattlemens Beef Association; Graphic News; Reuters; Wikipedia; CDC

SUSAN BATSFORD, GRAPHICS EDITOR, TWITTER @SBATS1/QMI AGENCY