Introduction
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) is a comparatively new disease of cattle. It was first recognised and defined in the United Kingdom in November 1986. Over the next few years the epidemic grew considerably and affected all parts of the country but to different degrees.
BSE occurs in adult animals in both sexes, typically in four and five year olds. It is a neurological disease involving pronounced changes in mental state, abnormalities of posture and movement and of sensation. The clinical disease usually lasts for several weeks and it is characteristically progressive and fatal.
Scotland continues to have relatively low numbers of BSE cases compared to the peak of the epidemic in the early 1990s. The marked decrease in the number of cases detected through passive surveillance is still consistent with the 'long tail' previously predicted by epidemiologists. Absolute numbers have however rose in 2001 and 2002 as a consequence of the active BSE surveillance programme started in July 2001.
The BSE Inquiry Report
The BSE Inquiry was announced in Westminster on 22 December 1997, and began in 12 January 1998. Its purpose was to establish and review the history of the emergence and identification of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) and new variant Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease(CJD) in the United Kingdom, and of the action taken in response to it up to 20 March 1996; to reach conclusions on the adequacy of that response, taking into account the state of knowledge at the time; and to report on these matters to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Secretary of State for Health and the Secretaries of State for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The BSE Inquiry has a dedicated website and can be found at:
www.bseinquiry.gov.uk
BSE in sheep
Although there is no evidence that scrapie is a human pathogen, there is still scientific uncertainty about a possible risk to human health from TSE's in sheep. There is a theoretical possibility that sheep could have been infected with BSE through eating Meat and Bone Meal (MBM) before the 1986 feed ban and the clinical signs could be masked by scrapie. Unlike BSE in Cattle, experimentalBSE in sheep is not confined to the spinal column, spreading to other organs. Follow this link for more detail on BSE in Sheep.
Back to top