What is BSE?

BSE is a progressive, fatal disease of the nervous system of cattle. The disease has a long incubation period of four to five years and there is currently no treatment or vaccine for the disease.

BSE is one of a group of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE). Other TSEs include scrapie in sheep, chronic wasting disease (CWD) in deer and elk, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans. A neurological disease in cats has been linked to BSE.

BSE, like other TSEs, is characterized by the presence of an abnormal infectious protein called a prion in nervous tissue. The subsequent spongy degeneration of the brain results in severe and fatal neurological signs and symptoms.

BSE is a disease listed in the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Terrestrial Animal Health Code and must be reported to the OIE (OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code). BSE is a disease for which the OIE established official recognition of the sanitary status countries and zones.

Source: The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)