Geographically, most cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy were reported to survive within the indigenous cows. This was mainly in countries found in Europe, such as United Kingdom. It was again seen in those imported animal from Falkland as well as Oman. Also some reports were issued in Europe concerning the outcome of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in surveillance programs.
According to the climatic condition, this infectious agent was found to be distinctive in temperatures above 600 degrees Celsius. It was a core contributor to the great spread of the disease in United Kingdom which had been found to reduce temperatures during its process of rendering (Lister and Becker).
In the population context about the United Kingdom after the outbreak of the disease from 1986 to 1998, the number of cattle’s infected was ranging from 180,000. The number of cattle slaughtered during the program of eradication was 4,400,000. In human, it was found that the disease could be easily gotten by coming into contact with infected cow leading to Creutzdt-Jakob disease. It killed about 177 people just in the United Kingdom. About 460000 to 482,000, bovine spongiform encephalopathy had earlier entered food chain for human before they could be controlled (Ferreiro).
In accordance to the economy of the united kingdom concerning the bovine spongiform encephalopathy, it is clearly stated that measures were taken by the government and all meat importation were brought down into zero levels. In this case, sale of domestic beefs declined, exporting markets were completely drawn and also the abattoirs had to be temporarily closed down. This impacted a great lose in the nation due to the outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy. There was also a great increase in meat consumption rate as the cost also increases progressively due to the new market services within the nation.
According to the health care system of the United Kingdom, the government made bovine spongiform disease as a notifiable infection in the year 1988. From the year 1994, the European nations came up with better control measures of the bovine spongiform encephalopathy. These measures are said to be put in sheets for more information about the disease. The United Kingdom has no longer come out with plasma sources from the inhibitors, and white blood cell depletion from the transfusion of blood against Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Some of the countries have greater impression concerning donation of blood especially when the bovine spongiform is highly noticed (Freeman).
The causes of this disease are greatly believed to contain infectious agents which are selective types of proteins and are misfiled. This agent is known as prion. In other instances, theories try to state the agent is whereby they come out with different reasons that the agent is a virus, spiroplasma as well as acinetobacter. This prion are covered with a hard shell which are very resistant even at a higher boiling of beef (Belk and Maier). Its protein is capable of carrying disease between an individual leading to brain deterioration. Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy originates from animals that are capable of carrying allele. This allele courses previous normal protein molecules which help in comforting themselves from a helical alpha arranged into a sheet which is beta pleated that give the each protein its shape coursing disease. The spread of this disease can also occur in a contagious manner whereby a healthy animal comes into contact with a tainted tissue of the infected animal (Ferreiro). Within the brain cells, the proteins produces native cellular prion proteins which leads to the deformation of the brain of an animal. It again moves further to deform the prion proteins at the cascade exponential states. All this leads to aggregation of proteins forming fibers which are densely plaque enhancing whole formation in the brain which are microscopically seen. Physical and mental disability is also seen within the animals and sometime at the end deaths occurs. The research carried out in 2008 shows that some cows are now capable of coursing genetic mutation within their genes and this is termed as prion protein gene.
In signs and symptoms, those cows affected by bovine spongiform encephalopathy are usually found in the herd and progressively signs of neurological lesion and behavior disorientations will be observed. There will be increased aggressiveness which is a notable sign; the castles actively react extensively to loud noise, react to touch as well as slow development of ataxic. Systemically, the signs include reduced milk production, urge to vomit (anorexia) plus lethargy, difficulty in walking plus involuntary movement and neurological signs.
In vaccination process to prevent the spread of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, it was obtained that the bovine materials are contained in children’s vaccine. This bovine insulin could be used in some elderly patients who were noticed and recognized. Prevention could help most as there was a ban in cattle meat feeding as we well as bone feeding. This greatly promoted reduction in the disease cases within the United Kingdom. Importing controls, surveillance measure and control importation relies greatly imposed disease free countries. In the united kingdom slaughterhouses, the specific risk materials in the cattle’s included, the brain, trigeminal ganglia, the spinal cord, eyes and many more (Ridgway).
Conclusion
In many parts of the world, the bovine spongiform encephalopathy disease as brought down many sectors of income within the United Kingdom. It has also affected the mortality rate among the human lives. The government of United Kingdom has come up with a significant way to help process the disease and bring it down before it spreads further. The measures imposed should be keenly understood and be activated to work so that the complication seen in animals and human should not re-occur again.
Works Cited
Ferreiro, Carmen. Mad Cow Disease (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy). Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 2005. Print.
Ridgway, Tom. Mad Cow Disease. New York, NY: Rosen Pub. Group, 2002. Print.
Lister, Sarah A and Geoffrey S Becker. Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE, Or "Mad Cow Disease"). New York: Nova Science Publishers, 2009. Print.
Belk, Colleen M and Virginia Borden Maier. Biology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007. Print.
Freeman, Scott. Biological Science. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2002. Print.
