MAD COW DISEASE ALSO CAUSED BY GENETIC MUTATION

In another issue of Science Daily, contemporary findings regarding the reasons behind the disease of mad cow illustrated that there were times that it might be genetic. Juergen A. Richt had been “Regents Distinguished Professor of Diagnostic Medicine” as well as Pathobiology. He had also been connected with the College of Veterinary Medicine at the State University of Kansas. According to Richt, they already learned that it was also evident among cattle genes. Cattle of this kind could be examined with light microscopes. Light microscopes could be used in researches like these. The use of light microscopes had been very helpful for those who study cattle. It was only until many years had elapsed that it had been assumed that the known “cattle prion disease bovine spongiform encephalopathy” was one foodborne disease. The former had also been known as BSE.

In contemporary discoveries done by Richt’s team, it was recommended that this disease of the mad cow had been an effect of one mutation of the gene in the interior of a gene named as Prion Protein Gene. According to the original article, prion proteins were proteins which had been expressed plentifully in the mammals’ brain as well as immune cells. It was further illustrated that for the initial instance, a cow which had been ten years old and which originated from Alabama had an out of character outward appearance of the “bovine spongiform encephalopathy.” It had a similar kind of the prion protein mutation of the gene as discovered among human patients having the genetic appearance of the disease of Creutzfeldt-Jakob. Aside from having one genetic starting point, other human appearances of the prion diseases could be quite intermittent. In other words, they could somehow be constricted whenever individuals would nourish on products that had been infected with the disease of mad cow. Such an appearance of the “Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease” had been named as the variant CJD. It was also mentioned that the findings disclosed of the presence of one genetic constituent towards BSE. Such had been considered as important or vital due to the reason that it offered information that individuals could possess such a disease from just about everywhere worldwide. Needless to say, even those countries considered to be freed from BSE were not also liberated.

Moreover, Richt underwent this research undertaking at the time when he was laboring at the recognized National Animal Disease Center. He called prion diseases as “slow diseases.” This included even the disease of the mad cow. It had been considered as a sluggish procedure for contaminated prion proteins towards progression. It had been in this connection that the disease would take an extended period in order to illustrate about. It had also been revealed that the disease of the mad cow which was a result of genetics was very much uncommon. The latest epidemiological study had an estimate of the effects of mutation. It stated of the influences of such in less than one in around two thousand cattle.

Here is a link to the article:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080912075208.htm