Mad cow disease, also known as BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy), is a slowly progressive, fatal neurological disorder in cattle that results from a prion infection. Research indicates that the first probable BSE infection in cows occurred in the 1970s. The origin of BSE is likely due to feeding cattle with meat and bone meal containing BSE-infected products from a spontaneous case of BSE. Evidence suggests that the outbreak spread throughout the UK beef industry by feeding prion-infected bovine meat and bone meal to young calves (Mad Cow Disease Facts). There is strong laboratory evidence linking the BSE outbreak in cattle to a human prion disease called variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) that was first reported in the United Kingdom (UK) in 1996. The disease is caused by the consumption of beef products contaminated with nervous system tissue from cattle infected with mad cow disease. It can affect all age groups and is very difficult to diagnose until it is almost over. VCJD is fatal, usually within 13 months of the onset of symptoms (The Basics of Mad Cow Disease). The impact of mad cow disease and vCJD in the UK has sparked fear around the world and led to major changes to be implemented in the beef industry. Background to the disease outbreak mad cow diseasePrions do not cause any detectable immune or inflammatory response in the host. Indeed, they are present naturally in the animal and human body. They are therefore not recognized as foreign and do not stimulate the immune system. The buildup of abnormal prions in the brain causes neuronal cells to die and a type of protein called amyloid to build up in plaques or flat areas and causes brain tissue to degenerate...... middle of paper ......a BSE case in a dairy cow born in Alberta in 2004 (Mad Cow Disease Outbreaks Timeline). Since 1989, when the first case of BSE was reported outside the UK, a total of 1,088,556 cases have been reported in several different countries (Q&A: BSE). The widespread infection of cattle in the United Kingdom with mad cow disease has caused panic. worldwide and has led to major changes in the beef industry. Mad cow disease has led to the slaughter of millions of cattle to prevent the disease from becoming a global epidemic. Laws have been implemented to regulate what is fed to livestock and what parts of livestock can be used in animal and human food to help prevent the spread of disease between cattle and from livestock to humans. The whole world must be vigilant in monitoring and controlling mad cow disease outbreaks to prevent another global outbreak..