New mad cow prion in japan

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JAPAN FINDS POSSIBLE NEW TYPE OF MAD COW DISEASE: 10/08/03: (The Japan

Times): " A Holstein bull slaughtered was confirmed Monday to have been

infected with mad cow disease. The 23-month-old bull is the eighth case of

the brain-wasting illness found in Japan and is believed to be the world's

youngest carrier of the disease also known as bovine spongiform

encephalopathy, according to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.

 

It also said the abnormal prions found in the bull were of a different type

from those of any of the mad cow infection cases reported worldwide so far.

The bull was born in October 2001 and was younger than the seven beasts

previously diagnosed with mad cow disease, the latest of which was

confirmed in late January. Until now, the youngest infected cow here was 64

months old.

 

Cows examined in Europe for the disease are generally older than 24 months.

Mad cow disease is believed to be caused by the consumption of

meat-and-bone meal contaminated with abnormal prions. It has been linked to

nervous system illnesses such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. It said there

could be over 30 additional animals in Japan with mad cow disease, which

first broke out in 1986 in Britain. The fact that the bull, which was born

after the first domestic case came to light, was confirmed as having the

disease indicates that there may be another route of contamination, experts

said.

 

[Very edited from:

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20031007a3.htm