Essay, Research Paper

The wellbeing of the blood supply has ever been a critical constituent of human being. It is common cognition that the bing blood supply is lacking to the increasing use of blood and blood merchandises. Ironically, as the subject of blood contribution arises in society, frights and uncertainties as to how healthful and healthful the blood of blood givers frequently surface. For case, there is much unfavorable judgment over leting foreign travellers to Great Britain the chance to donate their blood. This unfavorable judgment stems from the belief that the Great Britain endemic of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy ( BSE or & # 8220 ; Mad Cow Disease & # 8221 ; ) can be physiologically related to the deadly Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in worlds. Although there is barely any scientific grounds that supports this allegation, the United States Department of Agriculture and the FDA have introduced rigorous limitations refering the importing of British cowss merchandises and the blood contribution of British travellers. Critics, politicians, and the general public frequently utilize the speculation of illicit facts and myths to determine their sentiments refering BSE. This is all right and great, but I believe a valid sentiment on the topic must be backed by important facts implying the clinical epidemiology and history of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, its relation to other catching spongiform brain disorders ( TSE ) , possible transmittal to the human species, the causes of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and any relationships between BSE and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. My sentiment, based on the facts, is what I offer to you.Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy ( BSE ) Bovine spongiform brain disorder is a fatal encephalon disease of cowss. BSE is most common in dairy cowss, but non rare in beef cowss either. Cattle affected by BSE experience a progressive devolution of the nervous system. Infected animate beings may demo alterations in behaviour such as jitteriness or aggression ( hence the term & # 8220 ; huffy cow disease & # 8221 ; ) , unnatural position, deficiency of milk production, anorexia, and inordinate defeat. All cowss affected with BSE either of course succumb or are euthanized. BSE is most frequently found in the Holstein-Fresian of cowss, although all strains are suseptible. The disease normally is introduced to the cowss near pubescence ( 12-15 months ) , and the incubation period of the disease is 5 or more old ages. The period of existent infection to decease is scarily brief ; the animate being is normally dead within 4 months of demoing symptoms.BSE belongs to a group of animate being diseases term Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy ( TSE ) . Different signifiers of TSE diseases can impact felids, gnawers, and other ruminant animate beings. The micro-organism responsible for BSE and TSE & # 8217 ; s is smaller than the smallest viruses. This micro-organism is called a prion. Prions are entirely host-coded proteins that attack the encephalon and nervous system of host animate beings, destructing encephalon tissue and dismembering the nervous system. The encephalons of affected animate beings take on a sponge-like texture, which explains the term & # 8220 ; spongiform & # 8221 ; in the clinical name. Prions do non trip immune responses or inflammatory reactions, which is why they are unable to be detected until postmortem ( after decease ) scrutiny of victim animals.Mad Cow Disease most probably originated from feeding cowss bone and repast merchandises of sheep infected with scrapie. Somehow, scrapie mutated to impact cowss, and BSE came to be. The first instances of BSE were discovered in Britain in 1985. Quickly, BSE raved mayhem on the British dairy industry, killing over 176,000 cattles wi

thin 10 years.Impact of British BSE on US, and the Ban on Importing British CattleA majority of countries took a zero-tolerance approach toward British dairy products. Since BSE was such a big scare in Great Britain, nobody cared to bring the disease back to their countries. That is when the restrictions started. Since 1989, the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) has prohibited the importation of live ruminants from BSE-affected countries. Ruminant products, such as fetal bovine serum, bonemeal, meat and bone, and offal were also prohibited from entry. Although “no cases of BSE were ever found in the U.S” (APHIS- United States of Agriculture), I believe the restrictions were a good idea. The best policy to prevent Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy from entering the U.S. is to prevent bovines (live, and their tissue products) from entering. Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease and its relationship with BSE.The fear of Cruetzfeldt-Jakob Disease influenced many officials to force the USDA to ban British cattle. Cruetzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) is a degenerative brain disease found in humans. Symptoms-wise, it is similar to BSE, where increased aggression, degeneration of brain functions, and death are potential symptoms. However, according to the United Kingdom’s Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC):”With the 10 diagnosed cases of CJD on March 20, 1996, there was no direct scientificevidence of a link between Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy and Creutzfeldt-JakobDisease. The most likely explanation as to why cases were originally thought to be linked to exposure to BSE were due to finding traces of a prion specified bovine offal (SBO). This prion, however, would have been ineffective in finding evidence relating BSE andCJD due to the USDA’s ban of SBO in 1989.”After these foundings were published, 45 cases of CJD were identified. They still have yet to be found relative in any way to BSE.Blood or No Blood?With 10 diagnosed cases of CJD having a diminutive chance of being related to BSE, compared to the thousands of cattle infected with BSE in Great Britain, I’d say the USDA and FDA did a good job of preventing the spread of BSE to the U.S. The problem lay in keeping the cattle away, not in excluding the British from donating blood. I see no reason for the United States to continue to prohibit British travelers from donating blood. It has been proven over and over that BSE and CJD are similar in symptoms and origin, but share no direct relationship when transmission to humans is a factor. The risk of BSE to humans is almost nil, and the FDA is just being overly cautious with its bans. The blood of willing donors should not be excluded with such flimsy evidence; it is too costly to those who depend on the depleting remnants of the human blood supply.Bibliography/ReferencesUnited States Department of Agriculture/ APHIS, “Factsheet: Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy.” September 1999. Website: http://www.aphis.usda.govUniversity of Illinois-Urbana, “BSE- Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy” Website: http://w3.aces.uiuc.edu/AnSci/BSE/The Atlantic Monthly, “Could Mad-Cow Disease Happen Here?” Volume 98, Issue 9.Centers for Epidemiology and Animal Health, “Bibliography for Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies.” Copyright 1996, Washington DCMizutani, Hirotsugu Shiraki, “Clinicopathological Aspects of Cruetzfeldt-Jakob Disease.” Copyright 1985, Amsterdam, Netherlands.Ensminger, M. E, “Animal Science.” Copyright 1991, Danville, IL.Wall Street Journal, “Mad Cow Fears Lead Panel to Urge Barring of Blood Donors.” June 3, 1999.