RE: Mad Cow Disease

["Nardi, A. Joseph" <nardiaj@WESTINGHOUSE.COM>]

Richard Rhodes wrote an interesting book on this subject titled "Deadly

Feasts".  His understanding is that the protein is the same as one found in

the brain but in a different geometric configuration (i.e. unfolded).  I do

not know how accurate his analysis is but I respect his writing and research

on other subjects that I do know more about ("The Making of the Atomic Bomb"

and "Dark Suns").  As I remember it the problem is that the normal proteins

in the brain are changed to the new configuration by some mechanism and that

this change is what damages the brain tissue.



A. Joseph Nardi

Supervisory Engineer

Environment, Health and Safety

Westinghouse Electric Company

Phone: (412) 374-4652

Email: nardiaj@westinghouse.com



> ----------

> From:         Otto G. Raabe[SMTP:ograabe@UCDAVIS.EDU]

> Reply To:     Otto G. Raabe

> Sent:         Thursday, March 29, 2001 12:17 AM

> To:   Muckerheide; MacLellan, Jay A; radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu

> Subject:      Mad Cow Disease

> 

> March 28, 2001

> Davis, CA

> 

> Mad cow disease, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), is caused by a

> weird protein which has been named "prion" that slowly duplicates itself

> until is disrupts the brain and spinal tissues. It is not a virus or

> bacteria and may not be affected by normal cooking if it is found in meat.

> How the first copy was formed is a mystery, but it was propagated by

> feeding slaughtered animal parts to other animals or by manufacturing

> animal feed utilizing brain and/or spinal tissues or fluids from infected

> cattle. There is a possibility it is also in sheep now. 

> 

> It is possible to transmit the prion precursor protein to people who eat

> the meat containing infected tissues, and results in the human equivalent

> of mad cow disease which is called Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease (CJD). I

> guess

> eating beef hot dogs would be one way of being exposed because hot dogs

> are

> made with parts of the cow that might contain small quantities of brain or

> spinal tissue. 

> 

> The kicker is that the incubation period in people varies from 15 to 30

> years! I could have been exposed during my last trip to Great Britain and

> not develop CJD until 2020.

> 

> Otto

> 

> **********************************************

> Prof. Otto G. Raabe, Ph.D., CHP

> Institute of Toxicology & Environmental Health

> (Street Address: Bldg. 3792, Old Davis Road) 

> University of California, Davis, CA 95616

> E-Mail: ograabe@ucdavis.edu

> Phone: (530) 752-7754   FAX: (530) 758-6140

> ***********************************************

> ************************************************************************

> You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To unsubscribe,

> send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu  Put the text "unsubscribe

> radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail, with no subject line.

> 

************************************************************************

You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To unsubscribe,

send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu  Put the text "unsubscribe

radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail, with no subject line.



------------------------------