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Attempts to Sidestep Mad Cow: Prion-Free CattleMonday, January 1, 2007The Washington Post Rick Weiss Prions are proteins that are naturally produced in animals. An abnormal form of them is believed to be the agent responsible for "mad cow disease" (a.k.a., bovine spongiform encephalopathy: BSE). Of the 12 calves initially produced, three have been killed to confirm that their brains did not become infected after exposure to BSE prions. The surviving animals are now being directly injected with BSE. It can take as long as two years for the disease to be detected in infected animals. At least three years will be required for additional testing to see if the cattle remain prion-free and whether the absence of prions causes any problems. (Other research has suggested they may be crucial for processes ranging from blood formation to memory.) Prion-free cows could be used to produce cow serum, a substance popularly used for many biological experiments. The Washington Post reports: "They were created so that human pharmaceuticals can be made in their blood without the danger that those products might get contaminated with the infectious agent that causes mad cow." At least 180 people worldwide have died in the last 20 years after eating BSE-infected meat. Similar prion-based diseases also are found in sheep, deer, elk and mink. |