Mad cow disease has been linked to a fourth death in the Unites States. Texas health officials confirmed a patient in the state died from an illness related to eating meat from cattle infected with mad cow disease.
Lab tests and an autopsy of the patient’s brain show that the patient tested positive for Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, a rare, degenerative, fatal brain disorder in humans, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a press release. Variant CJD or mad cow disease is formally called bovine spongiform encephalopathy or BSE. BSE can be spread to humans by eating meat from animals that are infected, have come in contact with the disease, or products processed by contaminated machinery.
Mad cow disease was first reported in 1996. Since then, the CDC has reported about 220 patients with the fatal disorder, with the United Kingdom and France accounting for the majority of the cases worldwide. The Texas patient’s diagnosis is the fourth reported in the United States since the first case was confirmed in December 2003. As in each of the previous cases, the history of the Texas patient showed travel outside of the U.S. to the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia. The deceased patient traveled extensively in Europe and the Middle East, which could have played a role in the infection.
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The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) stated, “There are no Texas public health concerns or threats associated with this case.” Together with the CDC DSHS will investigate further to confirm further details about the patient’s history.
Mad cow disease varies from classic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, which affects about 300 people a year in the United States and is not linked to mad cow disease deaths, according to the CDC. Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease typically has an incubation period, sometimes up to 50 years, with symptoms often appearing when it’s too late, said the National Institute of Health. Patients often report dementia, impaired vision, and personality changes. Unfortunately, the disease can only be confirmed by testing after the person is deceased.