Brazil has suspended beef export to China. The suspension comes after a case of mad cow disease was confirmed in the northern state of Para. The mad cow disease is known medically as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).
About Mad Cow Disease
- Known as mad cow disease in popular parlance, BSE is an acronym for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy.
- The disease infects cows and attacks their central nervous system. It's a fatal disease.
- Mad cow disease is degenerative, transmissible, and slowly progressive.
- It affects the central nervous system of adult cattle.
- During the late 1980s mad cow disease assumed the epidemic proportions in the UK.
Symptoms of bovine spongiform encephalopathy
The symptoms usually include aggression and a lack of co-ordination. According to US Food and Drug Administration, a common sign of BSE in cows is incoordination.
What causes mad cow disease?
Most scientists are unanimous that BSE is caused by an abnormal version of a protein called prion.
Key Takeaways
- Brazil is the world's largest exporter of beef and China is its biggest customer.
- China is the largest importer of beef in the world.
- Against the backdrop of the emergence of a case of mad cow disease
- Brazil has temporarily suspended beef exports to China
