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Re: Mad Cow disease, BSE; Justice is served.
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Subject: Re: Mad Cow disease, BSE; Justice is served.
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From: jscanlon@linex.com (Jim Scanlon)
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Date: Wed, 24 Apr 1996 10:14:04 GMT
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Article: 12063 of alt.sustainable.agriculture
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Newsgroups: sci.environment, uk.environment, alt.sustainable.agriculture, sci.agriculture, scot.environment, misc.consumers, alt.politics.greens, alt.org.earth-first, alt.save.the.earth
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In article <UW6vhBAl7rexEweO@denby.demon.co.uk>, Paul Clarke
<paul@denby.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> The trouble with this correspondence is that everybody seems to have a
> view on BSE but few if any of the contributors are sufficiently
> knowledgeable to have a fully informed opinion. The latest theory
> (supported by experimental evidence - see The Observer 21/4/96) is that
> the disease is harboured and spread by hay mites - so that whatever you
> do as regards killing off infected or suspect animals, the hay mites
> will spread the disease to any replacement stock!! Rather a worrying
> scenario - what do we do if it's true!?
I understand that the experiment referred to was reported in Lancet in
which Icelandic researchers inoculated the brains and body cavities of
mice with ground up hay mites and observed "scrapie" in several of the
mice after a period of time.
Please note that "scrapie" is a brain disease of sheep, and BSE is one of
cattle. They may be related, they may not.
Humans have been eating and closely associated with sheep for centuries.
>From all the vulgar jokes I have heard in my lifetime, even sexual abuse
of ewes is not uncommon. So far, no connection with Creutzfeldt Jacob like
diseases in humans. D Carlton Gajdusek, the Nobel Prize winner does
speculate that kitchen accidents butchering sheep may account for the
(low)incidence of CJ Disease world wide.
I think it would we wise to look carefully at the Icelandic research
protocol. Were, say, control midges or spiders injected into the brains
and body cavities? Is there a possibility of laboratory contamination.
What are the potential pathways for transmission in the wild from sheep to
sheep.? Are the mites affected themselves: how could they be vectors. Or
are they just innocent victims.
Best wishes,
Jim Scanlon
--
199 Canal St #8
San Rafael CA
94901
415-485-0540
References: