Mad Cow Disease

[tonado]

My wife loves steak. Price should go down now.

 

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The following countries have banned U.S. beef because of a case of mad cow disease in a Washington state cow:

 

Argentina

 

Australia

 

Brazil

 

Cambodia

 

Canada (ban limited to processed meats)

 

Chile

 

China, including Hong Kong

 

Colombia

 

Costa Rica

 

Egypt

 

Indonesia

 

Jamaica

 

Japan

 

Malaysia

 

Mexico

 

Nicaragua

 

Peru

 

Russia

 

Singapore

 

South Africa

 

South Korea

 

Taiwan

 

Thailand

 

Uruguay

 

Venezuela

 

Vietnam

 

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, AP sources

[keelec]

I have discussed Mad Cow Disease with my family quite a bit over this weekend. In many senses the boycotts are foolish. However, the USDA’s policy towards Beef has also been quite foolish over the last few years.

 

First some background:

 

Mad Cow Disease is caused by Prions. Prions are actually naturally occurring proteins in the body that have assumed an abnormal conformation (shape). Presumably this could happen randomly, but would be extremely rare. These incorrectly shaped proteins can cause additional proteins to take the same shape.

 

Unfortunately, we have no medications that can target these specific proteins, and they are also highly heat resistant, as well as being resistant to almost all other anti-microbial treatments that we have used in the past.

 

Fortunately, the disease essentially requires direct tissue contact to pass on such as consumption of the flesh of a diseased animal. It is unclear whether the disease can be passed to calves, and it is not believed that it is passed through milk.

 

Now, there are 2 policies that have brought this disease into the light.

 

1 – Feeding of animal product based protein supplements to livestock intended for human consumption (including feeding beef products to cattle). These protein products come from rendering plants that cook either animals that died from disease and other various causes, or animals waste products from butchering until a dry powdered meat product is obtained. This process should be adequate to kill ordinary bacteria and viruses. However, apparently it does not destroy the prions. Thus, the sickest of the animals which could potentially be carriers of the disease, are converted to a product that is fed back to the livestock.

About 5 years ago, it was prohibited to feed animal product protein products to cattle (and, presumably other livestock intended for human consumption). However, any animal that is over 5 years old could potentially have been fed these products. Cattle are now generally fed Soy protein supplements that can not carry the disease.

 

2 – “Downer Cattle”. While all beef animals have to pass a veterinary inspection prior to butcher, there are certain classes of cows that are allowed to be butchered FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION that are very sick, or possibly even unable to walk. Some of these are due to an “obtorator nerve paralysis” that can occur during calving, especially when young cows (heifers) have large calves. This can cause a generally temporary paralysis of the back legs and difficulties walking. Apparently there are certain other illnesses that are allowed.

Our argument here at home is whether the Mad Cow disease was presenting (or being masked) by one of these other illnesses, or whether in the Washington case it was asymptomatic, and was only discovered because these “downer” animals were given additional scrutiny. Of course, here at home, we have always been careful to NEVER send unhealthy animals to market, and to treat any diseases and wait the required withdrawal periods before sending the animals to market.

 

 

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Ok, what does this all mean to you?

 

Steaks are generally made from young animals (1-2 years old). Virtually none of these would have been fed rendering plant based protein supplements, and thus the risk factor for those animals is EXTREMELY LOW. Eat up as much as you want, and you will be just fine.

 

Hamburger, however, may be made from diseased cattle (not “believed” to be harmful to humans), and older cattle (over 5 years old that wouldn’t have been subject to the rendering plant product restrictions). This is where the real danger lies. Although, I am sure that it is still extremely remote. I guess eating hamburger is like deciding whether you like eating at a restaurant that you know has rats in the pantry.

 

Another side note about Hamburger.

E-Coli (Escherichia coli 0157:H7) causing Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome can be carried by cattle in their intestinal tract. If this bacteria comes in contact with a steak, it will always be on the surface, and be killed by cooking. However, if the bacteria comes into contact with hamburger, it can be mixed in anywhere. If you eat your hamburger rare, it is possible that there will be some bacteria in the middle that wasn’t killed by cooking.

 

Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease is the prion disease in Humans. It can spontaneously occur in about 1/1,000,000 people. However, in new Guinea, there was a tribe of people who believed that they could pass on knowledge by eating the brains of their dead relatives. Many of these tribesmen developed Kuru, a form of Crutzfeld-Jacob Disease. When the practice was eventually stopped, new cases of the disease essentially disappeared.

 

Anyway, The moral:

EAT Beef Steaks!!!!

BE AWARE OF THE THEORETICAL POTENTIAL RISK OF EATING HAMBURGER.

[tonado]

Avoid T-bone. Actually, they think the cow came from Canada.

[tonado]

"Willamette also received beef trimmings - parts used in meats such as hamburger. Officials say those were sold to some three dozen small, mom-and-pop Asian and Mexican facilities in Washington, Oregon, California and Nevada."

 

Read more here

[Charlotte]

The chance of getting mad cow disease is one in a billion --- guess better chance to win a powerball lottery

 

Can't help it -- just love steaks, which is the best dish Americans ever invented!

[Robert S.]

The chance of getting mad cow disease is one in a billion --- guess better chance to win a powerball lottery   

 

Can't help it -- just love steaks, which is the best dish Americans ever invented!

Right on Charlotte!

 

Hey, have you tried buffalo? Awesome!

[keelec]

Avoid T-bone.  Actually, they think the cow came from Canada.

In theory they believe there is a higher concentration of the prions in the central nervous system (brain / spinal cord) such as is found in the T-Bone steaks.

 

However, steaks are generally made from the younger tender animals rather than the older tough ones. The risk factor of beef from "younger animals" that have never been fed meat products is virtually nill, even if you eat that juicy bite on the back of the T-Bone steaks. Only the older animals have the potential of being exposed to meat products. These older animals are generally only used for hamburger.

 

EAT - UP!!!!!

 

Oh, and watch out for your neighbor who has a much higher chance of flattening you as you pick up your morning newspaper than you would have of contracting the disease.

 

----- Clifford -----

[Guest blsqueaky]

I saw Japan on the list here, and just before I left for china, I delivered a whole trailer of frozen beef to oakland that was being transfered to a container bound for Japan. I wonder what happened to that load when it reached Japan. It would have reached their about the end of Decmeber. I know that the beef was processed in MI, but to not know wherre the cows came from.