Japan Confirms Human Death From Mad Cow

(Tokyo, Japan) The Health Ministry has confirmed that, for the first time, a man has died from mad cow disease in Japan. According to ministry official Masahito Yamada, the man lived in Britain for a short time in 1989 and it is "highly likely that he contracted the disease" while there. He developed symptoms of the disease in 2001.

Other Mad Cow News

In mad cow research, scientists from Yale University and the University of Zurich are reporting that infectious prions related to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) have been found on body organs other than the brain.

Nancy H. Ruddle, Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at the Yale School of Medicine, along with co-authors analyzed three organ systems that are typically free of prions: liver, pancreas and kidney, in five different mouse models of chronic inflammation. After the mice were infected with prions, the team detected prion accumulation in the inflamed organs.

The implication of the findings is that handling of the livers, pancreases, and kidneys of slaughtered farm animals may need to be reassessed.

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In Poland, Krzysztof Jazdzewski of the National Veterinary Service reports that a new case of mad cow has been detected in a herd of 262 cattle. The herd has been isolated and all infected cows will be slaughtered. It's the 22nd case of the disease in Poland since testing began in 2001.

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In Britain, authorities are claiming a link between mad cow disease and cosmetic implants. Behavioral observations of Joan Rivers are believed to be part of the scientific basis for the assertion.