Dr. Pawel Niemczuk, Chief Veterinary Officer with the Poland Ministry of Agriculture notified the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) of a case of atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or “Mad cow disease” among cattle on a Mirsk, Dolnoslaskie farm in southwestern Poland.

Image/werner22brigitte
Image/werner22brigitte

The atypical strain of the disease was uncovered on January 24 during a routine screening. The affected cow was killed and disposed of, according to an OIE release.

BSE is an animal disease that affects cattle (it belongs to spongiform encephalopathies transmissible subacute group (TSE). They are degenerative diseases of the central nervous system that are caused by agents called “pathogenic prions”. The BSE is characterized by the appearance of nervous symptoms in adult animals. The characteristic symptoms of the disease are changes in behavior and locomotor disorders.