Mad cow disease focus of FDA talk
The term “mad cow disease” can cause even the staunchest beef eater to reconsider the virtues of a steak dinner. The condition, technically known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy or BSE, is an incurable degenerative disorder that affects the central nervous system of cattle and can be transferred to humans through eating contaminated tissues.
Lester Crawford, DVM, PhD, acting commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, will visit Stanford to discuss the government’s role in dealing with BSE and other current health threats. The FDA is responsible for assuring that products containing bovine ingredients – including heart valves, ophthalmic devices, injectable drugs and vaccines, in addition to food products – remain safe from BSE and other contaminants.
Crawford’s speech, hosted by the Department of Comparative Medicine, will be in Munzer Auditorium at 10 a.m. Thursday.
Although mad cow disease has plagued the United Kingdom since the mid-1980s, causing nearly 150 human deaths, the issue hit home late last year when a sick cow from Washington tested positive for the protein that causes the disease.
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