Human mad cow disease may be more widespread

Food & Drink Weekly, August 16, 2004

Human mad cow disease may be more widespread: The Associated Press reports that scientists have found evidence suggesting that the human form of mad cow disease might be infecting a wider group of people than seen so far and that some may develop a milder form of the illness. Research published in The Lancet medical journal reported the infection in a person with a more common genetic makeup and with no symptoms of the illness, which means more people than previously believed could be incubating the disease, thought to come from eating processed beef products from cattle infected with mad cow disease.

It also raises the possibility that some people may get only a mild infection, as opposed to the fatal disease.