Mad cow disease- how can you get it??

Nurses General Nursing

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How is mad cow spread from person to person?? I looked it up and it appears just through the blood. I think you cannot get it through coughing, breathing on someone, sneezing, etc. Can anyone verify?? Did not find much...

Thank you!!

Specializes in Acute rehab, LTC, Community Health.

I know a family who had CJD, because of this, none were allowed to donate blood or organs, even though the grandfather was the only person with the disease, leading me to believe that it is blood borne.

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Fetal bovine serum is used in the manufacture of vaccines. Fetal bovine serum is obtained from fetal blood, and blood is not a source of infection with prions. In addition...the bovine placenta is a natural filter. Maternal-fetal transmission of prions has never been documented in animals. Prions are propagated in mammalian brains and not in cell culture used to make vaccines. There, prions are unlikely to be propagated in the cells used to grow vaccine viruses. Gelatin is also used in the manufacture of vaccines. Gelatin is added to vaccines at the end of the manufacturing process. However, gelatin is made from materials that do not contain prions (skin and connective tissue). In addition, the preparation of gelatin often includes heat sterilization or treatment with organic solvents. Transmission of prions occurs from either eating brains from infected animals, or, in experimental studies, from directly inoculating preparations of brains from infected animals into the brains of experimental animals. Transmission of prions has not been documented after inoclulation into the muscles or under the skin (routes used to vaccinate). THEREFORE THE CHANCE THAT CURRENTLY LICENSED VACCINES CONTAIN PRIONS IS ZERO. The Public Health service concern that the public may fear that vaccines containing bovine material from countries at risk for "mad-cow" disease could potentially transmit this disease to our children...have taken the precautionary step of eliminating the use of these materials in the production of vaccines.

Please don't spread lies and rumors about vaccines. It took me all of one minute to find these facts.

Did any of you nurses take chemistry to get into nursing school? Do you have any concept or idea or respect for the thousand of scientists who have studied and dedicated their lives to chemistry, science, medicine, to help their fellow man? Do you think any scientist, doctor, molecular biologist, etc., would just say "oh well, maybe children will die of mad cow disease if we produce this vaccine, oh well."

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Thank you, brownbook! Well said.

I'm reminded of when I was a new grad and I got in an arguement with my patient- she refused to take her colace because she truly believed she'd get mad cow from the gel coating. (I hadn't yet learned my lesson that you just don't bother arguing with morons...just walk away).

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MelEpi, thanks for the thanks, so good to hear another voice of reason. As written in other posts, "you can't change their minds only their diapers", and "you can't fix stupid".

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Specializes in PACU, ED.

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a spongiform encephalopathy present in North American deer populations. It's closely related to other prion caused encephalopathies. It's thought to be spread by urine, saliva, and other fluids. I remember Nebraska did a huge deer harvest a few years ago in an attempt to contain the problem.

http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/wildlife/guides/cwd/cwd.asp

Prions are not well understood but are thought to primarily reside in nervous tissue. However, considering how CWD has spread in the wild deer population, I wouldn't consume anything from a suspected animal.

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Specializes in Spinal Cord injuries, Emergency+EMS.
Only through the brain tissue.

although there is a suggestion that it's any spinal tissue and possible lymph nodes and tonsils / adenoids

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Specializes in Critical care, trauma, cardiac, neuro.

Heat, as well as all other sterilization techniques do not denature prions. Due to facts, I have been off all mammal meats and products including gelatin for 15 yars. Until our industries stop controlling our CDC through exerting control over their budget via contributions to campaigns of legislators, we will never have the truth. When it comes to prions, in the absence of honest epidemiology, I play it safe.

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Specializes in Critical care, trauma, cardiac, neuro.
Thank you, brownbook! Well said.

I'm reminded of when I was a new grad and I got in an arguement with my patient- she refused to take her colace because she truly believed she'd get mad cow from the gel coating. (I hadn't yet learned my lesson that you just don't bother arguing with morons...just walk away).

Oh, what we can learn from our patients. While the risk (prion gelatin contaminant) is small, it does exist.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10076518

Detection methods of possible prion contaminants in collagen and gelatin

and

Biological Safety, Principles and Practices; Fleming et al (Textbook) on page 203 discusses prions in gelatin and the FDA's Guidance for Industry document which addresses this issue.

There are many more citations. Enjoy and Be Safe!

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