Does mad cow disease affect a cows cells?

Yes, mad cow disease, also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), affects a cow's cells. It is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that affects the central nervous system of cattle, leading to a variety of neurological symptoms and ultimately death.

The disease is caused by a type of abnormal protein called a prion, which is a misfolded form of a normal protein found in the brain and other tissues of cattle. Prions are resistant to heat, radiation, and proteolytic enzymes, making them difficult to destroy.

When a cow is infected with BSE, the prions accumulate in the brain and spinal cord, leading to damage and degeneration of nerve cells. This damage disrupts the normal functioning of the central nervous system, causing a variety of symptoms such as changes in behavior, difficulty walking, muscle tremors, and eventually dementia.

BSE can also be transmitted to other animals, including humans, through the consumption of contaminated meat products or other materials that contain infected tissue. In humans, BSE can lead to a similar neurodegenerative disorder known as variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD).

To prevent the spread of BSE and vCJD, strict controls are in place in many countries to prevent the use of infected meat and other animal products in the food chain. These measures include rigorous testing of cattle for BSE, restrictions on the use of certain animal feed ingredients, and the destruction of infected animals and their tissues.