Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease) not only affects cattle, but also public health and commerce. Mad cow disease is a progressive neurological disorder of cattle that results from an unusual transmissible agent called a prion. The nature of the agent is not well understood but scientists think it is a modified form of a normal protein called a prion protein. This prion is pathogenic and it slowly damages a cow’s central nervous system (Bovine).
This disease leads to tiny holes in parts of the brain giving the tissue a sponge-like appearance, it also causes slow deterioration in the brain and eventually leads to death (Medicinenet). There is no way to tell if a cow has BSE and there is no cure or vaccine for