Collee J G, Bradley R
Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical School, Edinburgh, UK.
Lancet. 1997 Mar 1;349(9052):636-41. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(96)01310-4.
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), popularly known as "mad cow disease", was discovered in 1986 and has accounted for the deaths of over 165,000 cattle in the UK (by the end of January, 1997) with about 34,000 (mainly dairy) herds involved. The syndrome in the cow includes changes in posture and temperament, apprehension, and loss of coordination. There are many parallels with scraple in sheep, with similar neuropathological changes in the hindbrain that give it a spongiform appearance under the microscope. The facts have been broadly reviewed in The Lancet in 1990 and 1993, and in much more detail elsewhere. In a two-part article, the first of which appears here, we now summarise recent developments.
牛海绵状脑病（BSE），俗称“疯牛病”，于1986年被发现，截至1997年1月底，已导致英国超过16.5万头牛死亡，涉及约3.4万个（主要是奶牛）牛群。牛的症状包括姿势和性情改变、忧虑以及协调能力丧失。它与绵羊的痒病有许多相似之处，后脑中存在类似的神经病理变化，在显微镜下呈现出海绵状外观。1990年和1993年《柳叶刀》对这些情况进行了大致回顾，其他地方则有更详细的介绍。在一篇分两部分的文章中（第一部分在此刊出），我们现将近期进展进行总结。
