mad cow disease

1. bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

mad cow disease

noun

1. See BSE
   an informal name for BSE

mad cow disease

/ măd /

1. A degenerative neurologic disease of cattle, thought to be caused by infection-causing agents called prions , in which brain tissues deteriorate and take on a spongy appearance, resulting in abnormal behaviors and loss of muscle control. A variant form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is transmitted to humans through the eating of infected cattle tissue.
2. Also called bovine spongiform encephalopathy

mad cow disease

1. A lethal disease that originates in cows and can spread to humans through consumption of affected neural tissue. It is called Jakob-Creutzfeldt disease in humans. It causes the brain to deteriorate through the instrument of an infectious protein called a prion .

Word History and Origins

Origin of mad cow disease¹

1985–90

Example Sentences

Richt says a decade ago he was involved in making cattle resistant to mad cow disease.

From MIT Technology Review

Mad Cow disease was first discovered in Great Britain in 1986.

From The Daily Beast

A case of mad cow disease was discovered yesterday in California, sending carnivores across the country into a panic.

From The Daily Beast

Mad cow disease is far less common than it was 10 years ago.

From The Daily Beast

Cases of Mad Cow Disease in humans or in cows are exceedingly rare in the U.S.

From The Daily Beast