bovine spongiform encephalopathy

American  

[spuhn-juh-fawrm] / ˈspʌn dʒəˌfɔrm /

1. a fatal neurological disease of cattle, characterized by spongelike changes in the brain and thought to be caused by an infectious prion also implicated in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. BSE

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bovine spongiform encephalopathy British  

noun

1. the full name for BSE

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bovine spongiform encephalopathy Scientific  

/ spŭn′jĭ-fôrm′ /

1. See mad cow disease

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Etymology

Origin of bovine spongiform encephalopathy

1985–90

Example Sentences

South Korea, which is the world’s top importer of American beef, currently bans beef from cattle that are older than 30 months on concerns it may introduce bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 31, 2025

Formally called bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE, the disease first broke out in the late 1980s among cattle in Britain.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 1, 2023

Officials with Brazil’s Agriculture Ministry said the cases were not related to beef consumption, tamping down fears of possible bovine spongiform encephalopathy causing human illness.

From Reuters • Nov. 18, 2021

He was president of the Royal Society from 1995 to 2000, charting a course through crises over bovine spongiform encephalopathy and transgenic crops.

From Nature • Dec. 11, 2018

In 2003, a cow with bovine spongiform encephalopathy, mad cow disease, was found in the western United States.

From New York Times • Apr. 13, 2016