MCD

* Mad Cow Disease.

The first thing that comes to mind when people hear "Mad Cow Disease" is probably acow with an insane look making weird sounds on thei TV screen, which is a completely different than what the disease really is.

The scientific name for the disease is: Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) but ever since the disease started sprouting in the United Kingdom the media decided to call it "Mad Cow Disease" (MCD) and since people only recognized the illness by that name, even scientists use the term MCD sometimes. With further studies even scientists started to doubt the reality bahind the name "Mad Cow Disease" and thought "Sad Cow Disease" would be a more appropiate term for the illness due to the symptoms shown in the cattle.

Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy is, as it's name suggests, a spongi that attacks the cow's brain and then spreads all the way throught the spinal cord attacking the animal's nervous system. As we know, the nervous system's work is to control the body, therefore the symptoms are all related to it.

The symptoms of BSE are:
* Loss of coordination, the cattle constantly falls and crashes with other animals or objects.
* Mobility issues. The animal might not move for days or even weeks since it starts oosing mobility in its legs, ears, etc.
* "Dementia" since cattle is not a thinking being it cannot be considered to suffer from dementia, but it starts acting different from the rest of the cows some cases are cows biting each other, eating their own excrements, between others.

As previously stated, scientists consider the term "Sad Cow Disease" to be a more accurate name for this disease due to a lack of movement in the sick cow seems to be "sad" because it will not move, be with other cows, and sometimes will not eat, similar to a person suffering from depression.

If a cow that has been infected reproduces, the younger cow is sure to inherit the disease from it's mother. This is the main reason why farmers are so worried about it. After the cow has been infected by the spongi, there is no way back for it. There is ano actual cure, no medicine, no pills, no surgery, and no way of healing an infected cow. Since farmers d not want the spongi to be spread and cannot cure an infected cow, all they do to help themselves is kill the infected animals. Either way, the spongi takes between 4 to 5 years to develop itself in the host, throught this lapse of time the symptoms start getting worse, until tey lead to the cow's death.

During 1986 there was a huge "epidemic" in the United Kingdom, suddenly thousands of cows were dying in different farms. After months of studying it, they discovered MCD eas behind the deaths. This was the origin of MCD, since it was a new disease unfamiliar to farmers and scientists, they could not find a way to stop it at the beginning. After 3 months, they had to kill the infected cows, doing something like a "purge" leaving only the healthy cows alive. It is estimated that over 200,000 cows died in the United Kingdom in 1986 from MCD.

Scientists still cannot explain what caused the disease or where it came from, as stated earlier the cure is still a mystery. Unfortunately, the disease somehow managed to spread throughout the world but its main host is still the United Kingdom.

What worries scientists, is the the infection has mutated and taken humans as a host, causing a very similar disease known as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

Bibliography:
www.sustainable.org/issues/madcow/
http://beyondfactoryfarming.org/get-informed/health/mad-cow-disease-bse
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bovine_spongiform_encephalopathy
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/animal/bse-esb/facts-faits-eng.php

By: Luis Arturo Martinez

Salmonella

People often make a common mistake by naming Salmonella a disease while it is not. Salmonella really is just a bacteria by that name: Salmonella. This bacteria has a spirillium rod shaep, and is commonly in raw or unhealthy foods, if this bacteria is ingested by any eans the person will become ill.

First of all, its important to know the main ways of getting the disease, which are:
* Raw Poultry (chicken, pork and cattle)
* Infected eggs or milk
* Reptiles and rodent pets.

These causes are common hots of the bacteria. The source of Salmonella is what must concern us. Salmonella bacteria are commonly found n animal excrement. If an animal inhales air coming from the excrement it will become infected, however, the animal will not suffer the same symptoms as a human being, but it's meat will become harmful for human health.

Once a human eats the "raw/infected meat" or any other exposed farm product, it takes from 24 to 72 hours for the bacteria to make its way into the digestive system in which it hosts itself and attacks. The symptoms caused by Salmonella include:
* Diarrhea
* Abdominal Cramps
* Stomach Ache
* Fatigue
* Nausea
* Vomiting, between others.

The symotoms vary between each patient and ch case; the diarrhea can either be bloody or contain a certain kind of mucus, as well as the vomiting. These kinds of cases are commonly found in less developed immune systems like children's or people with a low immune system (HIV).

If the symptoms contnue and the patient is not treated properly the he or she might even suffer dehydration. Salmonellosis, as a common disease es not that dangerous, since by itself it is not life threatening. Dehydration, on the other hand, is more dangerous and if its not treated in time it can take a human life.

Since Salmonellosis is not the complicated, a regular immune system should take care of it normally just like it handles a cold. During a lapse of 3 to 5 days the bacteria should be out of the system. However, if the diarrhea continues for more than just a few days, intravenous fluids might be necessary. If the other symptoms continua, antibiotics like ampicillin can do a great job at handling salmonella.

Doctors and scientists are concerned about the increasing rate at which Salmonellosis has ocurred, during the last few years there have been a lot more cases of Salmonellosis than ever before, not only should they be concerned but the rest of the population should be too. The reason why the rate has increased so much is because of this:

As we know, Salmonella originates from excrement. Big industries try to save as much money when producing their products to have a higher profit, therefore they put as many animals as possible in a single cage leaving them less space to put thier excrement. Having more excrement and more animals around makes it easier for the bacteria to be spread, as a result, there is more tainted meat in the market causing more and more people to become ill.

Something intersting about Salmonella is hat its harder to kill than other bacterias. In order to kill Salmonella, food needs to be cooked 100%. The bacteria can also be found n fruits and begetables, that is why its important to really wash them carefully before eating any of them.

By: Luis Arturo Mtz. Silveyra.