1. Mad cow disease is a neurological disorder caused by a type of protein called a prion.
2. Prions are believed to be responsible for a number of other neurological disorders, including Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans.
3. Mad cow disease is most commonly spread through the consumption of infected beef.
4. The disease can also be spread through contact with infected animals or their tissues.
5. There is no cure for mad cow disease and it is often fatal.
6. The disease was first identified in the United Kingdom in the 1980s.
7. The United States has had only a handful of cases of mad cow disease.
8. The disease is considered to be a serious public health threat.
9. There is currently no way to test for mad cow disease in cattle.
10. However, there are tests that can be used to detect the disease in humans.