# CJD Epidemic and Feed Manufacturer Lawsuits **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 26, 2003, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cjd-epidemic-and-feed-manufacturer-lawsuits/204063 "2003-09-26T23:11:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cjd-epidemic-and-feed-manufacturer-lawsuits/204063/1 "2003-09-26T23:11:37Z")
With evidence of recent outbreaks _and_ [species jumping](http://www.cwd-info.org/index.php/fuseaction/news.detail/ID/009eab5fae00d7c0bd1ed62bbe422f8a) of BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy), which is responsible for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (the prion induced human analog), I foresee massive lawsuits against bovine and ovine feed manufacturers. It has more recently been a practice to grind up old animal carcasses and incorporate that into feedstock as a protein supplement. Since bovine and ovine cannibalism are exceptionally rare (if not nonexistent), the appearance of BSE may well be able to be traced back to introduction of brain matter into feed as a major source of this problem. It has already been shown that the earliest forms of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease manifested in New Guinea head hunters as [_kuru_](http://www.medical-library.org/journals2a/creutzfeldt_jacob2.htm). I find it highly suspicious that the current outbreaks of BSE and Scrapie are now happening after prolonged feeding of stock animals on quasi-cannibalistic feeds. In addition, there is now the beginnings of a CJD epidemic in deer hunters due to the aforementioned species jumping. Mad cow disease or BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) has been detected in deer and elk herds (in the form of Chronic Wasting Disease) from Virginia to Colorado. Hunters who regularly consume venison have been diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which is the prion induced encephalopathy in humans. Here is a good [site](http://www.medical-library.org/journals2a/creutzfeldt_jacob2.htm) and an excerpt: > [@](#): > > “Recurrent outbreaks of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy have occurred on **mink** ranches in Wisconsin, and isolated outbreaks have been reported in Canada, Finland, Germany, and Russia. Feed contaminated with tissue from scrapie-affected sheep was assumed to be the mode of transmission, but recent observations suggest that tissue from other infected animal species may also have been involved. Chronic wasting disease of **deer** and **elk** is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy found in captive animals in the western United States.” [SUP]EMPHASIS ADDED[/SUP] While the above cite mentions other transmission routes, I do not see it as eliminating culpability on the part of feed manufacturers. Sheep and cows do not eat each other on a regular basis. It is fairly easy to assume that there might be transmission of heretofore unknown pathogens by having provided a brand new vector via same-species protein laced feeds. Such unorthodox methods present a huge potential for exactly these sort of contamination issues. It is also quite probable that animal carcasses unfit for human consumption were routinely diverted into the grinders for these same feed supplies. Knowingly utilizing unhealthy sources of ingredients prepresents a substantial form of liability and I expect to see more and more data confirming this. If others have information or cites concerning the use of animal byproducts in stockyard feeds, it would be appreciated. Here is a good British article on the expected human [death toll](http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993440). I feel that the United States needs to mount a massive campaign to combat what might become a long term epidemic nearly on a par with HIV and AIDS. I also foresee massive lawsuits against American feed manufacturers who permitted ground animal matter to be included in bovine and ovine animal feed. Below is a paper I wrote for **aloha aloha** some while ago on this exact topic. Although it contains unrelated material on WNV (West Nile Virus) epidemiology, a lot of it pertains to a potential CJD epidemic. * * * _ **Trans-Species Animal Vector Monitoring Program** _ August 12, 2002 **Scope** : Reliable detection and mitigation of certain species vectored viral and plasmid agents. **Purpose** : Detection, prevention and remediation of West Nile Virus and CJD related outbreaks. **Method** : _In vivo_ monitoring via captive stations and radio collar or tagged animal tracking. **Priority** : Absolutely critical due to extremely delayed onset of CJD analog illnesses and high mortality rates for the West Nile virus. **Analysis** : The westward migration of the West Nile Virus and recent inferences of potential CJD species jumping from bovines to other ruminants mandate the most aggressive campaign of early detection and abatement possible. Distinct programs are required to canvass existing stocks plus wild populations of cattle and deer. Additional indicator species must be monitored through fixed locale stations, random sampling and correlated inferences from statistical populations elsewhere. Enormous penalties await even the least hesitation regarding this issue. Delayed onset increases downstream fatalities by entirely unacceptable orders of magnitude. **Implications** : Reuse of slaughter byproducts for animal feed purposes must cease instantly. Huge liabilities await major meat packers for reintroduction of non-normal feed products into the human food chain. Bovine cannibalism is statistically insignificant and cannot mitigate any culpability for intentional feedstock reuse of slaughter byproducts. (Competent farmers and ranchers are justifiably averse to leaving herds in contact with fresh or rotting carcasses, let alone allowing their consumption by stock.) Large-scale feral eradication programs may be required. Massive sampling surveys combined with contraceptive bait represent a less intrusive method but infected populations must be inhibited regardless. Development and testing cycles for appreciably low-impact remediation may well exceed allowable time constraints in order to achieve valid prophylaxis. Public safety far outweighs nearly all environmental impact issues. All interception of unobserved or previously deceased deer and cattle must be treated as hazardous waste. Indiscriminate and casual disposal of such carcasses must be prohibited and incineration via fixed and mobile units must be implemented. Suspect remains shall undergo routine biological screening. Federally sponsored development of rapid genomic assay methods must be brought online. Local animal control organizations face potentially inhibiting diversion of finances to cope with implementation and ongoing monitoring. Federal assistance will be necessary to account for this shortfall. **Solutions** : Periodic monitoring of regional livestock populations must be combined with feral cattle and wild deer tagging and tracking programs. Captive specimens of indicator species must be stationed at all known vector concentrations. Control groups of these indicator stocks must be maintained to correctly assay exposure and infection rates. Recreational deer hunting may need to be restricted or eliminated in favor of professional thinning. Exposure of wild deer populations via the escape of wounded targets back into the wild poses a significant threat. Mandatory submission for bioassay of samples from carcasses brought to independent game processors may be required. Medical profiling of all licensed recreational deer hunters might be able to provide early warning and detection of human exposure to CJD analogs. This could also be extended to staff involved in commercial venison farming as well. Routine monitoring of commercial deer stocks that might serve as an alternative control group or indicator could be useful. Close collaboration with the CDC and other academic institutions will serve to distribute labor intensive data tracking duties and provide secondary verification of findings. A national database for all findings must be assembled to support these efforts. **Summary** : The prolonged incubation cycle of prion induced CJD analogs puts this problem on a par with the AIDS epidemic. While prion exposure routes are more limited than those of HIV this is offset by the two-pronged assault presented by the West Nile Virus. Both epidemics demand extremely similar detection and abatement methodologies. The shared requirements for rapid genomic assay, large scale _in vivo_ canvassing and tracking, an extensive control group population and intensive data mining make it vital that both of these programs be executed in tandem. Dual use application of advanced technology otherwise unaffordable to either program individually could overcome critical gating issues faced by these separate efforts. Outside-in modes of planning and containment will yield synergistic efficacy vital to any remote hope for enhanced results. Standard methods of abatement will neither yield sufficient chance of success nor any potential to supersede goals anticipated via typical ongoing implementation. Combined effort is required to achieve even minimal odds of breakthrough technology or truly effective monitoring and remediation. Extreme methods may be required to contain high-density outbreaks, especially dual epidemiology events. Correlative modeling against forestry burn risk data may indicate use of high-rate controlled burns to simultaneously abate infected populations and understory overgrowth. Anticipated fuel-air bombing combined with pinpoint napalm attacks might prove useful towards the simultaneous elimination of infected herds and carrier mosquito outbreaks in areas of dense understory already in need of a controlled burn. Purposeful containment of wildlife within the burn site may provide a highly effective disposal route. ---
**Author:** ![Extraneous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/0ea827/32.png) [@Extraneous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Extraneous)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cjd-epidemic-and-feed-manufacturer-lawsuits/204063/2 "2003-09-28T06:14:58Z")
> [@](#): > > Anticipated fuel-air bombing combined with pinpoint napalm attacks might prove useful towards the simultaneous elimination of infected herds and carrier mosquito outbreaks in areas of dense understory already in need of a controlled burn. Purposeful containment of wildlife within the burn site may provide a highly effective disposal route. I am not nearly qualified to address the questions of epidemiology you raise. But - are yor serious? Nalpalm? Fuel-air bombs? Or am I the only one who read that far? 😉 [sub]Nuke 'em. Nuke 'em all[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cjd-epidemic-and-feed-manufacturer-lawsuits/204063/3 "2003-09-28T07:12:29Z")
\*\* Extraneous\*\*, I’m serious as a heart attack. There may be situations where you have some West Nile Virus carrying mosquitoe ponds (or birds) in a densely overgrown forest that also happens to contain a large herd of deer or elk (and suffering from chronic wasting disease. An ultra high temperature air-burst or napalm induced burn might one very good way of taking out the skeeters and infected animals all at once. A semi-controlled burn is just icing on the cake. I’m extremely concerned about the **10 year** incubation time for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans. We do not have the luxury of sitting around and debating which method of control has the least impact. Each year wasted may end up translating into an exponential increase in the people who die ten years later. I’ll also thank you for taking the time to read through and respond to this. I expect the feed manufacturers to take a big financial hit when its shown that their practices contributed to what could easily become a major plague. It’s hard to imagine them grinding up prime head for the protein supplements. Animals too sick or diseased to be put on the table ended up in the feed trough. Didn’t anyone at these industrial giants bother to pause to think that sending diseased nutritional matter into the food chain might be a Really Bad Idea™? Here is an excellent [article](http://news.uns.purdue.edu/UNS/html3month/010228.Kenyon.cow.html) about this entire problem written by Jennifer Doup. Some excerpts: > [@](#): > > **Purdue News** > > February 28, 2001 > > _Preventative efforts keeping mad cow disease out_ > > WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University experts say feed monitoring and examination of suspect cattle are taking place in Indiana to prevent mad cow disease from becoming a problem here. > > The disease, technically known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, has caused problems in other parts of the world but not in the United States. **BSE attacks the nervous system of cattle fed protein that came from infected ruminants** , which are animals that chew their cud and have a multichambered stomach. **In 1997 the Food and Drug Administration banned feeding such protein from meat and bone meal to cattle and sheep.** > > **Recently, meat and bone meal from cattle made its way into cattle feed in Texas**. Simon Kenyon, Purdue Cooperative Extension Service veterinarian, says this has triggered much public discussion about the risks of the disease … > > Scientists believe BSE-infected meat can cause a fatal illness in humans called new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Thus far, approximately 90 people in Europe have been infected and none in the United States. > > “In Britain, if you were to rank food-borne illnesses, the frequency of mad cow would be far down on the list. It affects fewer people than the number who get sick from salmonella and E. coli,” Kenyon says. “ **Europe has had an economic and political meltdown because of mad cow disease. I would hate to see that happen here**.” [sup]EMPHASIS ADDED[/sup] While the human numbers are relatively small, the economic damage is staggering. The larger scale dissemination of potentially contaminated feed or meat to much bigger metropolitan populations in America makes this intensely more problematic. The above article specifically mentions the incineration of all suspect cattle carcasses, exactly as I came up with in my own analysis. Deer populations and the people hunting them have not even begun to be addressed. This is no small matter. ---
**Author:** ![Extraneous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/0ea827/32.png) [@Extraneous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Extraneous)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cjd-epidemic-and-feed-manufacturer-lawsuits/204063/4 "2003-09-28T20:42:03Z")
Maybe a thread asking the military types about the efficiency of these weapons - IIRC, there is no such thing as “precision” in bombing (some of your napalm is going to miss), and fuel-air ordnance leaves much meat (although not very attractive). Again, I can’t speak to your central concerns, but I suspect a mosquito-borne disease will need to be treated differently than a food-borne one. If contaminated bone meal is the only source of transmission to humans, then (except those consuming wild game) current regs prohibiting the use of bone meal should be adequate. If you want to drop something from a plane and ensure the area below is sterilized, then you probably ARE looking at fusion and/or fission devices, and the political will is just not gonna be there to use such devices (unless we can get all the infected cows/deer/elk/mosquitoes to re-locate to North Korea, Iran, or Syria). ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cjd-epidemic-and-feed-manufacturer-lawsuits/204063/5 "2003-09-28T21:07:46Z")
Thanks for the good input, **Exteraneous**. While the bombing or burning of infested areas may not be the ultimate solution, I think our government needs to spend a lot more time on this issue. I’m very worried that they will wait for this to become more of a problem before they address it. If they do that, it may well be too little, too late. Yes, aside for the combined extermination effort WNV will require some very different solutions. There are some monitoring and diagnostic methodologies that could be merged to good effect. The peripheral aspect of WNV to my larger concerns about CJD was noted in my OP. Like I said, the 10 year incubation cycle for the prion related diseases makes for hideous latentcy related downstream statistics. ---
**Author:** ![Extraneous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/0ea827/32.png) [@Extraneous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Extraneous)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cjd-epidemic-and-feed-manufacturer-lawsuits/204063/6 "2003-09-29T02:43:19Z")
Sadly, the US govenment is still denying the link between “greenhouse” gasses and global warming - and that info has been kicking around since the mid- to late- 1960’s. I personally do not hold out a lot of hope for any long-term thinking about contagious diseases until an epidemic reaches the proportions of HIV/AIDS. And, if you think the US is going to slaughter cattle en masse without a whole stack of dead bodies, I again suspect you will lose the political debate. Maybe if we could accuse the infected cattle of possessing “weapons-grade anthrax”, you could get budget. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cjd-epidemic-and-feed-manufacturer-lawsuits/204063/7 "2003-09-29T08:13:28Z")
This is why I’m so glad for all the advances in genomic assay. Rapid testing could be feasible within a year or two and infected herds will face irreversible disposal. The lessons of Europe already provide inarguable evidence for those unable to read the writing on the wall. For whatever skepticism you might have about my suggested solutions, we both seem to share a vivid appraisal of our government’s most probable (and most likely pathetic) reaction. Unlike every single other viewer of this thread (save myself), you seem to comprehend how serious this is, **Extraneous**. Thanks for sharing. People think that Alzheimer’s disease is pretty bad. Wait until they see what happens when minds are being riddled like Swiss cheese. Without wishing to put too fine a point on things, I’m going to give people a brief glimpse of what it takes to successfully [**decontaminate**](http://www.cap.org/captoday/cjd.html#autopsyroom) after potential prion release during an autopsy: > [@](#): > > "\*\*\*Decontaminating the autopsy room \*\*\* > > At the conclusion of the autopsy, wash the area of the incision and any other contaminated skin surfaces with **freshly opened undiluted commercial bleach** (sodium hypochlorite). **After 10 minutes** , wash off the bleach with water. **Place all gowns, gloves, plastic sheets, and other disposable supplies in “biohazard” bags and incinerate them**. Alternatively, autoclave ( **132 degrees Celsius steam** [~270° F]) the disposables and discard them. Disinfect any liquids on the autopsy table with an equal volume of bleach or 2 normal sodium hydroxide (2N NaOH) before disposing. > > Decontaminate hard surfaces and surgical instruments with bleach or **2N NaOH** [anhydrous ammonia]. These two treatments are equally efficacious; the choice between them depends on convenience and the material being decontaminated. In general, NaOH is preferred for steel instruments because it is less corrosive than bleach. **Leave the disinfectant in contact with the surface for at least 15 and preferably 60 minutes.**" [sup]EMPHASIS ADDED[/SUP] The [Canadians](http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/pphb-dgspsp/publicat/ccdr-rmtc/02vol28/28s5/) seem to take an even dimmer view of such things: > [@](#): > > "_2._ Instrument Decontamination for heat-resistant reusable instruments that an institution is unwilling or unable to incinerate.[ul]_2.1_ Cleaning: Removal of adherent particles through mechanical or manual cleaning must be completed prior to any chemical/sterilizer decontamination of instruments. Instruments and other materials to be decontaminated should be kept moist between the time of exposure to infectious materials and subsequent decontamination; then > > _2.2_ Immerse instruments in 1N **sodium hydroxide (NaOH)** [_etches gold_] or sodium hypochlorite\* solution for 1 hour; remove from chemical solution; rinse instruments well; then immerse instruments in water and place in a sterilizer selecting the liquid cycle and **heat to 121° C** [249° F] for 1 hour; or > > _2.3_ Immerse instruments in 1N NaOH or sodium hypochlorite\* for 1 hour; remove instruments from chemical solution; thoroughly rinse instruments in water; then transfer to an open pan, place in prevacuum sterilizer, and heat to 134°C [273° F] for 1 hour or to 121°C in a gravity displacement sterilizer for 1 hour.[/ul] [sup]EMPHASIS ADDED[/SUP] ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cjd-epidemic-and-feed-manufacturer-lawsuits/204063/8 "2003-09-29T11:52:08Z")
I may have missed something in the OP, but is there a defined transmission vector other than the ingestion of contaminated feedstock? ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cjd-epidemic-and-feed-manufacturer-lawsuits/204063/9 "2003-09-29T11:56:55Z")
Is it true that dental equiptment (which touches nerves) could become a mode of transmission? ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cjd-epidemic-and-feed-manufacturer-lawsuits/204063/10 "2003-09-29T18:36:42Z")
I am utterly amazed that the US has not learned any lessons at all from the UK. Our problems were massive and led to feed imort bans from this country, most of the world banned our beef and sheep products. Our suspicion was that despite previously export large amounts of such feed, especially to Europe, and also live breeding stock to Europe, the number of reported cases of BSE from those countries was unreasonably low, and that under reporting was widespread as farmers around the world saw how much this disease could damage markets. Infected, or potentially infected animals were disposed of using incinerators running at 1100C, burying in landfill was not seen as an option. Although CJD has a very long incubation, there has not been the expected rise in cases, and given that potentially infected material was used for human consumption for several years, this came as some surprise. In fact the number of reported cases is so small that it has just about fallen into the noise of false positives, and since we are looking for CJD far more closely than we ever did, there is a possibility that some of those cases were part of the known rate of infection from other causes. The predicted epidemic has not yet emerged. The method of transmission is not completely clear, there is reasonble evidence for contaminated feed, and through heifer to calf, but other modes of infection have not been confirmed.