Protein locks out prion diseases
A chance discovery could lead to the development of a drug that blocks deadly prion diseases such as variant CJD
4 Oct 03

BSE crosses the Atlantic
The US and Canada were warned that some of their cattle might have mad cow disease. But neither country has been testing enough animals to rule this out
31 May 03

Mad cow quarantine in Canada extended
Nine herds are now isolated as investigators scramble to find the cause of a case of BSE - and whether any other animals are affected
23 May 03

Canada finds case of 'mad cow disease'
The first cow to be found with the deadly disease in Canada for a decade has been discovered
21 May 03

Predicted deaths from vCJD slashed
A new analysis reduces the extent of the worst-case epidemic to 7000, following two years of falling figures
26 Feb 03

BSE may cause more CJD cases than thought
The eating of infected meat might cause classical CJD in people, as well as variant CJD, a new mouse study suggests
28 Nov 02

First direct estimate of hidden vCJD cases
Tests for the infectious agent in people without symptoms do not reduce the deaths predicted - larger studies are "urgently needed"
19 Sep 02

vCJD deaths estimate drops again
The latest prediction suggests about 200 people, not thousands, may succumb - but other researchers are wary of the news
22 Nov 01

vCJD epidemic may be less severe than feared
New work suggests the human form of BSE is likely to kill a few thousand people at most, far fewer than previous estimates
26 Oct 01

BSE cases in France set to overtake UK
France is on course to report more cases of BSE in 2002 than the UK, says a leading epidemiologist
18 Sep 01

Mad cow disease reaches Japan
The first native-born case reported outside Europe probably resulted from the importation of contaminated British feed
10 Sep 01

vCJD on "upward trend" in UK
An important change in the rising trend of vCJD cases in Britain has occurred, moving from a "flat-line" situation to an upward trend
6 Sep 01

Testing time
Gene data reveals that further waves of human deaths due to mad cow disease are likely
15 Apr 01

More mad cows
BSE is "highly likely" in eastern Europe, meaning the EU is buying suspect meat from countries with no BSE safeguard
5 Apr 01

Cruellest cut
Traditional butchering practices caused a cluster of British deaths from the human form of mad cow disease
21 Mar 01

Mad cow USA
America denies having BSE, but has yet to prove it
10 Feb 01

Tomorrow the world
Have contaminated feed exports spread BSE around the globe?
10 Feb 01

BSE spreads
Two Thais are reported to have the human form of mad cow disease, the first outside Europe if confirmed
9 Feb 01

Risky rosbif
The risk of BSE infection is much greater in French beef than in the British variety, says a UK scientist
13 Dec 00

South African BSE fear
Tissue from a young South African woman suspected of dying from vCJD is being re-examined
11 Dec 00

BSE spread
The first Spanish cases of BSE in cattle are discovered
23 Nov 00

Long incubation
Three times as many people may be at risk from BSE than previously thought
15 Nov 00

BSE crisis in France
France is gripped by fear as health minister predicts dozens of people will die
7 Nov 00

The human tragedy may be just beginning
Thousands could die in Britain from variant Creutzfeld-Jakob disease, computer models predict
4 Nov 00

La folie francaise
France may be on the verge of its own BSE crisis
28 Oct 00

Global infection
It's official: even in countries that deny it, some cattle are likely to be harbouring BSE
10 Jun 00

Wurst case scenario
Lovers of German sausage risk exposure to BSE
4 Mar 00

Britain could resume eating older cattle
The ban on cattle over 30 months old could be dropped without unduly raising the risk of vCJD in people, say epidemiologists
18 Jun 03

Prion diseases' deadly action revealed
New work reveals the cause of cell death in brains infected with prion diseases such as vCJD, says a US team - treatments could follow
17 Oct 02

Tainted feed 'source of unexpected BSE'
BSE-infected cattle feed imported from Europe before 2001 is the most likely cause of 18 unexpected cases in England
16 Sep 02

First confirmed case of vCJD in North America
The Canadian man died in early summer - health officials say there is no cause for public concern
9 Aug 02

Fears over BSE in chicken
Bovine protein is found in breast fillets produced in Holland - but the risk to consumers is unclear
23 May 02

Link between oral polio vaccine and vCJD "very unlikely"
Two UK victims received doses from the same batch, created using cattle material - but scientists say the link is coincidental
18 Dec 01

Global threat
The three biggest international agencies for health and agriculture want all countries to assess their risk of BSE
15 Jun 01

Learning lessons
Contaminated meat is confirmed as the key suspect for transmission of CJD, but what happens next?
22 Mar 01

Tackling BSE
European Union agriculture ministers agree to incinerate any cow over 30 months old that has not tested negative for BSE
5 Dec 00

Mad cow crackdown
European ministers ban meat and bone meal feed, a measure aimed at eradicating BSE and vCJD
4 Dec 00

BSE bonfire
The European Commission proposes further measures to tackle the BSE crisis but millions of cattle could be incinerated as a result
30 Nov 00

BSE across Europe
Germany follows France with large increases in BSE research funding
27 Nov 00

Counting cows
Growing fears over BSE prompt the European Union to approve a massive testing programme
21 Nov 00

How it all went so horribly wrong
Britain's BSE agony holds a lesson for the world
4 Nov 00

Young,but mad
For the first time, Britain has identified a cow with BSE born after 1 August 1996
8 Jul 00

Brainy move
Starting next October, abbatoirs in all European Union countries will have to remove and destroy brains and other tissues that carry BSE from cattle carcasses
1 Jul 00

Curbing CJD
It may be possible to delay the onset of prion diseases such as vCJD, say researchers
27 May 00

Farm-fresh food
What on eath are we feeding our farm animals?
18 Mar 00

Patient benefits from controversial vCJD drug
The condition of a UK teenager with the currently incurable disease appears to have stablised and possibly even improved
12 May 03

Controversial vCJD drug to be administered
An untested drug will be injected into the brain of a British teenager on Monday in the hope of slowing the fatal disease
10 Jan 03

vCJD patients given treatment go-ahead
A UK court rules that two dying teenagers can be the first to be injected with an experimental treatment - if they can find doctors to do it
17 Dec 02

Hopes are revived for CJD drug
New study backs controversial treatment for deadly human brain disease
26 Oct 02

Eat me, I'm not mad
Does the public have an appetite for cows that are immune to BSE?
5 Jan 02

vCJD drug trials proceed as planned
UK and US trials of a controversial treatment for vCJD will proceed as planned, despite the death of a patient who at one point had shown a "remarkable improvement"
3 Dec 01

First vCJD clinical trial to begin
The UK-based trial will start within weeks, but experts worry that the prospects for a full-controlled investigation are slim
17 Sep 01

vCJD vaccine a step closer to reality
Genetically modifed mice produce antibodies that protect them from scrapie, the sheep form of mad cow disease
7 Sep 01

Old drugs pull new tricks against vCJD
Trials on UK sufferers could begin right away, says a US team, but experts warn it is too soon to talk of a cure
14 Aug 01

Antibodies raise hope of prion disease cure
By "curing" mouse cells of scrapie, scientists raise hopes that the human form of mad cow disease will one day be treatable
24 Jul 01

Slow down
Cobra venom can block prion disease in mice, raising hopes for treatments for CJD
2 Apr 01

BSE breakthrough
A common blood protein is found to bind to the agents that cause BSE and vCJD, raising hopes of tests and possibly cures
22 Nov 00

The awful truth
If you've got vCJD, would you want to know?
21 Jul 01

Red alert
Blood tests could soon pick up the human form of mad cow disease - before any symptoms appear
16 Jun 01

Prion spotter
Scientists in Germany have developed a test that can detect a single clump of prions
27 May 00

We're not safe yet
Only further testing will rule out an epidemic of human BSE
6 May 00

Volcanic pool enzyme kills prions
A new disinfectant for surgical instruments is showing promise in destroying the mutated proteins that cause vCJD
29 Jul 03

Search for BSE in muscle meat draws blank
French tests allay fears that eating beef can cause vCJD, the human form of BSE
27 Mar 02

BSE link to vCJD questioned
A UK public health consultant argues the connection is unlikely, but other CJD researchers and government officials reject the work
12 Oct 01

You twist my protein, I'll twist yours
Prions, the proteins notorious for their role in mad cow disease, may help each other multiply
11 Aug 01

Mad cow clues
Scrapie injected into cattle brains can cause BSE-like symptoms, but the cause of mad cow disease remains elusive
27 Apr 01

Prime suspect
The cause of mad cow disease was probably an African antelope imported into Britain
17 Apr 01

A killer is born
The verdict on BSE's origins remains contentious
4 Nov 00

Killer in hiding
Perhaps prions aren't solely to blame for BSE
2 Sep 00

Spot the difference
Is there a similarity between proteins involved in prion diseases and those in Alzheimer's?
26 Aug 00

Proof at last
The prion theory passes a crucial test
5 Aug 00

Twisted tale
Brain damaging proteins may not be all bad
6 Feb 00

BSE scandal: the history
From a single cow in 1984, the BSE and vCJD epidemic led to the slaughter of millions of cattle and the deaths, so far, of 73 people
25 Oct 00

BSE fiasco
The UK government misled the public over mad cow disease, but the epidemic could not have been avoided, says inquiry chairman
25 Oct 00

CJD creeps up
Deaths from the human form of mad cow disease in Britain have been rising by a third on average each year since 1995
12 Aug 00

Brain disease drives cows wild
New Scientist magazine reported on the first journal paper about BSE on 5 November 1987. The story is reproduced below
5 Nov 87

vCJD deaths will rise if UK sheep have BSE
Thousands more people could die if Britain's sheep turn out to be infected with mad cow disease, epidemiologists warn
9 Jan 02

Bungled BSE experiments due to refrigerator mix-up
Crucial tests to find out if sheep catch BSE probably went wrong because brain samples were confused, say two audits
30 Nov 01

New clue in BSE fiasco
A flawed study to investigate whether sheep catch BSE may have been ruined by the muddling of samples stored in Edinburgh
24 Oct 01

BSE experiment farce deepens
No cover up, says minister, while lab admits it tested the wrong samples in 2000 - giving researchers a false sense of security
23 Oct 01

BSE experiments end in farce
Scientists conducting a five year study to find whether BSE has infiltrated UK sheep were testing cattle samples all along
19 Oct 01

New evidence for vCJD risk from lamb
Experiments suggest UK flocks might have been infected with mad cow disease
3 Aug 01

Is it BSE or scrapie?
Vets may soon be able to tell quickly if BSE has spread to sheep by looking at brain tissue from the dead animals
9 Jun 01

Suspect symptoms
What if you can catch old-fashioned CJD by eating meat from a sheep infected with scrapie?
28 Mar 01

Fears of BSE epidemic in sheep prove unfounded
A survey of British farmers suggests it's unlikely sheep became widely infected with BSE when the disease was raging in British cattle
10 Mar 01

Reservoir sheep
Sheep in Britain may harbour the twisted proteins called prions that cause BSE in cows
29 Jul 00

Woolly thinking
BSE in American sheep? It's "far-fetched speculation" say experts
22 Jul 00

Surgery patients exposed to CJD risk
The risk, thought to be small, arose because instruments used to operate on a patient with sporadic CJD were re-used
30 Oct 02

Common cause
A bug in the soil might trigger both BSE and multiple sclerosis, say a team of immunologists in London
17 Nov 01

Tainted meat
Consumers could still be eating BSE-infected meat resulting from contamination in slaughterhouses
6 Jun 01

Blood alarm
A wide range of patients could have received blood donated by a vCJD victim and may be untraceable
30 Jan 01

Tonsil fear
Britain will not ban reusable surgical instruments for tonsil removal, despite vCJD fears
9 Nov 00

Tonsil warning
Half the tools used to remove tonsils in the UK could be infected with the human form of mad cow disease
8 Nov 00

Mad meat
British beef may not be the sole culprit in this long, dark saga
4 Nov 00

Bad blood
If sheep get BSE from blood, can people?
23 Sep 00

Supercow
Has biotech found its killer ap in prion-free cattle?
5 Jan 02

[Comment] The madness spreads
Humgry children around the world could bear the brunt of BSE
10 Feb 01

[Comment] End of an era
The public should never again be shielded from uncertainty - however painful
4 Nov 00

[Comment] Prions everywhere?
Anyone who ate British meat or fed it to their kids in the past twenty years will be feeling distinctly queasy this week
22 Jul 00

[Comment] What mad cows?
How does a country know when its cattle are carrying BSE? How can it prove they are not?
10 Jun 00