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Xavier Bosch, MD

JAMA. 2001;285:397-398.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Barcelona—Panic over the transmission of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) to humans who may unknowingly eat infected beef has spread across Europe after Spain and Germany reported their first indigenous cases in December 2000. France, where the zoonotic disease is now endemic, experienced a renewed outbreak in October.

Is this dinner safe? The spread of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in Europe— believed to have been caused by the inclusion of material from infected cattle in feed for others—suggests that cattle are not meant to be cannibals. (Photo credit: PhotoDisc Inc)

The Spanish meat industry was severely affected within days of the announcement that two cases of BSE had been discovered in cattle in the country's northwestern region of Galicia. There was a drop of about 50% in beef sales and prices within Spain, and six countries ordered an immediate embargo on import of Spanish cattle.

(In early January, . . . [Full Text of this Article]