BSE agent found in cattles muscle nerves

04 September 1997

BSE agent found in cattles muscle nerves

NATURE reports the work of Professor Adriano Aguzzi, who has found
that muscle nerves in beef cattle may carry the infectious agent for BSE long before the animals develop the symptoms.

The discovery could lead to the development of drugs able to stave off the
human form of the disease.

He made the discovery in experiments at the University of Zurich. He explains in the magazine why such diseases can incubate for up to 30 years.