What is the Difference Between Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease and Mad Cow Disease

The key difference between Creutzfeldt Jakob disease and Mad Cow disease is that Creutzfeldt Jakob disease is a brain disorder reported only in humans, while Mad Cow disease is a brain disorder reported only in animals such as cattle.

Creutzfeldt Jakob disease and Mad Cow disease are two associated medical conditions. Mad cow disease is a fatal disease that slowly destroys the brain and spinal cord in cattle. Humans cannot get mad cow disease. But in rare cases, people may get a human form of mad cow disease called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), which affects the brain and spinal cord.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease
3. What is Mad Cow Disease
4. Similarities – Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease and Mad Cow Disease
5. Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease vs. Mad Cow Disease in Tabular Form
6. FAQ – Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease and Mad Cow Disease
7. Summary – Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease vs. Mad Cow Disease

What is Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease?

Ceutzfeldt-Jakob disease is a rare brain disorder that leads to dementia. Public awareness about this disease heightened during the 1990s when cases of illness emerged in the United Kingdom due to the consumption of meat from diseased cattle. This disease is the human form of Mad Cow disease. The common symptoms associated with this disease may include personality changes, memory loss, impaired thinking, insomnia, problems with coordination, blurry vision or blindness, trouble speaking, trouble swallowing, sudden, jerky movements, falls, heart issues, lung failure, or pneumonia. Ceutzfeldt-Jakob disease is caused by changes to a type of protein called prion sporadically, inheritably (PRNP gene mutation) or getting abnormal prions by contamination (through medical procedures or eating contaminated beef). The risk factors for this condition are age (late onset at the age of 60 or at a young age such as 20s), genetics, and contamination. Moreover, coma, death, dementia, myoclonus, and other central nervous system deficits are complications resulting from this particular disease.

Ceutzfeldt-Jakob disease can be diagnosed through physical symptoms evaluation, brain biopsy, neurological examination, electroencephalogram, MRI, and spinal fluid test. Furthermore, treatment options for Ceutzfeldt-Jakob disease may include antidepressants to help with anxiety and depression, painkillers to relieve the pain, nursing, and assistance with feeding.

What is Mad Cow Disease?

Mad Cow disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), is a transmissible, progressive, degenerative, and fatal disease that affects the central nervous system of cattle. The signs and symptoms may include abnormal gait, changes in behavior, tremors, hyperresponsiveness to certain stimuli, behavioral changes such as aggression, anxiety relating to certain situations, nervousness, frenzy, and overall changes in temperament. Mad Cow disease is caused due to an infection by a misfolded protein called prion. The risk factors for Mad Cow disease include contaminated food and feed eaten by healthy cattle. Moreover, complications resulting from this disease are coma and death in the cattle population.

Mad Cow disease can be diagnosed through physical symptoms evaluation and immunohistochemistry such as surround optical fiber immunoassay. There are no specific treatment options for Mad Cow disease. However, it can be managed by implementing bans on the inclusion of mammalian meat and bone meal in animal feed, prohibiting the utilization of specified risk materials in food, feed, or other products, and culling animals exhibiting signs and symptoms indicating a higher risk of developing the disease.

What are the Similarities Between Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease and Mad Cow Disease?

• Creutzfeldt Jakob disease and Mad Cow disease are two associated medical conditions.
• Both diseases can cause similar symptoms, such as behavioral changes, dementia, anxiety, etc.
• Both diseases are triggered by abnormal prion accumulation in the brain.
• The diseases can be diagnosed through physical symptoms evaluation and imaging tests.
• There are no proper treatments for both diseases.

What is the Difference Between Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease and Mad Cow Disease?

Creutzfeldt Jakob disease is a brain disorder seen only in humans, while Mad Cow disease is a brain disorder seen only in animals such as cattle. Thus, this is the key difference between Creutzfeldt Jakob disease and Mad Cow disease. Furthermore, the risk factors for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease include age (late onset at the age of 60 or at a young age such as 20s), genetics, and contamination. On the other hand, risk factors for Mad Cow disease include contaminated food and feed eaten by healthy cattle.

The infographic below presents the differences between Creutzfeldt Jakob disease and Mad Cow disease in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

FAQ: Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease and Mad Cow Disease

How does a person get Creutzfeldt Jakob disease?

In most cases, Creutzfeldt Jakob disease happens for unknown reasons. CJD does not spread person to person by contact. However, it can spread from person to person through organ or tissue transplantation.

What is another name for mad cow disease?

Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) is another name for mad cow disease.

What are the three symptoms of CJD?

Loss of physical coordination, memory problems, and changes in behavior and personality are the three symptoms of CJD.

Summary – Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease vs. Mad Cow Disease

Creutzfeldt Jakob disease and Mad Cow disease are two related medical conditions. These diseases are characterized under transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). They are brain disorders and may cause similar symptoms, such as behavioral changes, dementia, anxiety, etc. However, Creutzfeldt Jakob disease is a brain disorder that is reported only in humans, while Mad Cow disease is a brain disorder that is reported only in animals such as cattle. So, this is the key difference between Creutzfeldt Jakob disease and Mad Cow disease.

Reference:

1. “Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
2. “Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE).” USDA APHIS | Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE).

Image Courtesy:

1. “Prion protein immunostaining (purple) and spongiform change in the brain of a patient with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease” (CC0) via Commons Wikimedia

2. “Aphis.usda.gov BSE 3” (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia