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Mad Cow Disease Trivia Quiz

You've heard about it on the news, perhaps while munching a hamburger. What do you know about the reality?

A multiple-choice quiz by crisw. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
crisw

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
196,187

Updated
Aug 25 22

# Qns
20

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
13 / 20

Plays
2154

Awards
Top 10% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 20

1. The causative agent of mad cow disease is probably a prion. What is a prion? Hint

A virus

A protozoan

A very small bacterium

An abnormal protein

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Question 2 of 20

2. Mad cow disease is the only prion disease known to affect humans.

True

False

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Question 3 of 20

3. Mad cow disease is a member of a group of diseases called TSEs. What does TSE stand for? Hint

Terminal spinal encephalopathy

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy

Total spongiform encerebration

Terminal simian evisceration

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Question 4 of 20

4. What is the proper scientific acronym for mad cow disease? Hint

MCD

BCD

TCE

BSE

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Question 5 of 20

5. Which of the following animals is NOT known to host a disease similar to mad cow? Hint

Mink

Sheep

Pig

Deer

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Question 6 of 20

6. What is the human variant of mad cow disease called? Hint

Bovine encephalopathy

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

Legg-Perthe's disease

Tourette's syndrome

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Question 7 of 20

7. Which is NOT a symptom of mad cow disease in cows? Hint

Weight loss

Uncontrollable aggression

Skittishness

Loss of coordination

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Question 8 of 20

8. What types of tissues carry the greatest risk of spreading mad cow disease to people? Hint

Muscle tissue

Tissues from the nervous system

Liver and other organ meats

Fatty tissues

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Question 9 of 20

9. What is the prevalent theory of how cows developed mad cow disease? Hint

From a similar disease in wild deer

It is a variant form of cow pox

It has always occurred in cattle, but mutated to infect humans

From being fed sick sheep or cows

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Question 10 of 20

10. In the United States, tissues that hold the highest risk of passing on mad cow disease may not be fed to animals.

True

False

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Question 11 of 20

11. What percentage of slaughtered cattle in the US are tested for mad cow disease? Hint

100%

50%

Less than 1%

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Question 12 of 20

12. Some cases of human mad cow disease may be misdiagnosed as what other disease? Hint

Schizophrenia

Manic depression

Alzheimer's disease

Polio

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Question 13 of 20

13. There is a vaccine for mad cow disease in cows.

True

False

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Question 14 of 20

14. What must be done to destroy the agent that causes mad cow disease? Hint

Exposure to ultraviolet radiation

Use of strong disinfectants

Freezing

Incineration

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Question 15 of 20

15. Cooking meat until well-done is a very important step in preventing the transmission of mad cow disease.

True

False

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Question 16 of 20

16. What is not a symptom of mad cow disease in people? Hint

Wild bursts of activity

Coordination problems

Paranoia

Slurred speech

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Question 17 of 20

17. Once symptoms show, human mad cow disease is always fatal.

True

False

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Question 18 of 20

18. In December of 2003, Dave Louthan slaughtered a cow in Washington that later tested positive for mad cow disease. What happened to Mr. Louthan? Hint

He testified before the government on problems in slaughterhouse practices

He became an activist against beef industry practices

He lost his job

All of these

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Question 19 of 20

19. Which is NOT considered to be a possible mode of transmission of mad cow disease in humans? Hint

Vaccines

Close personal contact with someone with the disease

Blood transfusions

Cosmetics

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Question 20 of 20

20. In the United States, what group possibly faces the danger of a prion disease related to mad cow disease? Hint

Deer hunters

Goat milkers

Sheep farmers

Horse riders

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The causative agent of mad cow disease is probably a prion. What is a prion?

Answer: An abnormal protein

It is theorized that the prions of mad cow disease are abnormally folded, and somehow induce normal nerve cell proteins to fold abnormally as well. The abnormal proteins do not work as they should in the nerve cell, and tend to clump together. The body's immune cells attempt to remove them, but cannot break them down. Eventually, the cells rupture and spread the prions even further.

This process also leads to the nerve tissue becoming riddled with tiny holes.

2. Mad cow disease is the only prion disease known to affect humans.

Answer: False

The first identified human prion disease was kuru, which affected the cannibalistic Fore tribe of New Guinea, and was spread by complicated rituals in which the brains of ancestors were eaten.

3. Mad cow disease is a member of a group of diseases called TSEs. What does TSE stand for?

Answer: Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy

"Transmissible" means able to be passed from one organism to another, "spongiform" refers to the holes it makes in nervous tissue, and "encephalopathy" means a brain disease.

4. What is the proper scientific acronym for mad cow disease?

Answer: BSE

BSE stands for "bovine spongiform encephalopathy." "Bovine" means "related to cows;" the rest of the etymology is as for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies.

5. Which of the following animals is NOT known to host a disease similar to mad cow?

Answer: Pig

Sheep suffer from scrapie, which was probably the origin of BSE. Deer in the US suffer from chronic wasting disease, which many suspect may be passed on to deer hunters. Captive-raised mink suffer from transmissible mink encephalopathy, which may have been acquired from scrapie-infected sheep.

6. What is the human variant of mad cow disease called?

Answer: Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

Specifically, it is called new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease or nvCJD, as other forms of CJD exist.

7. Which is NOT a symptom of mad cow disease in cows?

Answer: Uncontrollable aggression

Despite being called "mad" cow disease, aggression is not a symptom. Affected animals lose their appetites, drool, stagger, seem afraid of everything, and eventually are paralyzed and die.

8. What types of tissues carry the greatest risk of spreading mad cow disease to people?

Answer: Tissues from the nervous system

As BSE infects the nervous system, nerve tissues are the most dangerous. It is also recommended not to use eyes, spleen, thymus, lymph glands or intestines in human food. Most cases of mad cow in people probably arose either from consuming brains, or from contamination of hamburger with nerve tissue.

9. What is the prevalent theory of how cows developed mad cow disease?

Answer: From being fed sick sheep or cows

Sheep carry a TSE called scrapie. In the 1980's, scrapie-infected sheep were ground up and processed into cattle feed, thus possibly infecting cows. Cows were also fed to cows, and another theory is that BSE was a naturally-occurring disease in cows that was amplified in this fashion.

10. In the United States, tissues that hold the highest risk of passing on mad cow disease may not be fed to animals.

Answer: False

They may not be fed to ruminants (cows, sheep and goats) but are processed into pig, poultry and pet foods. Both domestic and zoo carnivores in Europe have contracted BSE through this route.

11. What percentage of slaughtered cattle in the US are tested for mad cow disease?

Answer: Less than 1%

In the US, about 35,000,000 cattle are killed every year. Only about 113,000 are tested for BSE, or about .3% and test results are not returned until the animal has already entered the human food chain. In contrast, Japan tests 100% of slaughtered cattle. The US beef industry has strenuously opposed such testing in the US.

12. Some cases of human mad cow disease may be misdiagnosed as what other disease?

Answer: Alzheimer's disease

Some studies of the brains of Alzheimer's patients have shown that significant percentages had some type of CJD, although not necessarily nvCJD.

13. There is a vaccine for mad cow disease in cows.

Answer: False

The only prevention is to not feed animal parts to cows.

14. What must be done to destroy the agent that causes mad cow disease?

Answer: Incineration

Only incineration at extremely high temperatures will destroy the prions.

15. Cooking meat until well-done is a very important step in preventing the transmission of mad cow disease.

Answer: False

Normal cooking temperatures do not affect the prions at all.

16. What is not a symptom of mad cow disease in people?

Answer: Wild bursts of activity

People with nvCJD may first show psychiatric problems, often paranoia, and memory loss. As the disease progresses, they have problems with speech, hearing and other senses, as well as loss of coordination. Finally, they lapse into a coma and die. Lifespan after diagnosis is not usually more than a year.

17. Once symptoms show, human mad cow disease is always fatal.

Answer: True

It is inexorably progressive, and no treatments halt its destruction of the nervous system.

18. In December of 2003, Dave Louthan slaughtered a cow in Washington that later tested positive for mad cow disease. What happened to Mr. Louthan?

Answer: All of these

He has appeared on many radio and TV shows to talk about how he feels beef industry practices may endanger human health.

19. Which is NOT considered to be a possible mode of transmission of mad cow disease in humans?

Answer: Close personal contact with someone with the disease

According to the Centers for Disease Control, there is no evidence that nvCJD has been spread by personal contact. Prions could be spread from vaccines produced with contaminated human or animal tissue, from blood transfusions, or the use of contaminated fats (tallows) in cosmetics.

20. In the United States, what group possibly faces the danger of a prion disease related to mad cow disease?

Answer: Deer hunters

Many deer, elk and moose in the US are infected with chronic wasting disease, a TSE. While no research confirms transmission of this disease to humans, no research shows that it does not happen.

Source: Author crisw

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