Does the tongue hide the disease disease?

2003/02/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Abeltzaintza

A study with Hamster reveals that the prions that cause mad cow disease accumulate in the tongue. Therefore, researchers conclude that the same can happen in cows.

The study has been published in the journal Journal of Virology. Researchers have injected prions into the brain of hamsters and discovered that prions go to the tongue and accumulate in it. Scientists don't know if this happens in cows, but they think it should be studied just in case.

In Europe it is forbidden to eat the brain and spinal cord of cows because they can contain prions. But the tongue has not been considered dangerous, so like the rest of the muscles is sold in butchers. Now, the researchers propose to check if there are prions in the Bovine languages and if, despite being, there is risk of transmission of the disease.