In article >,
"Bob" > wrote:

> Speaking of oxtails, don't they contain prions, and therefore constitute a
> possible vector for BSE ("Mad Cow Disease")?
>
> I cheerfully admit that I don't know the fact of the matter, but it seems to
> me that any part of the spinal cord will contain prions.


It may go further than that:
<http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn6907>


"Inflammation can cause the deformed proteins that cause prion diseases,
such as BSE, to invade organs that normally resist infection. If the new
research in mice holds true for cattle, it could mean that some organs
previously thought to be safe to eat are not - with significant
implications for BSE testing programmes."

....
"'People in countries with BSE still eat steak because the authorities
say if you stay away from the brain and lymphoid tissue, you should be
safe," [Adriano Aguzzi, at the University Hospital of Zurich,
Switzerland] told New Scientist. However, the experiments to find out
where BSE prions lurk in cattle incubating the disease have been done in
otherwise healthy animals, he says: 'If you have a sick cow, these rules
may no longer apply.'"

--
to respond (OT only), change "spamless.invalid" to "optonline.net"

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