**Spread and Control of Prion Diseases in the Food and Feed Chains**

Qinchun Rao and Yun-Hwa Peggy Hsieh

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/62118

#### **Abstract**

Prion diseases, or transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), are a group of chronic, progressive, and fatal neurodegenerative disorders that affect a variety of mam‐ malian species. This chapter discusses the issues raised by two foodborne prion diseases, namely bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (vCJD), particularly those related to their spread in cattle and humans, the contamination of specified risk material (SRM) in meat, the relevant regulations, and appropriate detec‐ tion methods for surveillance.

**Keywords:** Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, speci‐ fied risk material, central nervous system tissues, regulations, detection methods
