Mad cow disease has caused a fourth death in the United States, health officials announced on Thursday.
Officials say an unidentified Texan passed away from BSE, a rare infection of the brain, which is associated with the bovine infection, typically passed on by contact with tainted meat from cows. The mad cow disease death in Texas is the fourth U.S. confirmed case of the often fatal infection, but officials -- at this time -- say there is no public health threat, citing a June 5 CNN report
"The history of this fourth patient, including extensive travel to Europe and the Middle East, supports the likelihood that infection occurred outside the United States," the CDC said in a statement this week.
In each of the three previous cases, infection likely occurred outside the United States, it said. The Texas patient was not identified.
"There are no Texas public health concerns or threats associated with this case," the Texas Department of State Health Services posted to its website.
Mad cow disease is officially called bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE. Mad cow disease, often called mad cow's disease, first gained attention in the mid-'80s when researchers discovered the strain in the UK. In 2003, South Korea had a scare from the disease and accused the United States of having tainted beef.
Eating meat contaminated with the disease is thought to be the cause of Variant CJD in humans.
