[Study on bovine spongiform encephacitis and current status of safety control of medical devices deriving from animals].
OBJECTIVE
To introduce the basic information about mad cow disease and the current status of safety control of medical devices derived from mammalian animal tissues.


METHODS
Literature concerned was reviewed intensively.


RESULTS
Mad cow disease also known as bovine spongiform encephacitis (BSE), is generally considered from the same source of Scrapie, and they are caused by the same kind of sponginess brain tissue pathological changes. Mad cow disease is caused by the misfolding of a small protein called Prion. This disease has the character of slowly breaking down the central neuron system of animals.


CONCLUSIONS
Further researches can provide evaluation for safety considerations of medical devices deriving from animal.
Shi
Xinli
X
Center of Medical Device Evaluation, State Food Drug Administration, Beijing, 100044, P. R. China.
Tan
Fangyi
F
Wang
Zhaoxu
Z
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D007562:Creutzfeldt-Jakob Syndrome / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology*; D016643:Encephalopathy, Bovine Spongiform / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology*; D004866:Equipment Contamination / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004869:Equipment Safety; D012756:Sheep; D038301:Virus Inactivation