BSE (sometimes referred to as "mad cow disease") and CJD belong to the unusual group of progressively degenerative neurological diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). These diseases are characterized by an incubation period of several months (among mink) to several years, during which there is no visible indication of the disease. The incubation period for BSE among cattle ranges from three to eight years; for CJD among humans, it is approximately 13 years.

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