Mad-cow outbreak spurs German drive to combat prion diseases

German biologists and veterinarians are preparing to launch a coordinated investigation into prion-based diseases, which include bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease. At a government-sponsored meeting in Munich on 20 July, researchers met to determine questions that should be asked and the necessary tools for studying these diseases, of which Germany has little direct experience. Because Germany was thought to be free of BSE, German research on the diseases, known collectively as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), figured little during the 1990s. "Research model: Martin Groschup wants to harmonize German and French efforts on BSE."