In a message dated 98-04-02 13:16:10 EST, you write:

<< If the natives of New Guinea that practiced cannibalism several hundred
 years ago before the advent of pesticides etc. succumbed to  the human
 variant of mad cow disease, why should allergies to beef be ruled out? >>
Those diseases have to do with viral-like particles and not
allergy---completely different phenomena are involved.