On Mon, 05 Feb 2001, David Lewandowski wrote: [snip] > If the germ theory of disease were correct there would be no one > alive to prove it. > Interesting, perhaps, but completely irelevant, as Mad Cow Disease is not caused by a virus, a bacteria or any other kind of 'germ'. It is caused by a class of abnormal proteins, known as prions. These are not alive in any biological sense, making it a hard disease to diagnose, as it does not stimulate a normal immune system response. Andy.