BSE and TSEs: Past, present and future

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in the UK and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease as result of BSE transmission to humans caused worldwide concern that increased when active surveillance proved BSE to be widespread in continental Europe. Science-based control measures by the EU restricted the BSE epidemic to a continuous decline over recent years. However, the future has to consider the global BSE situation, the feasibility of animal TSE eradication, the zoonotic potential of scrapie and CWD, the risk from atypical strains, and secondary transmissions between humans e.g. by blood. It is time to be re-assured but yet too early for complacency.