USA: Hobby hunter eats squirrel brain and dies
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease became widely known when several people in England fell ill after eating meat contaminated with mad cow disease (BSE). In New York, a hobby hunter has now died from a new variant of this disease.
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease became widely known when several people in England fell ill after eating meat contaminated with mad cow disease (BSE). In New York, a hobby hunter has now died from a new variant of this disease.
This was reported by the news site «Live Science», citing a report from the treating hospital in the US state of New York. The pathogens of the fatal disease destroy the brain, which then dissolves into a sponge-like mass.
Squirrel brain as a delicacy
According to the report, the 61-year-old had complained of difficulty concentrating in 2015, lost touch with reality, and was no longer able to walk independently. Doctors in Rochester subsequently diagnosed the man with vCJD. The disease attacks the central nervous system and is always fatal.
Based on information from the family, medical professionals now suspect that consuming squirrel brain increased the patient's risk of vCJD. The 61-year-old had loved to hunt and to eat the brains of squirrels, according to the doctors.
The 61-year-old died five months after his arrival at the hospital. As the disease progresses rapidly, most patients do not even survive the first year. More on recreational hunting.
