Neurologic diseases in cattle can be difficult to diagnose because there are a number of different causes, says Patricia Pesavento, a veterinary pathologist in the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and study author.

Researchers have now sequenced the genome of a new neurologic virus that causes symptoms in cows similar to BSE, offering a better way to understand BSE itself.

"Finding new viruses helps us identify other, more remote viruses because it builds our knowledge of both the depth and breadth of viral family trees," she explains.

To read more about this research, click here.

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