Volume 16: Reference Material
Glossary
Dictionary references

Some definitions in this glossary are quoted directly from another source.These sources, abbreviated in the glossary, are listed below.

Alberts:	Alberts, Bray, Lewis, Raff, Roberts and Watson, Molecular Biology of the Cell, 3rd Edition, Garland Publishing, New York, 1994.
BAD:	Black's Agricultural Dictionary, 2nd Edition, 1985. Ed. D B Dalal-Clayton.
BMD:	Black's Medical Dictionary, 38th Edition, 1995. Ed. G Macpherson.
BVD:	Black's Veterinary Dictionary, 18th Edition, 1995. Ed. G West.
COD:	The Concise Oxford Dictionary, 10th Edition, 1999. Ed. Judy Pearsall.
DOA:	Dictionary of Agriculture, Peter Collin Publishing, 2nd Edition, 1996. Ed. Alan Stephens.
IPCS:	International Programme on Chemical Safety, Training Module No. 1, 'What are Chemical Hazards?', Version 2, World Health Organisation, July 1990.
Taber:	Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, 18th Edition, 1997. Ed. C L Thomas.

Term or abbreviation	Meaning (all words in bold type are defined in this glossary)
A
AA	Administrative Assistant. A junior clerical grade in the civil service.
ABAO	Association of British Abattoir Owners.
Abattoir	Slaughterhouse.
ABMP	Association of British Meat Processors.
Abomasum	The fourth stomach of a ruminant. (DOA)
ABRC	Advisory Board for the Research Councils. Abolished in 1993.
ABRO	Animal Breeding Research Organisation (an institute of the Agricultural Research Council - ARC). Set up in 1948. Closed in 1981. The Disease Studies department became independent and was expanded to form (part of) the Neuropathogenesis Unit (NPU).
ACARD	Advisory Council on Applied Research and Development (to improve communication between government and organisations outside it). Replaced by ACOST in 1987.
ACDP	Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens, established in 1981 to advise the Health and Safety Executive on all aspects of hazards and risks to workers and others from exposure to pathogens.
Acetylcholine	A neurotransmitter released at autonomic synapses and neuromuscular junctions.
Acetylethyleneimine	A solvent capable of inactivating viruses.
Acinetobacter calcoaceticus	A common microbe found in large quantities in the soil, sewage and water supplies. Proposed in the autoimmune theory as a possible cause of BSE.
ACMS	Agricultural Cooperation and Marketing Services.
ACMSF	Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safetyof Food (established 1989). Also known as the Richmond Committee.
ACOST	Advisory Council on Science and Technology, 1987-93, set up to advise government on the priorities for science and technology in the UK. Replaced by the Council for Science and Technology (CST).
ACP	Advisory Committee on Pesticides (established under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985).
'Actellic'TM products	Pesticide commonly used in grain stores and, for example, against cockroaches. Contains the chemical agent pirimiphos-methyl.
Actinomycete	Any of an order (Actinomycetales) of filamentousor rod-shaped bacteria (such as the actinomyces and streptomyces).
ACTS	Advisory Committee on Toxic Substances, whose remit is to consider and advise the Health and Safety Commission on matters relating to the prevention, control and management of hazards to the health and safety of persons arising from the supply or use of toxic substances at work.
Acute	Term used for a disease of short duration that starts quickly and has severe symptoms. Cf. chronic.
ACVO	Assistant Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO).
Acylate	A chemical term: to introduce an acyl group into.
ADAS	Agricultural Development and Advisory Service. ADAS used to be an executive arm of MAFF; it was privatised in 1997. It performs certain regulatory functions, provides scientific, technical and business management advice to the agricultural and horticultural industries, and carries out research and development (R&D) in support of the above-mentioned functions. The State Veterinary Service (SVS) used to bea service of ADAS, but is now part of MAFF.
Adjuvant	A substance that intensifies the immune response to an antigen.
ADRA	Animal Disease Research Association, the governing body of ADRI.
ADRI	Animal Disease Research Institute. Became the Moredun Research Institute, officially, in 1995, though also known as such before then. Founded in 1920.
Adverse effect	An abnormal, undesirable, or harmful effect on an organism, indicated by some result such as mortality, altered food consumption, altered body and organ weights, altered enzyme levels, or visible pathological change. (IPCS)
Aetiology	Study of the causes or origin of disease. US spelling: etiology.
AFRC	Agricultural and Food Research Council. Became the BBSRC in 1994.
Agent	A substance or organism that exerts some effect, eg, of disease. The term has a long-standing use in TSE research as being a neutral one which avoids terms used for common pathogens.
AHVG	Animal Health and Veterinary Group, MAFF.
Alanine	A simple non-essential amino acid.
ALARP principle	As Low As Reasonably Practicable. Used in risk analysis.
Alimentary	Of or providing nourishment or sustenance. (COD)
Allele	Any of the alternative forms of a gene that may occur at a given gene locus.
Alpha ()-helix (plural: helices)	Used to describe coiled structures within proteins. Cf. beta-sheet.
Alzheimer's disease	A degenerative disease of the central nervous system, occurring in middle or old age and characterised especially by premature senile mental deterioration.
AMI	Authorised Meat Inspector.
Amino acid	The building blocks of proteins, linked together by peptide bonds. Amino acids contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, together with an amine group (NH2). The quality of a protein, in terms of its value as an animal feed, depends upon its content of essential amino acids. These are lysine, methionine, tryptophan, leucine, isoleucine, phenylalanine, threonine, histidine, valine, and arginine. (BVD) There are 20 amino acids.
Amphotericin B	An antifungal antibiotic obtained from a soil actinomycete (Streptomyces nodosus). It is used especially to treat systemic fungal infections.
Amyloid	A substance consisting of protein, in combination with polysaccharides, that is deposited in some animal organs and tissues under abnormal conditions.
Amyloid plaques	Areas of accumulated amyloid in the brain.
Animal by-products	As raw material these are all the animal tissues from the livestock industry which are not for direct use as human food. After rendering, for example, they become products such as meat and bone meal (MBM), blood meal, tallow and animal fats. Often referred to as 'animal waste', though this should not be confused with other farm wastes such as animal excreta and manure.
Animal waste	See animal by-products.
Antagonistic	Descriptive of the effect produced by one chemical (or group of chemicals) counteracting the effects of another: in other words, the situation where exposure to two chemicals together has less effect than the simple sum of their independent effects. Such chemicals are said to show antagonism. (IPCS)
Anterior	Situated towards the front.
Anthracycline	Category of chemical derivatives which are known to bind to amyloid fibrils.
Antibodies	Substances in the blood which destroy or neutralise antigens. (BMD) Antibodies belong to the globulin family of proteins.
Antigen	A substance which causes the formation of antibodies: it is usually a protein that is foreign to the body. (BMD)Molecule that provokes an immune response. (Alberts)
Antihelminthics(or anthelmintics)	Substances used to treat parasitic worms.
AO	Administrative Officer, civil service. The level between EO and AA.
APHIS	Animal and Public Health Information System, used from September 1998 in Northern Ireland to track livestock.
Aprotonin	An antifibrinolytic agent.
Aquifer	Body of permeable rock able to hold or transmit water. (COD)
ARC	Agricultural Research Council, which became the AFRC in 1984, then the BBSRC in 1994.
Assay	In chemistry, the determination of the quantity of a given substance in a sample; a procedure for measuring the biochemical or immunological activity of a sample.
Association of Meat Inspectors	Represents Meat Inspectors, Vets and Environmental Health Officers engaged in meat hygiene.
Astrocytes (also known as astroglia)	Cells in the brain that support the functions of the neurons.
Astrocytosis (also known as astrogliosis)	Proliferation of astrocytes in response to damage.
Astroglia	See astrocytes.
Ataxia	Inability to coordinate voluntary muscular movement.
Attack rate	The number of animals in an experimental group which succumb to a disease after exposure of the group to an infectious agent.
Autoclave	Apparatus which uses superheated steam under high pressure. Widely used in hospitals and laboratories to sterilise material.
Autoimmune diseases	Diseases that result from an immune system response against self-antigens. They result from the breakdown of the normal mechanisms of self-tolerance. These diseases include rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes mellitus.
Autolysis	Post-mortem deterioration: the destruction of cells by their own enzymes.
Autonomic nervous system	A part of the vertebrate nervous system that supplies smooth and cardiac muscle and glandular tissues with nerves, and governs involuntary actions. (For example, it innervates the gastrointestinal system.)
Autosomal	Pertaining to a chromosome other than a sex chromosome.
Autosomal dominant	Single-gene trait that is encoded on a chromosome other than a sex chromosome, and is expressed if only one copy of the allele responsible is present. Huntington's disease is an example.
Avontan	An additive in cattle feed, used to promote growth. Active ingredient Avoparcin. Banned in 1996 by the European Union (EU).
Axon	An elongated projection of a nerve cell or neuron that carries an electrical impulse to the tissue. (BMD)
B
BAA	British Agrochemical Association.
BABs	Cattle that are verified as having been Born After the ruminant feed Ban on 18 July 1988, and that are confirmed to be BSE positive on histopathological, or SAF, examination.
Backcross	A cross of a first-generation hybrid with one of its parents or with an organism with the same genetic characteristics as one of the parents.
Bacteria (singular: bacterium)	Unicellular micro-organisms lacking organelles and an organised nucleus, some of which can cause disease.
BARIMO	Bovine Animals (Records, Identification and Movement) Order 1995.
Basal ganglia	A group of structures linked to the thalamus in the base of the brain and involved in coordination of movement. (COD)
Base	A substance capable of reacting with an acid to form a salt and water, or of accepting and neutralising hydrogen ions. Specifically, any of the five purine or pyrimidine bases of DNA and RNA that include cytosine, guanine, adenine, thymine and uracil.
Batch rendering	The traditional method of rendering whereby discrete quantities of raw animal by-products are cooked/dried in a closed vessel, either under pressure or, more normally, under atmospheric conditions. Batch rendering has been largely replaced by continuous rendering.
BBD	Bovine brain disorder, recognised in the late 1980s by the Central Veterinary Laboratory (CVL) in a subset of animals submitted as BSE suspects, but which lacked the typical vacuolar component of BSE. See also IBNC.
BBSRC	Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. Established 1 April 1994, incorporating the AFRC (formerly the ARC) and the biotechnology and biological sciences programmes of the former Science and Engineering Research Council.
B-cells; B-lymphocytes	Lymphocytes produced in the bone marrow.
BCMS	British Cattle Movement Service. Part of MAFF, based in Workington, Cumbria.
BCVA	British Cattle Veterinary Association. Part of the BVA.
Beta ()-sheet	Used to describe a structure within a protein in which polypeptide chains fold back on themselves. Cf. alpha-helix.
Bioassay	Test for disease using a live animal; in the case of BSE susceptible mice are often used.
Biological half-life (t1/2)	The time taken for half the amount of a substance in, or introduced into, a living system to be eliminated or disintegrate. (IPCS)
Biologicals	Medicinal and other products made from biological materials.
BMMA	British Meat Manufacturers' Association.
BNS	British Neuropathological Society.
BOCM	British Oil and Cake Mills Ltd, now part of BOCM Pauls Ltd.
Bovine	Of, relating to, or resembling members of the Bovidae group of animals (ie, cattle).
BPASU; BPSU	British Paediatric (Association) Surveillance Unit.
BPC	British Pharmacopoeia Commission. Established under the Medicines Act 1968, the BPC prepares and maintains new editions of the British Pharmacopoeia and the British Pharmacopoeia (Veterinary).
Bradycardia	Slowness of the beating of the heart. (BMD)
Brain biopsy	A minor operative procedure to obtain a piece of brain tissue, which is looked at under the microscope and may give a diagnosis in some patients with neurological brain disorders.
BSC	Biologicals Sub-Committee of the Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM); or the Biologicals Sub-Committee of the Veterinary Products Committee (VPC).
BSE	Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, a slowly progressive and ultimately fatal neurological disorder of adult cattle. See also TSE.
BSE Standing Committee	An expert committee (also known as the Gibbs Committee) set up at the recommendation of an international round table on BSE to review the status of BSE studies and to interact with regulatory veterinary officials in developing criteria for certification of clean herds as source materials for biological substances, etc. Established in 1990.
BSEP I and II	Two Programmes of research into the Biology of the Spongiform Encephalopathies, from 1991 to 1994 and from 1996 onwards respectively, funded by the BBSRC.
BSEWG	BSE Working Group, a subgroup of the Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM).
Buccal	Relating to the mouth or inside of the cheek. (BMD)
Buffy coat	Layer of white cells at the interface between the supernatant plasma and the red cell deposit that remain after blood is centrifuged.
BVA	British Veterinary Association.
BVD	Bovine Viral Diarrhoea.
Bypass protein	An important protein in the nutrition of dairy animals. See UDP.
C
Cabinet	The committee of senior Ministers with overall responsibility for government policy.
Cabinet (French)	Team of political advisers to a politician (political appointees rather than civil servants). European Commissioners have cabinets.
Cadaver	A dead body.
CAFMNA	Compound Animal Feedingstuffs Manufacturers' National Association.
Cancer	The disease which results from the development of a malignant tumour and its spread into surrounding tissues. (IPCS)
Captive bolt pistol stunner	An instrument for stunning animals before slaughter, powered by a cartridge or compressed air which drives a bolt out of a barrel for some four inches and then retracts it into the barrel. It may be penetrating or non-penetrating, the latter being fitted with a mushroom-like head. Cf. pithing.
Carbophenothion	An OP farm dip.
Carcinogen	A substance which can cause cancer (adjective: carcinogenic).
Carditis	Inflammation of the heart.
Catechol sulphate	One of three urine metabolites whose concentrations were investigated for use in BSE diagnosis.
Caudal	Towards the tail.
CBA	Cost-benefit analysis.
CCDC	Consultants in Communicable Disease Control.
CCLRC	Council of the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils, responsible for the provision and operation of central facilities and technical expertise to support research programmes.
CCR	Consultative Committee on Research, also known as the Tyrrell Committee.
CDSC; CD(S)U	Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre; Communicable Disease (Scotland) Unit. Responsible for monitoring human infectious diseases.
CDSM	Committee on Dental and Surgical Materials. Set up under the Medicines Act 1968, the CDSM advised on the safety, quality and efficacy of dental and surgical materials. It was abolished in 1994.
CEC	Commission of the European Communities. Term used before the Maastricht Treaty in November 1993; now, the term European Commission (EC) is used.
Cell culture	Cultivation of living cells in prepared nutrient media.
Cerebellar syndromes	Disorders affecting the functioning of the cerebellum.
Cerebellum	A large dorsally projecting part of the brain concerned with the coordination of muscles and the maintenance of bodily equilibrium.
Cerebrum (hence cerebral hemispheres)	The main part of the brain. It consists of two hemispheres separated by a deep cleft, and is concerned with memory, initiative, volition, intelligence, perception, voluntary movement and emotion. (BVD)
Cervical	Of or relating to the neck. (COD)
CFI	Compound Feed Industry.
Challenge	Introduction of possible disease agent to an organism.
Cheviot	Breed of sheep originating in the Cheviot hills (on the Scottish-English border).
Chlorfenvinphos	An OP farm dip.
Chloroform	A colourless, volatile, heavy toxic liquid (CHCl3) with an ether odour, used especially as a solvent or as a veterinary anaesthetic.
Cholinesterase	Enzyme which breaks down acetylcholine after it is released at the synapse. It is inhibited by OPs.
Cholinesterase and pseudo-cholinesterase inhibitor	A substance which inhibits the enzyme cholinesterase and thus prevents transmission of nerve pulses from one nerve cell to another or to a muscle. (IPCS)
Chromosomal aberration	An abnormality of chromosome number or structure. (IPCS)
Chromosome	A thread-like structure of nucleic acids and associated proteins found in the nuclei of most living cells, carrying genetic information. There are 46 chromosomes (23 pairs) in each human cell nucleus. The chromosome is made up of many genes, which are made of codons, which are each made of three nucleotides.
Chronic	Descriptive of a persistent or recurring condition. (COD) Cf. acute.
Chronic toxicity	See toxicity.
CIEH	Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, previously the Institution of Environmental Health Officers (IEHO).
Citrinin	An antibiotic and a mycotoxin.
CJD	Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, a human transmissible spongiform encephalopathy. See also TSE.
CJD Epidemiology Committee (Allen Committee)	Chaired by Professor Ingrid Allen, this was formerly the Epidemiology Subgroup of the MRC Coordinating (Murray) Committee on Spongiform Encephalopathies (SEs).
CJD Surveillance Unit	Research unit set up in Edinburgh in 1990 following a research grant application to DH. Funded by DH and SODH, it administers a national surveillance programme for CJD in the UK.
CJD Unit; CJDSU	CJD Surveillance Unit.
CLA	Country Landowners' Association.
Clostridial	Of, or relating to, or caused by anaerobic rod-shaped bacteria of the genus Clostridium, many of which cause disease (eg, tetanus, botulism, gangrene).
CMO	Chief Medical Officer (Grade 1A - 'Second Permanent Secretary' - DH).
CMP	Children, Maternity and Prevention Division of DH. The CJD/Slow Viruses group was included in this division.
CNS	Central nervous system. Pertaining to the brain, cranial nerves and spinal cord. Does not include peripheral nerves.
Codon	A sequence of three successive nucleotides in nucleic acid which specifies a particular amino acid or signal sequence.
Cognate	Coming from the same family. In biochemistry it refers to two biomolecules that interact.
Cohort	A group of animals of the same species, identified by a common characteristic, which are studied over a period of time as part of a scientific or medical investigation.
Cohort Study	Maternal Transmission Study conducted by MAFF.
Colindale	A London office of the Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS).
Collagen	The main structural protein found in animal connective tissue, yielding gelatine when boiled. (COD)
Colostrum	The first type of milk secreted by a mammal, for the first three to four days after birth. Contains high levels of protein, vitamins, antibodies, etc.
COMA	Committee on the Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy (to consider and advise the CMO and government on the medical and scientific aspects of nutrition and health in relation to policy).
Commissioner	Member of the European Commission, which has a similar function in the EU to that of the Cabinet in the UK. Commissioners are nominated by Member States and are headed by the President of the European Commission. They have policy responsibility for defined areas of EU competence.
Complementary feedstuff (or feeding stuff)	A mixture of feedstuffs which has a high content of certain substances and which, by reason of its composition, is sufficient for a daily ration only if it is used in combination with other feedstuffs.
Compound feedstuff (or feeding stuff)	A mixture of products of vegetable or animal origin in their natural state, fresh or preserved, or products derived from an industrial processing thereof, or organic or inorganic substances whether or not containing additives, for oral animal feeding in the form of complete feedstuffs or complementary feedstuffs.
Compton	The Institute for Animal Health (IAH), based in Compton (Berkshire).
Concentrates	The generic term for all non-forage feeds, eg, for cattle.
Concentration-effect curve	A graph to show the relationship between the exposure concentration of a drug or other foreign substance and the magnitude of the effect that it produces.
Concentration-response curve	A graph to show the relation between the exposure concentration of a drug or other foreign substance and the degree of response it produces, as measured by the percentage of the exposed population showing a defined effect.
Confirmed cases	Cattle which have died or been slaughtered and on which Form A restrictions have been served. The diagnosis of BSE is confirmed by histopathological examination of brain tissue, or, in the case of autolysed brain tissue, by EM examination for SAFs.
Conformation	The three-dimensional arrangement of side groups on a molecule such as a protein. The conformation of a protein determines its accessibility to proteases.
Conformer	A protein of particular conformation.
Contagious	Transmitted by direct contact.
Continuous rendering	A method of rendering whereby raw animal by-products are fed into a continuous cooking/drying process. Now the most dominant process worldwide. Manufacturing systems include: Stork Duke Cookers, Stord Bartz Driers, Carver-Greenfield Systems, and Protech Systems. Cf. batch rendering.
COREPER	Comité des Représentants Permanents (Committee of Permanent Representatives). Comprises all Member State Ambassadors to the EU. Plays an important role in EU decision-making.
Co-translational event	The modification of a protein during its synthesis (translation from mRNA), such as glycosylation or phosphorylation.
Covalent	Relating to or denoting chemical bonds formed by the sharing of electrons between atoms. (COD)
CPMP	Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products. A scientific committee which advises the European Commission on safety, quality and efficacy issues. It issued guidelines on the sourcing