TSE

abbreviation

transmissible spongiform encephalopathy

Medical Definition

TSE

abbreviation or noun

: transmissible spongiform encephalopathy

The causative agent of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) or prion diseases, which include sheep scrapie, mad cow disease, and human variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), is still hotly debated.

—Suzette A. Priola et al., Science

While the methods of transmission of TSEs are not well understood … the effects of the diseases are the same whether the victim is sheep, deer, cow or human. The brain slowly erodes, with holes developing that give the organ a "spongy" appearance …

—Shannon Thompkins, The Houston Chronicle