 bovine spongiform encephalopathy ( bse ) could be an autoimmune disease produced following exposure of cattle to feedstuffs containing bacteria showing molecular mimicry between bacterial components and bovine tissue . 
 analysis of molecular sequence databases ( genbank and swissprot ) shows that three bacteria ( acinetobacter calcoaceticus , ruminococcus albus , and agrobacter tumefaciens ) share sequences with the encephalitogenic peptide of bovine myelin , while three molecules in escherichia coli show molecular mimicry with host - encoded prion protein . 
 immune responses against these bacteria at both t and b cell levels may cause neurological tissue injury resembling bse . 
 the role of these bacteria in bse , if any , merits further investigation.imagesfigure 1.figure 2 . 
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