document: THE CONDITION known in cattle as ` mad cow disease ' , spongiform encephalopathies , has been found in Britain 's sparsely-scattered antelope population , the government has admitted . Three elands , three greater kudu and an arabian oryx have been diagnosed with the disease over the past three years . In all , six species other than cattle have been confirmed with the condition during this period . The statistics - released in response to a written question from Mr Ron Davies , a Labour agriculture spokesman - show a disconcertingly rapid increase in the number of sheep found to have the disease . A total of 894 cases of sheep encephalopathies or ` scrapie ' were diagnosed in 1991 , versus just 348 a year-earlier . However , the government states in a footnote to the table that the reporting of scrapie in sheep has been encouraged since 1991 ` to obtain material for spongiform encephalopathy research ' . Since 1989 , the condition has also been confirmed in 23 cats and 29 goats . Mr David Maclean , junior agriculture minister , stressed that naturally occurring spongiform encephalopathies in species other than cattle were not notifiable diseases . He said there was ` insufficient epidemiological data ' to ` draw firm conclusions ' as to how the disease might have been contracted in cases other than scrapie . Scrapie , he said , was considered to be transmissible ` both maternally and horizontally ' .
extractive_keyphrases: mad cow disease spongiform encephalopathies antelope population sheep encephalopathies scrapie