msud

[3rdgen.maple]

Has anybody else heard of this maple syrup urine disease. I was surfing the net and came across this and I am a little outraged about the fact that some donkey decided to name a urine disease after maple syrup. The kicker to the whole thing is it has nothing to do with maple syrup at all. Of all things to call it they have call it that. This is gonna get you all heated but this is just not right. I feel for the kids with the disease and wish them all a happy and healthy recovery but why the name? http://www.accessdna.com/condition/Maple_Syrup_Urine_Disease/237?gclid=CMCuwK-ovJ8CFdA65Qod1WMN3Q

[wolfram]

First I'd heard of it. I did a bit of web searching to see if the "maple industry" has made any written statements and I could not find any at all. Seems that the major maple organizations, commercial and academic, should get out in front of this with an article or two. Pronto.

[Sugarmaker]

3,
Yes I have heard of it. I believe the name comes from the patients urine smelling just like maple syrup. So I guess the logic would be that for detection this would alert doctors that a child might have this problem. Hence the name is associated with the detection.

This is a serious disease but here is my twisted side.

In the syrup business you know you have a problem when the late syrup that you are making smells like _____! Well you fill in the blank:)

Regards,
Chris

[farmall h]

They did the same thing with swine-flu, yet it has nothing to do with pigs!

[KenWP]

Well tell that to the pigs with swine flu. When you go to work in a new hog barn about 90% of the people get the flu that is in the herd. We had several farms where the pigs got the H1N1 virus last year.
The 1918 flu was also supposed to have happend due to pigs.

[farmall h]

Kenwp, really?! Every article I have read on the "swine flu" has stated that it has nothing to do with pigs. Unlike the Avian-flu, now that is directly related to birds.