Is mad cow lysogenic

Mad cow disease, or Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), is caused by prions, which are misfolded proteins. Unlike lysogenic viruses, which integrate their genetic material into the host's genome, prions do not have genetic material and do not follow a lysogenic lifecycle. Instead, they induce misfolding of normal proteins in the brain, leading to neurodegeneration. Thus, mad cow disease is not lysogenic.