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Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE)
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Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE)
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December 30, 2003 Press Release - Mad Cow Disease
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), widely known as "mad cow disease," is a transmissible, neurodegenerative, fatal brain disease of cattle. The disease has a long incubation period of four to five years, but ultimately is fatal for cattle within weeks to months of its onset. BSE first came to the attention of the scientific community in November 1986 with the appearance in cattle of a newly-recognized form of neurological disease in the United Kingdom. The numbers of reported BSE cases and incidence rates, by country, are available on the Office International Des Epizooties website.
On December 23, 2003, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a presumptive diagnosis of BSE in an adult Holstein cow from Washington State. Samples were taken from the cow on December 9 as part of USDA's BSE surveillance program. The BSE diagnosis was made on December 22 and 23 by histopathology and immunohistochemical testing at the National Veterinary Services Laboratory, Ames, Iowa. Final confirmatory testing is pending at an international reference laboratory in England. For the most up to date news releases on this situation, please go to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s website.
USDA has launched an epidemiologic investigation to determine the source of the disease. Preliminary investigations indicate that beef from the slaughtered cow has been prepared for human consumption. Beef products are being recalled from establishments that may have received these products. Despite this finding, USDA remains confident in the safety of the U.S. food supply. The risk to human health from BSE is extremely low. As is standard practice for downer animals identified prior to slaughter, the animal’s brain, spinal cord, and other related products were removed and sent to a rendering facility. These so-called “specified risk materials” present the greatest risk of carrying the BSE agent and have not entered U.S. food supply channels. The scientific community believes that there is no evidence to demonstrate that muscle cuts or whole muscle meats that come from animals infected with BSE are at risk of harboring the causative agent of the disease. To date, there has been no evidence of BSE infection detected in milk or muscle tissue.
Additional BSE and Food-Related Information
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