Edited - BSE - "A Case for NID"

[OldDog/NewTricks]

APHIS is currently conducting an epidemiological investigation into the animal's origin in order to attempt to trace the animal to its place of birth. It had been on the Alabama farm less than a year. One of the first steps in this investigation will be the recovery of the carcass for examination to allow APHIS investigators to directly examine the breed and age of the animal as well as check the animal for any form of identification such as ear-tags. The recovery will be completed within the next day. The cow, initially reported to be a Santa Gertrudis, is now believed to be a red crossbred (possibly crossed with a Santa Gertrudis or similar breed).

This animal was non-ambulatory on the farm and examined by a local, private veterinarian. The veterinarian returned to the farm the following day, euthanized the animal and collected a sample, which was submitted for testing. The animal was buried on the farm at that time. This animal did not enter the animal or human food chain, in accordance with USDA protocols. Human and animal health in the United States is protected by a system of interlocking safeguards, which ensure the safety of U.S. beef. The most important of these safeguards is the ban on specified risk materials from the food supply and the Food and Drug Administration's ruminant-to-ruminant feed ban.

As part of USDA's BSE enhanced surveillance program, more than 650,000 samples have been tested since June 2004. Throughout this effort, APHIS has noted the likelihood of finding additional cases of BSE. To date, only two of these highest risk animals has tested positive for the disease as part of the surveillance program, for a total of three cases of BSE in the United States. The enhanced surveillance program was designed as a one-time, intensive effort to provide a snap shot of the U.S. cattle population, in order to determine the prevalence of BSE in this country.

 

[flounder]

Subject: USDA/Alabama BSE Epidemiological Update
Date: March 16, 2006 at 5:51 pm PST

Jim Rogers (202) 690-4755
U.S. Department of Agriculture

Christy Rhodes (334) 240-7103
Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries

USDA/Alabama BSE Epidemiological Update

WASHINGTON , March 16, 2006 --Today, officials with the state of Alabama and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have completed work at the farm in Alabama to recover the remains of the cow that tested earlier this week as positive for BSE.

Federal and state agriculture workers excavated the remains of the animal, which had been buried on the farm and did not enter the animal or human food chain, in accordance with USDA protocols. While the carcass matches the description provided by the owner, samples are being sent to USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) in Ames , Iowa to match DNA with the positive sample. The DNA will also be used to match suspected siblings and offspring found during the epidemiological investigation.

After further examination, experts confirmed through dentition that the animal was at least 10 years of age. This means the animal would have been born prior to the implementation of the Food and Drug Administration's 1997 feed ban. Human and animal health in the United States is protected by a system of interlocking safeguards, which ensure the safety of U.S. beef. The most important of these safeguards is the ban on specified risk materials from the food supply and the FDA's ruminant-to-ruminant feed ban.

In addition to the carcass, federal agriculture officials located a six-week-old calf belonging to the BSE positive animal. The calf has been quarantined and is being moved to NVSL for further observation.

The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will begin tomorrow to post daily updates on the progress of the epidemiological investigation on its website between 4 and 5 p.m. EST. The updates will be available at:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom/hot_issues/bse.shtml



http://www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom/content/2006/03/bse_al-epi_vs.shtml


TSS