About all

Mad cow disease other names: Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) | Prions Diseases

BSE Cases Identified in the United States BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) | Prion Diseases

On December 23, 2003, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a presumptive diagnosis of the first known case of BSE in the United States. It was in an adult Holstein cow from Washington State. This diagnosis was confirmed by an international reference laboratory in Weybridge, England, on December 25. Trace-back based on an ear-tag identification number and subsequent genetic testing confirmed that the BSE-infected cow was imported into the United States from Canada in August 2001.

Because the animal was non-ambulatory (a “downer cow”) at slaughter, brain tissue samples were taken by USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service as part of its targeted surveillance for BSE. However the animal’s condition was attributed to complications from calving. After the animal was examined by a USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) veterinary medical officer both before and after slaughter, the carcass was released for use as food for human consumption. During slaughter, the tissues considered to be at high risk for the transmission of the BSE agent were removed.

On December 24, 2003, FSIS recalled beef from cattle slaughtered in the same plant on the same day as the BSE positive cow. (see Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy in a Dairy Cow—Washington State, 2003.)

 

Preliminary Investigation Suggests BSE-Infected Cow in Washington State Was Likely Imported from Canada

On December 23, 2003, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a presumptive diagnosis of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or “mad cow” disease) 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. The diagnosis was confirmed by an international reference laboratory in Weybridge, England, on December 25. Preliminary trace-back based on an ear-tag identification number suggests that the BSE-infected cow was imported into the United States from Canada in August 2001.

USDA, in close cooperation with Canadian agricultural authorities, has launched an epidemiologic investigation to determine the source of the disease. Beef from the slaughtered cow had been processed for human consumption. On December 23, 2003, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), USDA announced the recall of all beef from cattle slaughtered on December 9 at the involved slaughter plant.

Strong evidence indicates that BSE has been transmitted to humans primarily in the United Kingdom, causing a variant form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). In the United Kingdom, where over 1 million cattle may have been infected with BSE, a substantial species barrier appears to protect humans from widespread illness. As of December 1, 2003, a total of 153 vCJD cases had been reported worldwide; of these, 143 cases had occurred in the United Kingdom. The risk to human health from BSE in the United States is extremely low.

CDC monitors the trends and current incidence of CJD in the United States by analyzing death certificate information from U.S. multiple cause-of-death data compiled by the National Center for Health Statistics. With the support of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, CDC conducts follow-up review of clinical and neuropathology records of CJD decedents younger than 55 years of age. In addition, during 1996-1997, in collaboration with the American Association of Neuropathologists (AANP), CDC established the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Centerexternal icon at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. This pathology center provides free, state-of-the-art diagnostic services to U.S. physicians. It also helps to monitor the possible occurrence of emerging forms of prion diseases, such as vCJD, in the United States. For more information about the center visit its website at:

  • United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA): BSE Surveillance Information Centerexternal icon
  • FDA Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy external icon
  • CDC Prion Diseases
  • NIH NINDS Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Information Pageexternal icon

Prevention BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) | Prion Diseases

Prevention Measures against BSE Spread

To prevent BSE from entering the United States, severe restrictions were placed on the importation of live ruminants, such as cattle, sheep, and goats, and certain ruminant products from countries where BSE was known to exist. These restrictions were later extended to include importation of ruminants and certain ruminant products from all European countries.

Because the use of ruminant tissue in ruminant feed was probably a necessary factor responsible for the BSE outbreak in the United Kingdom and because of the current evidence for possible transmission of BSE to humans, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration instituted a ruminant feed ban in June 1997 that became fully effective as of October 1997. As of October 26, 2009, a regulation issued by FDA in April 2009 came into effect establishing an enhanced BSE-related feed ban in the U.S. This enhanced feed ban will further harmonize BSE feed control measures in the U.S. with those in Canada (see below). In addition, FDA continues to enforce its important 1997 mammalian-to-ruminant feed ban through its BSE inspection and BSE feed testing programs.

As of July 12, 2007, an enhanced BSE-related feed ban came into effect in Canada. CFIA established this ban to more effectively prevent and quickly eliminate BSE from Canada. The enhanced ban prohibits most proteins, including potentially BSE infectious tissues known as “specified risk materials” (SRM) from all animal feeds, pet foods, and fertilizers, not just from cattle feed as required by the ban instituted in 1997. The 1997 feed ban in Canada was similar to the feed ban instituted in the United States that same year. As recently reported by CFIA, removing SRM from the entire animal feed system addresses risks associated with the potential contamination of cattle feed during production, distribution, storage, and use. Applying the same measure to pet food and fertilizer materials addresses the possible exposure of cattle and other susceptible animals to these products. With this ban in place, CFIA expects BSE should be eliminated from the Canadian cattle herd by about the year 2017.

In late 2001, the Harvard Center for Risk Assessment study of various scenarios involving BSE in the U.S. concluded that the FDA ruminant feed rule provides a major defense against this disease.

BSE/TSE Action Plan of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)

On August 23, 2001, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a department-wide action plan outlining steps to improve scientific understanding of BSE and other transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). The action plan has four major components:

Surveillance for human disease is primarily the responsibility of CDC.

Protection is primarily the responsibility of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Research is primarily the responsibility of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Oversight is primarily the responsibility of the Office of the Secretary of DHHS.

Read the Department of Health and Human Services press release: USDA and HHS Strengthen Safeguards Against Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathyexternal icon

what you need to know about mad cow disease

The Department of Veterinary Medicine of the Sverdlovsk Region warns owners of cattle about the danger of importing into the country from disadvantaged zones or countries of breeding stock, meat, canned food, offal and semi-finished products, meat and bone meal, sperm, embryos, technical fat, intestinal raw materials and other products and feeds of animal origin from ruminants. In order to prevent mad cow disease infection, it is necessary to inform veterinary clinics in a timely manner.

What is mad cow disease?

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease, is a slowly developing infectious prion transmissible disease of adult cattle, characterized by a long, up to 2.5-8 years, incubation period and manifested by damage to the central nervous system with 100% mortality.

Historical reference.

Spongiform encephalopathy was first reported in 1985-1986 in the UK under the name “mad cow disease”. In the next 10 years, BSE spread to other countries: France, Portugal, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Denmark, Slovakia, Finland, etc.

scrapie cattle (scrapie) – a similar agent (causative agent of sheep scrapie), found in meat and bone meal, which was included in the diet of cattle. In Russia, the disease has not been registered.

Economic damage.

BSE caused enormous economic damage to European countries, due to the fact that about 4 million heads of cattle were destroyed. The UK alone suffered an economic loss of £7 billion.

Epizootological data.

Under natural conditions, cattle are susceptible to BSE, especially at 4 years of age. The source of the causative agent of infection are sick and animals in the incubation period. The factors of transmission of the infectious agent are the products of slaughter of sheep with scrapie, and cattle with EH.

Course and symptoms of the disease.

The incubation period is from 2.5 to 8 years, in some cases it can be extended up to 25-30 years. The course of the disease is progressive, without remissions. The disease proceeds without an increase in body temperature of the animal, with continued appetite. Despite a normal appetite, cows have reduced milk production.

The clinical manifestation of the disease is characterized by signs of damage to the central nervous system.

Three types of nervous phenomena are detected during GE.

  • The first type of nervous phenomena is accompanied by the development in animals of a feeling of fear, nervousness, aggressiveness, gnashing of teeth, restlessness, timidity. The above symptoms occur in 98% of sick animals.
  • The second type of nervous phenomena is characterized by the presence of movement disorders in sick animals: trotting movements, “raking in the front limbs”, “lowering” of the hind legs, raised tail
  • In the third type of nervous phenomena, there is a violation of sensitivity, when in sick animals we note hyperesthesia with noise, touch and light. The duration of the disease is from several weeks to 12 months or more. The disease always ends in the death of the animal.

Pathological changes.

At autopsy of dead animals, characteristic pathoanatomical changes are either absent or mild.

Diagnosis.

Send to the laboratory for diagnostic tests:

– bovine brain after testing for rabies and other viral infections after the diagnosis was not confirmed;

– the brain of cattle from meat processing plants (0. 01% of slaughtered animals older than 3 years).

Pathological material (brain) is taken from animals with clinical signs of damage to the central nervous system). In this case, the brain for research must be taken from animals immediately after their slaughter or death.

Specific prophylaxis.

BSE does not produce either cellular or humoral immunity, so no vaccine has been developed in the world to date.

Treatment.

Treatment is ineffective, the prognosis for the disease is unfavorable.

Prevention.

The basis of prevention for prosperous countries is: preventing the importation of pedigree cattle, meat, canned food, by-products and semi-finished products, meat and bone meal, semen, embryos, technical fat, intestinal raw materials and other products and feeds of animal origin from ruminants; careful control over purchases of breeding stock and biological tissues, especially from disadvantaged countries; prohibition of feeding ruminants with meat-and-bone and bone meal from cattle and sheep.

If BSE is suspected, contact a veterinary clinic.

In order to prevent bovine spongiform encephalopathy, owners of susceptible animals must strictly comply with the requirements provided for in paragraph 7 of the Veterinary Rules for the implementation of preventive, diagnostic, restrictive and other measures, the establishment and lifting of quarantine and other restrictions aimed at preventing the spread and eliminating foci of large spongiform encephalopathy approved (hereinafter referred to as the Veterinary Rules), including paragraphs 6 and 7 of clause 7 of the Veterinary Rules regarding the incineration of waste from the slaughter of susceptible animals and the prohibition of feeding animals meat and bone, bone meal, protein briquettes, as well as other feed and feed additives for animals containing ruminant proteins in their composition.

“Mad cow disease” is gaining momentum – RBC

adv. rbc.ru

adv.rbc.ru

adv.rbc.ru

Hide banners

What is your location?

YesChoose other

Categories

Euro exchange rate on July 8
EUR CB: 99.82

(-0.9)

Investments, 07 Jul, 16:34

Dollar exchange rate on July 8
USD Central Bank: 91.69

(-0.88)

Investments, 07 Jul, 16:34

“We will nurture and cherish the investor”: how the investment landscape has changed

Investments, 17:37

How dietary supplements became a commodity

RBC+, 17:26

Commercial premises in residential complexes: where to find and how to buy

RBC and PIK, 17:13

adv. rbc.ru

adv.rbc.ru

Britain and Canada opposed the use of cluster bombs in Ukraine

Politics, 17:10

The NHL said that Fedotov has no right to play in CSKA

Sport, 16:58

Zelensky announced the return of Azov commanders to Ukraine

Politics, 16:56

David de Gea left Manchester United after 12 years at the club

Sport, 16:55

Efficient brain

Boost your cognitive abilities: learn to train memory and attentiveness at RBC Pro intensive

Buy intensive

How Russian universities use developments from the Russian software registry

RBC+, 16:52

Extraction of innovations: how the R&D structures of metallurgical companies work

Trends, 16:50

How internal control services help investment companies and their clients

Industry, 16:31

The Foreign Ministry considered the supply of cluster munitions to Kyiv an attempt to delay the conflict

Politics, 16:31

Like BAM and Trans-Siberian: why are they building a private railway to the Pacific Ocean

RBC and ELSI, 16:30

Asset of last resort: why professional investors love gold

RBC+, 16:24

Ambassador announced Kiev’s support for 90% of “anti-Israeli” resolutions in the UN

Politics, 16:22

adv. rbc.ru

adv.rbc.ru

adv.rbc.ru

A terrible disease called “mad cow disease” or encephalopathy, the human form of which is considered incurable at the current level of development of medicine, is sweeping across Europe by leaps and bounds.

Recently, the first case of “mad cow disease” not yet officially confirmed was detected in Italy. The discovery of an infected carcass at one of the Cremonini factories was reported by the country’s Ministry of Health. The carcass is isolated for final testing. This Italian meat processing company exports meat to the United States. Her other clients include restaurants and fast food outlets at train stations across Europe.

Meanwhile, the British Food Standards Agency announced its intention to conduct a study to determine the likelihood of transmission of “mad cow disease” through milk. One such study has already been carried out. However, according to scientists, there is still no convincing evidence that the human form of encephalopathy – the so-called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, or spastic pseudosclerosis – is transmitted to humans only through contaminated meat products.