What is mad cow disease. How does it affect humans. Can mad cow disease be transmitted through food. What are the symptoms of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. How is bovine spongiform encephalopathy prevented in cattle.

Understanding Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE)

Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease, is a progressive neurological disorder that affects adult cattle. This fatal condition targets the central nervous system, causing a range of disturbing symptoms and eventually leading to the death of the affected animal.

BSE belongs to a group of diseases called transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). These disorders are characterized by the formation of tiny holes in the brain, giving it a sponge-like appearance when examined under a microscope. This structural change is responsible for the severe neurological symptoms observed in affected cattle.

The Causative Agent: Prions

What causes mad cow disease? The primary culprit behind BSE is an abnormal protein called a prion. Prions are misfolded versions of normal proteins found on cell surfaces. In the case of BSE, these prions target and destroy nervous system tissue, particularly in the brain and spinal cord.

Unlike other infectious agents such as bacteria or viruses, prions are incredibly resilient. They can withstand common sterilization methods, including heat treatment. This unique characteristic makes prions particularly challenging to eliminate once they contaminate food products or the environment.

The Human Connection: Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD)

The discovery of a link between BSE in cattle and a new form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans sent shockwaves through the medical and agricultural communities. This human variant, known as variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), is believed to be caused by consuming beef products contaminated with BSE-infected nervous system tissue.

Distinguishing vCJD from Classic CJD

It’s crucial to differentiate between vCJD and the classic form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Classic CJD occurs sporadically at a rate of one to two cases per million people worldwide, affecting individuals regardless of their dietary habits. In contrast, vCJD is specifically linked to exposure to BSE-contaminated beef products.

How do the two forms of CJD differ in their presentation? Classic CJD typically affects people over 65 and progresses rapidly, often proving fatal within six months of symptom onset. vCJD, on the other hand, can affect all age groups and has a longer duration, with death usually occurring around 13 months after the first symptoms appear.

Recognizing the Symptoms of vCJD

Identifying vCJD in its early stages can be challenging due to its nonspecific initial symptoms. As the disease progresses, however, a characteristic pattern of neurological decline emerges.

Early Signs and Symptoms

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Persistent pain
• Numbness or tingling in various parts of the body
• Difficulty with coordination and balance

Later Stage Symptoms

• Progressive cognitive decline leading to dementia
• Involuntary movements
• Blindness
• Weakness and eventual immobility

Why is vCJD so difficult to diagnose in its early stages? The initial symptoms can mimic those of other neurological or psychiatric conditions, making a definitive diagnosis challenging. Only in the advanced stages of the disease can brain abnormalities be detected through specialized imaging techniques like MRI.

The Global Impact of Mad Cow Disease

The emergence of BSE in the United Kingdom in 1986 marked the beginning of a global health crisis that would reshape agricultural practices and international trade policies. At its peak in January 1993, nearly 1,000 new cases of BSE were being identified weekly in the UK alone.

How did mad cow disease spread to other countries? Despite efforts to contain the outbreak, BSE cases were subsequently reported in cattle born in other nations, highlighting the challenges of controlling this insidious disease in an increasingly interconnected world.

Countries Affected by BSE

While the UK bore the brunt of the BSE epidemic, other countries have reported cases over the years. These include:

• France
• Germany
• Spain
• Italy
• Canada
• The United States

The global spread of BSE led to significant changes in international cattle trade and beef consumption patterns, with many countries implementing strict regulations to prevent the importation of potentially contaminated animal products.

Preventive Measures and Food Safety Regulations

In response to the BSE crisis, governments and health organizations worldwide implemented a series of stringent measures aimed at protecting public health and preventing the spread of the disease.

Import Restrictions

How have countries worked to prevent the spread of BSE across borders? Since 1989, many nations, including the United States, have prohibited the importation of live animals and certain animal products from countries where BSE is known to exist. These bans typically extend to meat products used in human, animal, and pet foods.

Removal of High-Risk Materials

One of the most critical preventive measures involves the removal of specified risk materials (SRMs) from cattle before they enter the food supply. These SRMs include:

• Brain tissue
• Spinal cord
• Eyes
• Tonsils
• Part of the small intestine

By eliminating these high-risk tissues, which are most likely to harbor prions in infected animals, the risk of BSE transmission to humans is significantly reduced.

Enhanced Surveillance and Testing

Governmental agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), have implemented extensive testing programs to monitor cattle populations for BSE. These programs focus on testing high-risk animals, including:

• Older cattle
• Animals unable to walk
• Cattle showing signs of neurological problems

Through rigorous testing and surveillance, authorities aim to detect any potential BSE cases early and prevent them from entering the food supply.

The Safety of Milk and Other Bovine Products

While the consumption of contaminated beef products is the primary concern in BSE transmission to humans, questions often arise about the safety of other bovine-derived products.

Milk and Dairy Products

Can you contract vCJD from drinking milk from an infected cow? Current scientific evidence suggests that milk and milk products do not pose a risk for transmitting mad cow disease to humans. Experimental studies have shown that milk from BSE-infected cows has not caused infections in other animals.

Cosmetics and Dietary Supplements

What about other products that may contain bovine materials? Regulatory agencies, such as the FDA in the United States, have implemented restrictions on the importation of cosmetic and dietary supplement ingredients containing bovine materials from countries where BSE has been detected or where animals are at risk of infection.

These measures help ensure that a wide range of products, beyond just food items, are safeguarded against potential BSE contamination.

The Current Risk of vCJD

With the implementation of stringent preventive measures and increased awareness, the risk of acquiring vCJD has significantly decreased since the height of the BSE crisis. However, it’s important to maintain vigilance and continue monitoring for potential cases.

Risk Assessment for Travelers

What is the current risk of vCJD for individuals traveling abroad? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the risk of acquiring vCJD from any specific country appears to be extremely small. However, it’s challenging to determine the precise risk due to the global distribution of cattle products.

Reported Cases in the United States

How many cases of vCJD have been identified in the U.S.? The CDC reports that four deaths from vCJD have been identified in the United States. Importantly, it’s believed that these cases resulted from consumption of contaminated meat products outside of the U.S., rather than from domestic exposure.

This low number of cases, combined with the rigorous preventive measures in place, suggests that the risk of vCJD in the United States remains extremely low.

Ongoing Research and Future Perspectives

The emergence of BSE and vCJD has spurred extensive research into prion diseases, leading to significant advancements in our understanding of these unique pathogens. However, many questions remain unanswered, driving ongoing scientific investigations.

Diagnostic Advancements

One of the primary challenges in managing vCJD is the difficulty in diagnosing the condition in its early stages. Researchers are working on developing more sensitive and specific diagnostic tests that could potentially detect the disease before symptoms become apparent.

Therapeutic Approaches

While there is currently no cure for vCJD, scientists are exploring various therapeutic strategies. These include:

• Drugs that could prevent prion proteins from misfolding
• Immunotherapies aimed at clearing prions from the brain
• Gene therapies to silence the expression of prion proteins

Although these approaches are still in the experimental stages, they offer hope for future treatments of prion diseases.

Continued Surveillance

Why is ongoing surveillance crucial in the fight against BSE and vCJD? Continuous monitoring of both animal and human populations for signs of prion diseases is essential for several reasons:

1. Early detection of any new cases or potential outbreaks
2. Evaluation of the effectiveness of current preventive measures
3. Identification of any new forms or variants of prion diseases
4. Informing policy decisions regarding food safety and public health

By maintaining vigilant surveillance programs, health authorities can respond quickly to any emerging threats and adjust prevention strategies as needed.

The Role of International Cooperation

The global nature of the food supply chain necessitates international collaboration in the fight against BSE and vCJD. Organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) play crucial roles in coordinating global efforts to monitor and control these diseases.

How does international cooperation enhance BSE prevention? Through shared research, standardized reporting practices, and coordinated response strategies, the global community can more effectively:

• Track the spread of BSE across borders
• Implement consistent safety measures in food production and trade
• Rapidly disseminate new scientific findings and best practices
• Provide support to countries facing BSE outbreaks

This collaborative approach is essential for maintaining a robust defense against the threat of BSE and vCJD on a global scale.

Public Education and Awareness

Educating the public about BSE and vCJD remains a crucial component of prevention efforts. By fostering a well-informed populace, health authorities can:

• Reduce panic and misinformation during potential outbreaks
• Encourage compliance with food safety guidelines
• Promote early reporting of suspicious symptoms
• Generate support for continued research and surveillance efforts

How can individuals contribute to BSE prevention? While much of the responsibility for preventing BSE lies with regulatory agencies and the agricultural industry, consumers can play a role by:

• Staying informed about BSE and food safety guidelines
• Purchasing beef products from reputable sources
• Following any travel advisories when visiting countries with higher BSE risk
• Reporting any concerns about food safety to appropriate authorities

Through a combination of stringent regulations, ongoing research, international cooperation, and public awareness, the global community continues to work towards minimizing the risk of BSE and vCJD. While these diseases remain a concern, the significant progress made since the height of the BSE crisis demonstrates the effectiveness of coordinated public health efforts in addressing complex health challenges.

Symptoms, Causes and Treatments for vCJD

Written by Michael W. Smith, MD

• Mad cow disease has hit the U.S. and questions about this mysterious disease abound. Here’s what you need to know about mad cow disease.
• What Is Mad Cow Disease?
• Does Cooking Food Kill the Prion That Causes Mad Cow Disease?
• Does Mad Cow Disease Affect Humans?
• What Are the Symptoms of vCJD?
• Is it Possible to Get vCJD From Eating Food Purchased in the U.S.?
• Can You Get vCJD From Drinking Milk From an Infected Cow?
• What About Other Products Made From Cow By-Products?
• What Is the Current Risk of vCJD to Americans Traveling Abroad?
• How Long Have Health Officials Been Concerned About Mad Cow Disease?
• What Other Countries Have Reported Cases of Mad Cow Disease?
• More

Mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), is a transmissible, slowly progressive, degenerative, and fatal disease affecting the central nervous system of adult cattle. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has tested hundreds of thousands of cattle for BSE.

Researchers believe that the infectious agent that causes mad cow disease is an abnormal version of a protein normally found on cell surfaces, called a prion. For reasons still unknown, this protein becomes altered and destroys nervous system tissue — the brain and spinal cord.

Common methods to eliminate disease-causing organisms in food, like heat, do not affect prions. Also, prions only seem to live in nervous system tissue.

A human version of mad cow disease called variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) is believed to be caused by eating beef products contaminated with central nervous system tissue, such as brain and spinal cord, from cattle infected with mad cow disease. For this reason, the USDA requires that all brain and spinal cord materials be removed from high-risk cattle — older cattle, animals that are unable to walk, and any animal that shows any signs of a neurological problem. These cow products do not enter the U.S. food supply. The USDA believes this practice effectively safeguards U.S. public health from vCJD.

According to the CDC, four deaths from vCJD have been identified in the U.S. However, it’s believed those cases were caused by consumption of meat outside the U.S.

It is important to clarify the differences between variant CJD and another form of the disease, referred to as classic or sporadic CJD. Classic CJD has no known cause and occurs each year at a rate of one to two cases per 1 million people throughout the world, including in the U.S. and countries where mad cow disease has never occurred. It is not linked to eating nerve tissue from mad cow disease-affected cattle — both vegetarians and meat eaters have died from classic CJD. CJD most commonly affects people over 65 and is usually fatal within six months from onset of symptoms.

The disease can affect all age groups and is very hard to diagnose until it has nearly run its course. In the early stages of vCJD, people have symptoms related to the nervous system, like depression and loss of coordination. Later in the illness, dementia develops. But only in advanced stages of the disease can brain abnormalities be detected by MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). vCJD is fatal, usually within 13 months of the onset of symptoms.

It is extremely unlikely that this would happen. To prevent mad cow disease from entering the country, since 1989 the federal government has prohibited the importation of certain types of live animals from countries where mad cow disease is known to exist. This ban includes meat products used in human, animal, and pet foods. In addition, prohibiting high-risk animals from entering the food supply and the removal of central nervous system tissue from the food supply help ensure that BSE is not a risk to consumers.

Milk and milk products are not believed to pose any risk for transmitting mad cow disease to humans. Experiments have shown that milk from mad cow-infected cows has not caused infections.

The FDA stops the importation of cosmetic and dietary supplement ingredients containing bovine materials from animals originating in the 33 countries where mad cow disease has been found or from animals at risk of being infected.

According to the CDC, the current risk of acquiring vCJD from any specific country appears to be extremely small. But that cannot be precisely determined because cattle products from one country might be distributed and consumed in others.

Mad cow disease has been of great concern since 1986, when it was first reported among cattle in the U.K. At its peak in January 1993, almost 1,000 new cases per week were identified. Concern about this disease grew significantly in 1996 when an association between mad cow disease and vCJD in humans was discovered.

The disease also has been confirmed in cattle born in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, and the U. K.

Canada has also been added to the list of countries from which imports are restricted, although that ban has been lifted recently. Importation of minimal-risk meat products is now allowed from Canada.

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Symptoms, Causes and Treatments for vCJD

Written by Michael W. Smith, MD

• Mad cow disease has hit the U.S. and questions about this mysterious disease abound. Here’s what you need to know about mad cow disease.
• What Is Mad Cow Disease?
• Does Cooking Food Kill the Prion That Causes Mad Cow Disease?
• Does Mad Cow Disease Affect Humans?
• What Are the Symptoms of vCJD?
• Is it Possible to Get vCJD From Eating Food Purchased in the U. S.?
• Can You Get vCJD From Drinking Milk From an Infected Cow?
• What About Other Products Made From Cow By-Products?
• What Is the Current Risk of vCJD to Americans Traveling Abroad?
• How Long Have Health Officials Been Concerned About Mad Cow Disease?
• What Other Countries Have Reported Cases of Mad Cow Disease?
• More

Mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), is a transmissible, slowly progressive, degenerative, and fatal disease affecting the central nervous system of adult cattle. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has tested hundreds of thousands of cattle for BSE.

Researchers believe that the infectious agent that causes mad cow disease is an abnormal version of a protein normally found on cell surfaces, called a prion. For reasons still unknown, this protein becomes altered and destroys nervous system tissue — the brain and spinal cord.

Common methods to eliminate disease-causing organisms in food, like heat, do not affect prions. Also, prions only seem to live in nervous system tissue.

A human version of mad cow disease called variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) is believed to be caused by eating beef products contaminated with central nervous system tissue, such as brain and spinal cord, from cattle infected with mad cow disease. For this reason, the USDA requires that all brain and spinal cord materials be removed from high-risk cattle — older cattle, animals that are unable to walk, and any animal that shows any signs of a neurological problem. These cow products do not enter the U.S. food supply. The USDA believes this practice effectively safeguards U.S. public health from vCJD.

According to the CDC, four deaths from vCJD have been identified in the U.S. However, it’s believed those cases were caused by consumption of meat outside the U.S.

It is important to clarify the differences between variant CJD and another form of the disease, referred to as classic or sporadic CJD. Classic CJD has no known cause and occurs each year at a rate of one to two cases per 1 million people throughout the world, including in the U. S. and countries where mad cow disease has never occurred. It is not linked to eating nerve tissue from mad cow disease-affected cattle — both vegetarians and meat eaters have died from classic CJD. CJD most commonly affects people over 65 and is usually fatal within six months from onset of symptoms.

The disease can affect all age groups and is very hard to diagnose until it has nearly run its course. In the early stages of vCJD, people have symptoms related to the nervous system, like depression and loss of coordination. Later in the illness, dementia develops. But only in advanced stages of the disease can brain abnormalities be detected by MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). vCJD is fatal, usually within 13 months of the onset of symptoms.

It is extremely unlikely that this would happen. To prevent mad cow disease from entering the country, since 1989 the federal government has prohibited the importation of certain types of live animals from countries where mad cow disease is known to exist. This ban includes meat products used in human, animal, and pet foods. In addition, prohibiting high-risk animals from entering the food supply and the removal of central nervous system tissue from the food supply help ensure that BSE is not a risk to consumers.

Milk and milk products are not believed to pose any risk for transmitting mad cow disease to humans. Experiments have shown that milk from mad cow-infected cows has not caused infections.

The FDA stops the importation of cosmetic and dietary supplement ingredients containing bovine materials from animals originating in the 33 countries where mad cow disease has been found or from animals at risk of being infected.

According to the CDC, the current risk of acquiring vCJD from any specific country appears to be extremely small. But that cannot be precisely determined because cattle products from one country might be distributed and consumed in others.

Mad cow disease has been of great concern since 1986, when it was first reported among cattle in the U. K. At its peak in January 1993, almost 1,000 new cases per week were identified. Concern about this disease grew significantly in 1996 when an association between mad cow disease and vCJD in humans was discovered.

The disease also has been confirmed in cattle born in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, and the U.K.

Canada has also been added to the list of countries from which imports are restricted, although that ban has been lifted recently. Importation of minimal-risk meat products is now allowed from Canada.

Top Picks

A rare prion disease was found in a cow in Europe: it destroys the brain

Arthur
Kireev

Author

Arthur
Kireev

Author

A case of bovine infection with spongiform encephalopathy, better known as mad cow disease, has been identified on a farm in the Netherlands. This is the first case of cow infection in the country in more than 10 years.

Read “High Tech” in

The country’s authorities say that such cows should not pose a threat to human health. This infection was discovered before the cow entered the food chain, so it should not pose a direct danger to humans. But given the possibility that the cow infected surrounding animals on the farm or became infected herself from feed, the authorities are looking for other ways of transmitting the disease.

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy is a type of prion disease found in cows. Prions are harmful, misfolded forms of natural proteins often found in the brain. When these rogue proteins meet their normal counterparts, they somehow cause the latter to misfold, causing a domino effect that eventually destroys the brain. There are different incubation periods depending on the disease, but all prion diseases are currently 100% fatal when symptoms appear.

In humans, the most common (but still very rare) prion disease is Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, or CJD. Most cases of CJD are sporadic, meaning they appear spontaneously, usually at a later age. Other forms may be caused by inherited mutations or contaminated surgical equipment or human donor organs during certain procedures. But the most infamous form of the disease is a variant of CJD, which is contracted by eating the meat of cows infected with mad cow disease.

In the 1980s and 1990s, at least hundreds of people got CJD from contaminated beef. Most of these cases were limited to the UK, where all previous outbreaks of mad cow disease have occurred. These outbreaks appear to have been caused by the practice of feeding cows the meat of other infected cows or sheep infected with their own prion disease.

The widespread British ban on beef, along with changes in feeding and slaughtering rules, appears to have stopped the mad cow disease threat in the mid 1990s. Since then, there have been no large-scale outbreaks or variants of mad cow disease.

The exact type of spongiform encephalopathy found in a cow in the Netherlands is currently unknown. “Classic” spongiform encephalopathy occurs when cows eat contaminated meat, but atypical spongiform encephalopathy can occur spontaneously, usually in older cows. It is not known whether eating beef contaminated from cows with atypical spongiform encephalopathy can cause a variant of CJD in humans. But there appears to be a strong genetic component to infection with the CJD variant from cows in general. Initial human outbreaks were much smaller than experts expected, and it has since become clear that the vast majority of cases occurred in people with a specific version of the human prion protein gene.

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“Mad cow disease” is knocking at the gates « Republic of Tatarstan

Published: 13. 02.2001 0:00

Recently, the mass media have been hotly discussing the problem of “English plague” – bovine spongiform encephalopathy, sometimes called “mad cow disease”, the spread of which in Western Europe has become rampant. The concern is caused primarily by the fact that this virus is also believed to be the cause of human disease with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which causes damage to the nervous system and ends in the death of the patient.

It is believed that a person can become infected by eating the meat of infected cows, as well as by injuring the skin and mucous membranes. The possibility of transmission of the disease through blood transfusion is not excluded. In March 2001, the European Commission should resolve the issue – whether to ban donating blood to donors who were in the territory where cases of livestock disease were noted?

An increasing concern is the fact that if earlier Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease was noted mainly in England, now more and more cases, including fatal ones, are registered in the continental part of Europe: in France, Germany, Belgium, Holland . In recent days, Austria and Italy have been added to them. In total, in Western Europe in 2000, according to incomplete data, already 120 people died from the “English plague of the twentieth century”. This is three times more than in 1999, when 40 beef eaters died. The general statistics of recorded cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in Western Europe is as follows: Ireland – 510 cases, Portugal – 452, Switzerland – 360, France – 129, Belgium – 15, Germany – 6, Holland – 6, Denmark – 2, Luxembourg and Italy – 1 case each.

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, like Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, is characterized by a long incubation period, which can range from 2 to 8 years in animals and 5 to 35 years in humans.

This disease was first identified in cows in 1986 in the UK. This disease has also been found in zoo animals: antelopes, deer and domestic cats, in the feed of which meat and bone meal and canned meat containing a “scrape-like agent” were added. Cases of disease and death of other farm animals – pigs, horses, as well as birds from this disease in the world have not been established.

It is now generally accepted that bovine spongiform encephalopathy appeared in the UK as a result of feeding animals meat and bone meal obtained from the processing of sheep carcasses affected by “scrapie” (an infectious disease of sheep). This mechanism of transmission of the infectious agent to animals in the UK has been going on since 1981 years until July 1998 – the date of the prohibition of the use of meat and bone meal made from the carcasses of sheep that fell from scrapie as feed for livestock.

It cannot be said that the European Union has not yet fought the “English plague”. Three years ago, the EU greatly tightened the technological requirements for the production of feed from meat processing waste. However, this was not enough. Only in October 2000, the European Union completely banned the use of the so-called risky parts of animal carcasses for the production of meat and bone meal, primarily brains, spines and eyes.

So far no cases of animal disease with spongiform encephalopathy have been registered on the territory of Russia and the CIS countries.

What precautionary measures are taken by the state veterinary services of the Russian Federation and Tatarstan? First of all, control is exercised over all imported livestock products. Prior to issuing a permit to import it to Tatarstan, the Main Department of Veterinary Medicine of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Tatarstan makes a request to the Department of Veterinary Medicine of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, indicating the country, area from which it is planned to be imported, the type of livestock products and the purpose of the import. Only on the basis of data from the International Epizootic Bureau (Paris), which controls all infectious diseases throughout the world, as well as information from Russian state veterinarians exercising veterinary control in European countries, the Department of Veterinary Medicine of the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia issues a permit for the importation of products. In addition, Russian veterinarians located in European countries control the procurement and shipment of products to the Russian Federation. An obligatory step is to check the livestock cargo when crossing the state border of Russia at the border veterinary checkpoint. An important part of the control is the selection and sending of samples for testing for spongiform encephalopathy to the All-Russian Research Institute for Animal Welfare (Vladimir) before processing or selling imported products. The next stage of verification – for compliance of products with quality characteristics – is carried out directly in the subject of the Federation, where the imported products arrived.

As of January 25, 2001, the All-Russian Research Institute for Animal Welfare examined 800 samples taken from 2000 to 2001, and no signs of spongiform encephalopathy were found in any of them.

At the Republican veterinary laboratory, equipped with modern diagnostic tools, there is a specialist who has completed a full course of training in the diagnosis of this livestock disease. Sampling and shipment of samples are carried out regularly and systematically from each batch of imported products.

It should be noted that in connection with the tense situation in Western Europe regarding “mad cow disease”, the Department of Veterinary Medicine of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Russian Federation established a new procedure for importing feed and feed additives of animal origin into the country, introduced laboratory control of fishmeal for the presence of prohibited components, determined the procedure for importing substitutes whole and skimmed milk. A list of countries has also been determined from which the import of livestock products is prohibited due to the threat of dangerous diseases common to animals and humans.

According to our data, beef was imported to Tatarstan from Canada, Germany, Spain, Poland, Italy, Ireland, Austria, Belgium and Hungary in the total amount of 500 tons and pork in the amount of 610 tons from the same countries. All this meat is sent for industrial processing.

In addition, we received 130 tons of intestinal raw materials from China, Canada, Germany, Iran, poultry meat in the amount of 1740 tons from France, USA, Germany, Holland, Poland, Canada, Spain, Belgium, fish and fish products in quantity of 7000 tons from Norway, Iceland, Latvia. These products and raw materials were supplied to Kazan, Naberezhnye Chelny, Sviyazhsky, Bugulma meat processing plants, JSC Kholod, private enterprises of Kazan, Naberezhnye Chelny, Nizhnekamsk, Tatpticeprom farms, fur farms, Tatkhimfarmpreparaty. All imports to the republic were carried out under special permits of the Department of Veterinary Medicine of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation.

Undoubtedly, the disease of cattle with “mad cow disease” in the countries of Western Europe poses a great threat to the Russian Federation and Tatarstan. But at the same time, one should not forget about such infectious and parasitic diseases as anthrax, tuberculosis, leukemia, necrobacteriosis, salmonellosis, colibacillosis and others, which pose no less danger to human and animal health than the “English plague”. The veterinary service of the republic conducts purposeful daily work to identify and prevent them.

I would like to remind citizens of the advice to purchase meat, sausages, eggs, fruits, vegetables and other food products only in specialized places of trade – stores or markets where there are necessarily state veterinary laboratories responsible for the safety of all products sold.

A.IVANOV.
Head of the Main Department of Veterinary Medicine of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Tatarstan,
Doctor of Biological Sciences.

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