USDA Video News: BSE Detected In California

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[joedales]

USDA Chief Veterinary Officer John Clifford Regarding a Detection of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in the United States.

Assures Consumers That Existing Safeguards Protected Food Supply; Reiterates Safety of Consuming Beef Products

WASHINGTON, April 24, 2012 – USDA Chief Veterinary Officer John Clifford today released the following statement on the detection of BSE in the United States:

"As part of our targeted surveillance system, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed the nation's fourth case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a dairy cow from central California. The carcass of the animal is being held under State authority at a rendering facility in California and will be destroyed. It was never presented for slaughter for human consumption, so at no time presented a risk to the food supply or human health. Additionally, milk does not transmit BSE.

"The United States has had longstanding interlocking safeguards to protect human and animal health against BSE. For public health, these measures include the USDA ban on specified risk materials, or SRMs, from the food supply. SRMs are parts of the animal that are most likely to contain the BSE agent if it is present in an animal. USDA also bans all nonambulatory (sometimes called "downer") cattle from entering the human food chain. For animal health, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ban on ruminant material in cattle feed prevents the spread of the disease in the cattle herd.

"Evidence shows that our systems and safeguards to prevent BSE are working, as are similar actions taken by countries around the world. In 2011, there were only 29 worldwide cases of BSE, a dramatic decline and 99% reduction since the peak in 1992 of 37,311 cases. This is directly attributable to the impact and effectiveness of feed bans as a primary control measure for the disease.



"Samples from the animal in question were tested at USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa. Confirmatory results using immunohistochemistry and western blot tests confirmed the animal was positive for atypical BSE, a very rare form of the disease not generally associated with an animal consuming infected feed.

"We are sharing our laboratory results with international animal health reference laboratories in Canada and England, which have official World Animal Health (OIE) reference labs. These labs have extensive experience diagnosing atypical BSE and will review our confirmation of this form of the disease. In addition, we will be conducting a comprehensive epidemiological investigation in conjunction with California animal and public health officials and the FDA.

"BSE is a progressive neurological disease among cattle that is always fatal. It belongs to a family of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. Affected animals may display nervousness or aggression, abnormal posture, difficulty in coordination and rising, decreased milk production, or loss of body weight despite continued appetite.



"This detection in no way affects the United States' BSE status as determined by the OIE. The United States has in place all of the elements of a system that OIE has determined ensures that beef and beef products are safe for human consumption: a mammalian feed ban, removal of specified risk materials, and vigorous surveillance. Consequently, this detection should not affect U.S. trade.

"USDA remains confident in the health of the national herd and the safety of beef and dairy products. As the epidemiological investigation progresses, USDA will continue to communicate findings in a timely and transparent manner."

[kato]

As RCalf holds an emergency meeting to figure out how to blame it on Canada.

(Only being slightly sarcastic here...)

[wd40]

I hope nobody tells J.A. Pan and company. lol

[dluther]

I'm suprised they didn't put the three s's in action.They must be slipping. Did our animal hit the food chain in 03 ? I forget.

[forage]

Note this the fourth case. This is an interesting statement as I could not recall the US admittng to only 1 previous event and I thought they blamed Canada for it as it was an import. Can anybody remember the exact details of the other cases being reported ?????

[grassfarmer]

BSE Cases Identified in the United States
There have been 3 cases of BSE identified in the
United States. The following information provides
descriptions of these three cases:

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.)

On June 24, 2005, the USDA announced receipt of
final results from The Veterinary Laboratories Agency
in Weybridge, England, confirming BSE in a cow that
had conflicting test results in 2004. This cow was
from Texas, died at approximately 12 years of age,
and represented the first endemic case of BSE in the
United States. (see Texas BSE Investigation, Final
Epidemiology Report, August 2005 (PDF – 83 KB))

On March 15, 2006, the USDA announced the
confirmation of BSE in a cow in Alabama. The case
was identified in a non-ambulatory (downer) cow on a
farm in Alabama. The animal was euthanized by a
local veterinarian and buried on the farm. The age of
the cow was estimated by examination of the
dentition as 10-years-old. It had no ear tags or
distinctive marks; the herd of origin could not be
identified despite an intense investigation (see
second featured item above and Alabama BSE
Investigation, Final Epidemiology Report, May 2006 ).
In August 2008, several ARS investigators reported
that a rare, genetic abnormality that may persist
within the cattle population "is considered to have
caused" BSE in this atypical (H-type) BSE animal from
Alabama. (See Identification of a Heritable
Polymorphism in Bovine PRNP Associated with Genetic
Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy: Evidence
of Heritable BSE . Also see BSE Case Associated with
Prion Protein Gene Mutation .)
For more information about BSE in the United States,
see the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service,
USDA BSE site .