The U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed the nation's third case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy -- mad cow disease.
Department of Agriculture Chief Veterinary Office John Clifford said initial testing from a cow on an unidentified Alabama farm had been inconclusive, but another test had returned positive results.
He said the cow had been buried on the farm and did not enter the animal or human food chains.
Scientists from the Food and Drug Administration, along with other federal and state officials, are investigating the origin of animal feed consumed by the infected cow, which had been on the Alabama farm for less than a year.
Cattle acquire the disease by eating feed contaminated with the remains of infected animals. Mad cow disease causes a fatal brain disorder in people who eat infected products from cattle.
The Agriculture Department said it was also attempting to locate other animals born in the same herd within one year of the affected animal.
"I want to emphasize that human and animal health in the United States are protected by a system of interlocking safeguards," added Clifford, "and we remain very confident in the safety of U.S. beef."
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
Related stories:
Moose killing riles Michigan town
Some residents of the town of Ishpeming, Mich., are furious at police officers and a state biologist who killed a female moose that wandered into town, leaving its twin calves to fend for themselves during the winter.
Variant of mad cow disease may be transmitted by blood transfusions, according to animal study
Blood transfusions are a valuable treatment mechanism in modern medicine, but can come with the risk of donor disease transmission. Researchers are continually studying the biology of blood products to understand how certain diseases are transmitted in an effort to reduce this risk during blood transfusions. According to a study in sheep prepublished online in
Blood, the official journal of the American Society of Hematology, the risk of transmitting bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, commonly known as "mad cow disease") by blood transfusion is surprisingly high.
How does bluetongue virus survive through the winter?
In 2006, Bluetongue virus – which infects livestock – reached Northern Europe for the first time. Some people thought that the outbreak would be limited to that particular year, as winter was expected to kill off the midges that host and spread the disease, bringing the threat of infection to an end. In actuality, the disease escalated in the following year, spreading to the UK. So, how did the virus survive the winter?
Canada confirms new mad cow case
The Canadian government Wednesday said a case of mad cow disease was confirmed in the province of Alberta.
Levels of prion protein in brain may not be reliable marker for disease
Rapid diagnostic testing used to check for the presence of prion diseases such as “mad cow disease” might fail to identify some highly infectious samples, researchers have found. Currently, scanning beef or other meat products for possible prion infection involves sampling brain tissue from the animal for abnormally folded prion protein, also called PrP; this form of PrP, which is sticky and hard to degrade, is believed to be the infectious agent behind prion diseases.
Foot-and-mouth disease could cost Kansas nearly a billion dollars
As much as $945 million. That's what agricultural economists at Kansas State University say could be the impact on Kansas' economy were there a large-scale foot-and-mouth outbreak in a region thick with livestock operations.
Officials bemoan lack of livestock ID plan
U.S. officials are bemoaning the lack of a national livestock identification plan, saying it is hindering investigations into disease outbreaks.
Suspected U.S. mad cow case reported
U.S. Department of Agriculture officials say they are investigating what might be the nation's third case of mad cow disease.