Article Body
BSE in the US
Sam D. Holland, DVM
State Veterinarian
South Dakota Animal Industry Board
December 23, 2003 1st - Single cow from a dairy at Mapleton, Washington
- The cow was non-ambulatory when presented for slaughter December 9, 2003
- Samples were routinely taken for BSE as part of the “targeted” surveillance policy for BSE
- High Risk tissues were routinely removed at slaughterBSE case Reported in the United States of America
- Carcass offal was sent to rendering
- This is the First and Only BSE case in the United States to date
BSE – Perspectives / Facts
- Not a Contagious Disease – does not spread animal to animal.
- Is acquired by cows consuming contaminated feed products and has an average of 3 – 8 years incubation.
- Is related to new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease in people (nvCJD).
- In Great Britain, where BSE was discovered and over 300,000 cases of BSE occurred, less that 150 people contracted nvCJD in the past 17 years.
- The United States has had import restrictions of high risk feed and food and live animals since 1989.
- The United States has banned feeding ruminant origin feed to ruminants since 1997.
- The United States has targeted surveillance towards non-ambulatory animals and animals showing any signs consistent with BSE.
- The United States sampled over 20,000 cattle last year.
- The Single Positive Cow was slaughtered December 9 and announced positive to BSE by USDA December 23, 2003.
BSE – Demographic Information
- Canada had single BSE case May 20, 2003.
- Canada depended on exports for 60% + of beef market and on exports for 80% + for cow and bull market.
- The United States is only dependent on exports for 10 – 15% of total beef markets.
- The United Kingdom has resumed beef demand after the BSE disaster of the 1980s without the opportunity and knowledge for prevention and control at that time.
- Canadian beef consumption actually has increased since the May 20 finding. Canada has good prevention, surveillance, and control programs in place.
- Dependence on exports and especially dependence on exports of mature cows and bulls has led to major market disruptions in Canada.
- The United States has even stronger safeguards in place. Each year that passes with the safeguards in place will even further increase consumer confidence and the likelihood of finding BSE cases.
- We are nearing the 3–8 year incubation period for BSE in the United States with the ruminant feeding ban being in place since 1997.
- Best science – including 2 major Harvard University Risk Assessments suggest only a very few isolated cases of BSE are likely to appear in the United States and these pose very minimal risk to the cattle industry or to the food supply.
- While near term market depression will occur primarily as a result of knee jerk reactions by export customers, the Beef industry will remain sound and strong and the food supply will remain safe.
- The United States needs to continue to take the lead in implementing systems to provide for trade continuity involving countries with developed preventative detection and control measures, yet still experiencing the isolated case of BSE.
SDH/lad (12-24-2003)
Release No. 0432.03
Alisa Harrison (202) 720-4623
Julie Quick (202) 720-4623
USDA MAKES PRELIMINARY DIAGNOSIS OF BSE
WASHINGTON, Dec. 23, 2003–Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has diagnosed a presumptive positive case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in an adult Holstein cow in the state of Washington.
“Despite this finding, we remain confident in the safety of our beef supply,” Veneman said. “The risk to human health from BSE is extremely low.”
Because the animal was non-ambulatory (downer) at slaughter, samples were taken Dec. 9 as part of USDA’s targeted BSE surveillance system. The samples were sent to USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa. Positive results were obtained by both histology (a visual examination of brain tissue via microscope) and immunohistochemistry (the gold standard for BSE testing that detects prions through a staining technique). Test results were returned on Dec. 22 and retested on Dec 23.
USDA has initiated a comprehensive epidemiological investigation working with state, public health, and industry counterparts to determine the source of the disease. USDA will also work with the Food and Drug Administration as they conduct animal feed investigations, the primary pathway for the spread of BSE.
This investigation has begun while the sample is being sent to the world reference laboratory in England for final confirmation. USDA will take the actions in accordance with its BSE response plan, which was developed with considerable input from federal, state and industry stakeholders.
BSE is a progressive neurological disease among cattle that is always fatal. It belongs to a family of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. Also included in that family of illnesses is the human disease, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), which is
believed to be caused by eating neural tissue, such as brain and spinal cord, from BSE-affected
cattle. USDA has determined that the cow comes from a farm in Washington State and as part of the USDA response plan, the farm has been quarantined. After the animal was slaughtered, the meat was sent for processing and USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is working to determine the final disposition of products from the animal.
For more information visit www.usda.gov.