Cow tested positive for BSE

Cow test positive for BSE WASHINGTON - 3/14/06 - A beef cow found in Alabama tested positive for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The cow did not enter the human or animal food chain, says John Clifford, chief veterinarian of the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

The cow was nonambulatory,and its age was estimated at 10. At presstime, the test was confirmed by the USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames,Iowa.

APHIS is conducting a follow-up immunohistochemistry and plan to release the test results in a matter of days.

The cow's history is under investigation to determine if it consumed bovine-derived material before the ban in 1997.

All animals that have been in contact with the cow will be tested for BSE, Clifford says in a prepared statement. "However, worldwide experience has shown that it is highly unusual to find BSE in more than one animal in a herd or in an infected offspring."