Mad cow case sparks epidemiological inquiry

MONTGOMERY, ALA. — The traceback has begun for the cohorts and offspring of the third cow in the United States confirmed to have bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

The animal was euthanized on an Alabama farm, buried before it could enter the human or animal feed chains, and later exhumed to conduct additional tests.

The newest U.S. BSE case occurred in a 10-year-old cow, which means it was born before the 1997 USDA feed ban. This file photo depicts an animal suffering from the disease.

"We are now working with Alabama animal health officials to conduct an epidemiological investigation to gather any further information we can on the herd of origin of this animal," says Dr. John Clifford, chief veterinary officer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. "The animal had only resided on the most recent farm in Alabama for less than a year."

The USDA concluded March 16 that the animal was at least 10 years old, which means it was born prior to the department's 1997 feed ban.

DNA samples are being examined at the National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa, so scientists can work to find siblings and offspring of the infected animal. At presstime, one 6-week-old offspring of the breeder cow had been relocated to NVSL.

The outbreak comes on the heels of a March 9 announcement indicating the USDA will begin allocating animal identification numbers to tag manufacturers and approving visual identification tags for use under the National Animal Identification System (NAIS), which paves the way for distribution of these tags to producers.

Though participation is voluntary for now, the program is an important signal to agricultural trading partners that the United States can monitor its beef supplies.

Japan re-affirmed its ban on U.S. beef Jan. 20 due to a shipment that reportedly contained a spine. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice pleaded with Japanese foreign ministers to relax the ban, but not even Japan's own case could produce empathy. Japanese officials confirmed March 17 the country's first case of BSE in cattle raised to provide meat; Japan had found 23 previous cases involving milk cows.

On March 20, Japan gave most Canadian facilities the green light for export to Japan following inspections from the Japanese Health and Agriculture ministries. It was the 10-year anniversary of Great Britain's announcement that 10 people died from an illness linked to the country's outbreak of BSE.