03/14/06 USDA confirms new case of BSE

American Rancher March 14, 2006 The USDA confirmed Monday afternoon that an older Alabama beef cow had BSE, making it the third U.S. case of the brain wasting disease. USDA first reported Saturday an inconclusive result in its enhanced BSE testing program. A second rapid screening test was also inconclusive, but yesterday USDA Chief Veterinary Officer John Clifford said the confirmatory Western bloc test showed the animal positive for BSE. A tissue sample will still be given the immunohistochemistry test, but under USDA protocol, an animal is considered positive for BSE if either of the two confirmatory tests return positive results. Clifford said the animal in question was a Santa Gertrudis beef cow that was non-ambulatory and which was euthanized by a veterinarian who took a tissue sample. Clifford: "The attending veterinarian has indicated that based on dentition it was an older animal, quite possibly upwards of 10-years of age. This would indicate that this animal would have been born prior to the implementation of the Food and Drug Administration's 1997 feed ban." The cow was buried on the Alabama farm so therefore none of her meat entered the food or feed chain. She had only resided on the Alabama farm for a year and USDA is conducting an epidemiological investigation to determine the cow's herd of origin, her birthmates and any offspring. I'm Bob Hoff.