January 24, 2005

New case of mad cow disease discovered in Spain

A new case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease, has been confirmed in Spain.

The National Reference Laboratory of Zaragoza reported the diagnosis of mad cow disease on a four-year-old cow, which had died, in Galve de Sorbe, Guadalajara.

This was the eighth case in the autonomous municipality since 2000, according to a report of the Castilla-La Mancha Board.

The Agricultural Advisory has ordered an immediate slaughter of all cows born up to 12 months before or after the birth of the infected cow, which were raised close to it.

It also ordered the slaughter of the offspring born two years before the cow's death and the destruction of the animal feed of animal origin.

Since 2000, a total of 519 BSE-positive cases have been detected in the country, five of them this year, said the Castilla-La Mancha Board.