March 13, 2006

Possible new mad cow case in US

The USDA is investigating a possible new case of mad cow disease, said USDA Chief Veterinary Medical Officer John Clifford on Mar 11.

Clifford was quick to add that the cow did not enter the human or animal food chain. However, USDA did not disclose the origin of the cow that is being tested.

Clifford said results have not been conclusive and this does not mean that they have found a new case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

Eating meat contaminated with mad cow disease has caused more than 150 human deaths worldwide from the human variant, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). CJD is a rare and fatal nerve disease.

Clifford said the US has a system of interlocking safeguards against BSE that protects people and health. Furthermore, the US has banned the adding of dead cattle remains to feed for cattle, as this is how the disease is believed to have spread.

Clifford concluded that USDA remains confident about the safety of US beef.