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Preliminary
Investigation Suggests BSE-Infected Cow in Washington State
Was Likely Imported from Canada |
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On December
23, 2003, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a presumptive
diagnosis of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or "mad cow"
disease) in an adult Holstein cow from Washington State. Samples were
taken from the cow on December 9 as part of USDA's BSE surveillance program.
The BSE diagnosis was made on December 22 and 23 by histopathology and
immunohistochemical testing at the National Veterinary Services Laboratory,
Ames, Iowa. The diagnosis was confirmed by an international reference
laboratory in Weybridge, England, on December 25. Preliminary trace-back
based on an ear-tag identification number suggests that the BSE-infected
cow was imported into the United States from Canada in August 2001.
USDA, in
close cooperation with Canadian agricultural authorities, has launched
an epidemiologic investigation to determine the source of the disease.
Beef from the slaughtered cow had been processed for human consumption.
On December 23, 2003, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), USDA
announced the recall of all beef from cattle slaughtered on December 9
at the involved slaughter plant.
Strong evidence
indicates that BSE has been transmitted to humans primarily in the United
Kingdom, causing a variant form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). In
the United Kingdom, where over 1 million cattle may have been infected
with BSE, a substantial species barrier appears to protect humans from
widespread illness. As of December 1, 2003, a total of 153 vCJD cases
had been reported worldwide; of these, 143 cases had occurred in the United
Kingdom. The risk to human health from BSE in the United States is extremely
low.
CDC monitors
the trends and current incidence of CJD in the United States by analyzing
death certificate information from U.S. multiple cause-of-death data compiled
by the National Center for Health Statistics. With the support of the
Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, CDC conducts follow-up
review of clinical and neuropathology records of CJD decedents younger
than 55 years of age. In addition, during 1996-1997, in collaboration
with the American Association of Neuropathologists (AANP), CDC established
the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center at Case Western
Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. This pathology center provides
free, state-of-the-art diagnostic services to U.S. physicians. It also
helps to monitor the possible occurrence of emerging forms of prion diseases,
such as vCJD, in the United States. For more information about the center
visit its website at: http://www.cjdsurveillance.com.
For additional
information about the case of BSE in Washington State and general information
on prion diseases, see the following websites:
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