The cow was the first animal to test positive for the disease in North America in a decade {10}. The previous case, which also occurred in Canada, involved a cow imported from Britain {11}. Scientists are working on several theories to explain how the animal may have become infected. They don't believe BSE can be transmitted from one live animal to another {12}. The illness is believed to be spread through the consumption of feed containing the ground-up remains of infected sheep and cattle ("meat and bone meal") {13}. Canada (and the US) outlawed the feeding of such meal to cattle, sheep and goats in 1997 {14}. It is possible that the cow ate infected feed after the ban {15}. Spontaneous gene mutation is another theory of how the disease originated {16}. In the words of one reporter, the chances of a single cow becoming uniquely infected by the disease are "laughably, alarmingly remote." {17}

 

CWD: Elk in western Canada have been found infected with chronic wasting disease (CWD), an illness related to BSE (see issue #80). Until this week, CWD was deemed the much greater threat, with provincial labs testing close to 5,000 deer and elk brains for CWD in 2002, compared with 849 cattle brains for BSE. {18} The Canadian government in recent years has ordered the slaughter and destruction of 9,000 farmed elk found infected with the disease. {19} It can also affect mule deer and white-tailed deer. {20} In the U.S., it is known to exist in wild deer in 5 states and has affected farmed elk in 6 states. {21} In Wisconsin, attempts are being made to eradicate the entire deer population in affected areas. {22} The origins of CWD are unknown, but one theory is that it may be a variant of sheep scrapie, which has been linked to BSE. {23} While there is no evidence that CWD can be transmitted from elk and deer to cattle or other farmed animals, or that CWD can cause BSE, precautions are being taken. {24}

 

The BSE discovery is disrupting Canada's $5.8 billion beef industry. {25} The country is the world's 3rd largest beef exporter, with the U.S. being its largest market. {26} It is also the U.S.'s largest live cattle supplier. {27} In 2002, the U.S. imported more than 1 billion pounds of Canadian beef {28} and 1.075 million live cattle, {29} constituting about 3% of the cattle slaughtered in the U.S. {30}  The U.S. government says 90,000 head of beef cattle imported from Canada since January {31} pose little risk of BSE and won't be tracked down or kept from slaughter {32}. Nor are there plans to trace other cattle who have been imported from Canada for breeding purposes. {33} (The disease can incubate in cattle for up to 5 years.) {34}

 

The case is renewing attention to the U.S. surveillance that protects the nation's $80 billion beef industry, a system critics say leaves much to be desired. {35} The U.S. banned imports of live ruminants (cattle, sheep and goats) from the U.K. in 1985, and extended the ban to all countries with BSE in 1989. {36} In 1997, the U.S. extended the ban to all ruminants from the European Union. {37} In 1997, the FDA prohibited the use of meat and bone meal in ruminant feed. {38} In both the U.S. and Canada, its use in poultry and swine feed is permitted, because those animals have not been found to contract the disease. {39} (According to a Canadian official, 90% of meat and bone meal ends up in some type of animal feed.) {40} A government report in 2000 found that 28% of U.S. feed companies weren't labeling prohibited feed with the required precautionary statements that the material shouldn't be fed to ruminants, while 20% of the companies that handled both ruminant and other kinds of rendered meal didn't have required systems in place to prevent cross-contamination. {41} The FDA is also concerned about potential disease transmission from the use of poultry litter in animal feed and is considering a ban on it. {42}

 

Canadian-derived ruminant products have now been banned in the U.S. {43} and several other countries. In 2002, about 20,000 cattle were tested for BSE - out of a U.S. herd of 100 million {44}. A lethal human variant of the disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD, see issue #91), believed to be caused by eating infected beef, is incurable and has killed about 130 people, mostly in Britain{45}. Last year, the USDA found about 35% of beef products produced at U.S. meat processing plants contained parts of cattle spinal cord, {46} which is believed to be among the most infective tissue {47}.

 

The U.K. has slaughtered 3.7 million cattle based on approximately 180,000 confirmed cases of BSE since 1984. {48} Total costs to the U.K. since the BSE outbreak began have been estimated at over $5 billion. {49} A foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in 2001 that compounded effects from BSE has been estimated to have cost the U.K. approximately $11.5 billion. {50}

 

See Also: "American Beef Supply at Risk," Organic Consumers Association, Michael Greger, May 21, 2003  http://www.organicconsumers.org/madcow.htm

 

SOURCES:
{1} "Canada Confirms Single BSE Case in a Cow From Alberta," AgWeb News, Roger Bernard, May 20, 2003.  http://tinyurl.com/c8mm
http://www.agweb.com/news_show_news_article.asp?file=AgNewsArticle_20035201243_5536&articleID=97963&newscat=GN
{2} "Canada Moves to Contain Mad Cow," The Washington Post, Marc Kaufman, May 22, 2003. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23281-2003May21.html?nav=hptoc_h
{3} Same as #2.
{4} Same as #2.
{5} "Canadian B.S.E. Update," MeatPoultry.com, Keith Nunes, May 23, 2003. 

http://www.meatpoultry.com/feature_stories.asp?ArticleID=63739
{6} Same as #5.
{7} Same as #2 and "Canada Quarantines Six More Ranches in Mad Cow Case," The New York Times, Clifford Krauss with Sandra Blakeslee, May 23, 2003. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/23/international/asia/23CANA.html
{8} Same as #7 (2nd source).
{9} "9 Cattle Farms Linked to Alta. Cow Infected with Mad Cow Disease: Officials," Canadian Press, Judy Monchuk, May 22, 2003.
{10} Same as #1.
{11} Same as #1.
{12} Same as #1.
{13} Same as #2.
{14} Same as #2.
{15} "Mad Cow Case Raises Testing Issue," USA Today, Elizabeth Weise, May 20, 2003.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2003-05-20-inside-madcow-usat_x.htm
{16} "Tyson Cuts Production at Canadian Plant After Mad Cow Discovery," Bloomberg News, May 21, 2003. http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=email&refer=us&sid=aAQ2dLRJmBgA
{17} "Ministers Unleash Confusion," CanWest News Service (FSNet), Don Martin, May 21, 2003.  http://131.104.232.9/fsnet/2003/5-2003/fsnet_may_21-2.htm
{18} "Diseased Head Sat in Lab Freezer for 14 Weeks," National Post, Margaret Munro, May 22, 2003.
{19} "A Problem Waiting to Happen," The Toronto Star, Thomas Walkom, May 22, 2003. http://tinyurl.com/e0b4 or http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1052251623792
{20} Same as #18.
{21} Same as #19.
{22} Same as #19.
{23} Same as #18.
{24} Same as #18.
{25} Same as #16.
{26} Same as #16.
{27} "Canada Mad Cow Could Benefit U.S.," UPI Farming Today, Gregory Tejeda, May 22, 2003.  http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20030521-042203-5131r.htm
{28} "Canada Mad Cow Angers U.S. Lawmakers," Associated Press, Emily Gersema, 5/22/2003
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-2703065,00.html
{29} "Industry on the Edge," MeatPoultry.com, Joel Crews and Keith Nunes, May 21, 2003.
http://www.meatpoultry.com/feature_stories.asp?ArticleID=63676
{30} Same as #29.
{31} Same as #5.
{32}  "U.S. Won't Track Down Canadian Cow Imports," The Des Moines Register, Philip Brasher, May 22, 2003.  http://www.dmregister.com/business/stories/c4789013/21319933.html
{33}  Same as #32.
{34} "More Mad Cow Cases Possible, Experts Warn," The Times Union, May 22, 2003.
{35}  Same as #15.
{36}  Same as #16.   
{37}  Same as #16.
{38}  Same as #16.
{39}  Same as #16.
{40}  Same as #19.
{41}  Same as #15.
{42} "Canadian Herds Quarantined Due to Mad Cow," AP/Reuters (FSNet), May 22, 2003.
http://131.104.232.9/fsnet/2003/5-2003/fsnet_may_22-3.htm
{43}  Same as #29.
{44}  Same as #15.
{45}  Same as #28. 
{46} "U.S. Seeks to Ease Consumer Fears After Mad Cow Case," ABS-CBN News, 05/21/2003.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/abs_news_body.asp?section=World&oid=23586
{47} Same as #2.
{48} "The Economic Effects of Major Livestock Disease Outbreaks," MeatPoultry.com, Kenneth Matthews Jr., May 22, 2003. http://www.meatpoultry.com/feature_stories.asp?ArticleID=63726
{49}  Same as #48.
{50}  Same as #48.

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