Extension Responds: BSE, Bovine Spongiform encephalopathy (Mad Cow Disease)
Extension Responds provides accurate, research-based, objective information about important current issues that affect agriculture and horticulture, putting the knowledge and resources of the University of Wisconsin to work wherever people live and work.
USDA recently began an expanded BSE testing program (PDF). This June 2004 article describes the challenge of locating animals for testing since the slaughter of "downers" has been barred.
Veterinary Issues
Facts about Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE)
This fact sheet provides an overview of the disease and describes clinical signs and testing and risks to the cattle industry.
Economic and marketing
Economic implications of "mad cow" in the U.S.
Beef is an important segment of the U.S. agricultural market. What does the first case of BSE in the U.S. mean for domestic and international markets and the future of the beef industry?
Prevention and biosecurity
Wisconsin Animal and Premises Identification
Following the tracks of an animal disease is complicated because, in many cases, it is impossible to know where any individual animal was born, raised, sold and processed. With the first case of BSE in the U.S. comes a rising interest in a system for positively identifying animals and where they came from. In this state, the Wisconsin Livestock Identification Consortium (WLIC) advocates for an animal identification system.
WILC papers on animal identification include:
What is the Wisconsin Livestock Identification Consortium (WLIC) [PDF version]
A National Plan for Animal Identification (PDF only)
FAQs on the U. S. Animal Identification Plan (PDF only)
What's a Prion?
The Why Files, a project from UW-Madison's University Communications Office has posted a piece on BSE. This website is designed to make science accessible and engaging and is used widely in schools. The section explaining prion science contains a lay description and diagrams.Audio and video programs
Listen to the UW-Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources audio conference about amimal ID system. This conference from January 6 features Dr. Robert Fourdraine of the Wisconsin Livestock ID Consortium. [RealMedia] [WindowsMedia]
Listen to state and federal experts on BSE answer questions from UW-Extension agents from all around Wisconsin during an audio conference, Jan. 16. On the line were Dr. Robert Ehlenfeldt, State Veterinarian, Dr. Linda Madse, USDA- Food Safety and Inspection Service, and Dr. Linn Wilbur, USDA - Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. [RealMedia] [WindowsMedia]
View a replay of a national video conference about BSE produced at Iowa State University and first aired Jan. 7. The program is a comprehensive two-hour session featuring information about prions, transmission and prevention, food safety, processing safety, policy issues and much more. The Iowa State Beef Center has links to the video, a transcript of the question and answer segments and see other
resources.
Background
Chronology of the case discovered in Washington
Web sites
USDA — Information and Updates
USDA has announced strict new rules for meat processors. Read the news release from Dec. 30
The USDA web site has official announcements, news releases, background information and webcasts of technical briefings with officials.
Find a useful summary of several important changes mandated by USDA to protect against the BSE getting into the food supply on the UW-Madison Animal Sciences Web site. Topics include proposed USDA steps to reduce risk of BSE; a definition of a non-ambulatory animal, USDA recall classifications; advanced meat recovery, and the ruminant protein ban.
DATCP (Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection) has updated BSE information on its website.
The Center for Disease Control has a Q & A fact sheet that answer many frequent questions about Mad Cow Disease
APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA) has an excellent overview about BSE on its Website
Med Line Plus, a website prepared by the National Institutes of Health and the National Library of Medicine has a comprehensive list of web resources on BSE.
The Food and Drug Administration has excellent background information about BSE. The site does not appear to be updated to reflect the December 2003 case in the U.S. (Look for BSE under “Hot Topics”)
The Iowa Beef Center at Iowa State University offers lots of information including market analyses from John Lawrence, Iowa Extension Livestock Economist
EDEN (Extension Disaster Education Network) offers information about the disease, surveillance and reporting, and educational resources on its web site.
The World Health Organization published "Understanding the BSE Threat" in October 2002. This comprehensive report covers the probable origin of the disease, what science knows about emerging diseases such as BSE and CWD, recommendations for controls and advice for consumers.
The Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture tracks information about the beef sector. You'll find no BSE information here, but there are some useful statistics concerning the importance of the sector.
The American Veterinary Medical Association developed a two-page fact sheet, ” BSE Backgrounder,” which summarized what is know about the disease from a veterinary perspective.