>Questions and Answers: Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy - BSE

Q: What is the USDA policy in regard to Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), and what appointments has USDA taken?

A: The USDA policy have been to be pro-active and preventative. APHIS have taken measures in surveillance, prevention, background, and response. Import restrictions have be in place since 1989, and alive surveillance efforts begin in 1990. The USDA continually monitors and assesses all ongoing events and research findings in connection with spongiform encephalopathies, as new information and wisdom may lead to revised conclusions and prevention measures. APHIS have also created a Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy (TSE) Working Group to analyze risks of BSE to the United States, disseminate accurate information about the TSE's, and perform as a reference source for responding to question about TSE's.

Q: Is APHIS working near other agencies and groups to coordinate efforts?

A: Yes. APHIS have actively shared information and met with State and Federal agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and stakeholders to assure we are taking the proper arrangements in response to shifting knowledge and information concerning BSE.

Q: Is BSE a notifiable disease in the United States?

A: Yes. Under Title 9 Code of Federal Regulations, Parts 71 and 161, BSE is a reportable disease by approved veterinarians.

Q. What types of BSE surveillance are we doing?

A: USDA-APHIS, in cooperation with USDA-FSIS and State diagnostic laboratories, have a comprehensive surveillance program. APHIS educates veterinary practitioners, veterinary laboratory diagnosticians, industry and producers on the clinical signs and pathology of BSE. APHIS monitors the remaining cattle import from the United Kingdom. Since 1990, more than 60 veterinary diagnostic laboratories across the United States and USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratories continue to examine hundreds of cattle brains respectively year submitted from adult cattle displaying neurologic signs any at slaughter or on the farm. FSIS perform antemortem slaughter inspection at all federally-inspected slaughter establishments, and inspectors are alert for interior nervous system (CNS) disorders.

Any CNS suspect animals are condemned and tested. Public strength laboratories also submit to APHIS any samples that hold tested negative for rabies. The web of private veterinary practitioners that refers unusual cases to veterinary schools or State diagnostic laboratories around the United States provides an extensive informal but significant surveillance system. USDA has trained more than 250 State and Federal corral veterinarians located throughout the United States in the recognition and diagnosis of foreign animal diseases, including BSE.

The Veterinary Medical Data Base maintain by Purdue University compiles diagnoses submitted by 27 U.S. veterinary schools, including oodles neurologic cases. The Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Reporting System (VDLRS) maintains a notes base on elected disease conditions submitted by 29 State and university veterinary diagnostic laboratories throughout the U.S., including the results of histologic examinations for BSE. VDLRS is a cooperative effort of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, the United States Animal Health Association, USDA-APHIS-Veterinary Services' Centers for Epidemiology and Animal Health, and the 29 laboratories mentioned above.

Veterinary pathologists at zoos in the United States routinely conduct postmortem examinations on the brains of zoo animals exhibiting neurologic signs since BSE-like encephalopathies hold been diagnosed contained by seven species of exotic Bovidae at zoos in England.

Q: Has the United States import cattle from the United Kingdom?

A: Yes. Between 1981 and 1989, 496 cattle were import from the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. These U.K. imports hold been traced, and in that are only 4 cattle still alive surrounded by the United States (as of February 1999). All of these animals have be under quarantine since April 1996. APHIS is currently attempting to purchase these cattle for diagnostic research purposes. In July 1989, the importation of live ruminants from the United Kingdom be banned.

In optional extra, 2 head of cattle import from Belgium in 1996 are immediately under quarantine. APHIS, in cooperation near the States and industry, continues to purchase these animals for diagnostic purposes. No evidence of BSE has been found within any of these imported animals.

Q: Can we picture for all of the U.K.-imported cattle?

A: All but 32 animals hold been traced. All cattle of unknown status would be greater than 10 years of age and would hold a reduced likelihood of developing BSE at this slowly date.

Q: Does the United States still permit the feed of ruminant protein to ruminants?

A: On August 4, 1997, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) established regulations that prohibit the feeding of most mammalian proteins to ruminants.

Q: What proactive initiatives are happening to educate farmers, veterinarians, extension agents, etc.?

A: An substantial part of the USDA's busy surveillance program is the training of veterinary practitioners in the clinical signs, diagnosis and sample submission for BSE. Videotapes of cattle showing clinical signs of BSE enjoy been distributed to veterinarians in Federal and State government, veterinary diagnostic laboratories, and pathology departments of veterinary colleges. Microscope slides showing typical BSE lesions hold been distributed to the above diagnostic laboratories, and Federal Foreign Animal Disease (FAD) diagnosticians enjoy trained in Great Britain in BSE recognition. BSE factsheets, risk assessments, and reviews own also been sent to State and Federal veterinarians, private practitioners, other industries, and to producers. In combination, APHIS personnel have given numerous presentations to a range of animal health groups. Finally, over 250 Federal and State veterinarians throughout the U.S. own been trained in the classification of FAD's including BSE.

Q: What measures has USDA-APHIS taken to prevent the introduction of BSE?

A: To prevent BSE from entering the United States, APHIS have restricted the importation of live ruminants and certain ruminant products from countries where on earth BSE is known to exist. On July 21, 1989, APHIS vetoed the importation of all ruminants and restricted the importation of dependable cattle products from the United Kingdom. On December 6, 1991, APHIS restricted the importation of ruminant meat and edible products and barred most byproducts of ruminant origin from countries particular to have BSE (56 Federal Register [FR] 63868 and 63869). Prior to this, the products be restricted by not issuing permits. Certain products cannot be import into the United States, except under special certification for scientific, school or research purposes, or under special conditions to be used within cosmetics. These products include serum, glands, collagen, etc. Importation requests for ruminant material are considered individually, and authorization is granted merely to those materials that would not allow exposure to ruminants in the United States.

As of December 12, 1997, APHIS has prohibited the importation of live ruminants and most ruminant products from adjectives of Europe until a thorough assessment of the risks can be made. The new restrictions apply to Albania, Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the former Yugoslavian republic of Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden. These travels are in rider to those already in place in relation to countries that had reported BSE contained by native cattle.

This doings was taken surrounded by 1997 because the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg have reported their first cases of BSE within native-born cattle. There is evidence that European countries may have have high BSE risk factor for several years and less-than-adequate surveillance. Additionally, Belgium reported that the cow diagnosed with BSE be processed into the animal food chain. This science-based edict was made to protect human and animal strength, to ensure the security of U.S. export market, and to shield the safety and the integrity of our food supply.

An interim rule be published and the comment period closed on March 9, 1998. The comments are currently self evaluated. Criteria to assess the risk factors be developed in accordance beside the standards adopted by the Office of International Epizootics (OIE). APHIS have received information from a number of the European countries to assist surrounded by the risk analysis.

As of December 7, 2000, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has prohibited adjectives imports of rendered animal protein products, regardless of species, from Europe. This finding followed the recent determination by the European Union that feed of non-ruminant beginning was potentially cross-contaminated next to the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) agent. The restriction applies to products originating, rendered, processed or otherwise associated next to European products.

Q: Have we allowed the importation of cattle semen and embryos from BSE-affected countries?

A: Yes. No BSE infectivity has be detected in embryos, semen, or reproductive tissues of BSE-affected cows and bulls. Embryo verbs experiments are underway within cattle and all interim results are cynical, thus far. However, due to the inconclusive findings of the maternal nouns BSE study and two studies which found sheep scrapie to be transmitted via embryo transfer, the importation of embryos from BSE artificial and high-risk countries has be suspended.

Importation protocols exceed the recommendation of the Office of International Epizootics (OIE). All bulls producing semen for export to the United States are required to touch all 5 of the following conditions:

1. The semen donor have not been on premises where on earth BSE has occur within 5 years of the date of embryo or semen collection;

2. The semen donor is not artificial with BSE;

3. No progeny of the semen donor is artificial with BSE;

4.The parents of the semen donor are not artificial with BSE; and

5.The semen donor have not been feed ruminant-derived protein.

These importations were suspended during the first week of April 1996, in response to the reported possible association of vCJD cases in the United Kingdom and exposure to the BSE agent. We hold since resumed the importation of bovine semen as there is no irrefutable evidence to support that semen harbors the BSE agent.

Q: What actions are taken at USDA-inspected slaughter establishments to ensure that cattle next to BSE would not enter the human food supply?

A: All cattle presented for slaughter in the United States are inspected beforehand slaughter by FSIS for signs of CNS impairment. Any animals exhibiting neurologic signs during this inspection are condemned, and the meat is not permitted for use as human food. The brains from these animals are submitted to USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratories for analysis.

Q: Does USDA have a response plan surrounded by the event a case of BSE or TSE is diagnosed contained by U.S. cattle?

A: In 1990, APHIS developed a plan to respond to a confirmation of BSE in the U.S. In August 1996, a mutual APHIS-FSIS working group updated this BSE response plan. The purpose of the plan is to provide a step-by-step plan of action contained by the event that a case of BSE is detected within the United States. The plan outlines those events that should take place, including credentials of a suspect animal, confirmation, the epidemiologic investigation, animal and herd disposition accomplishments, and communication of information.

Contacts for More Information About BSE

For animal health issues, contact APHIS' Dr. Linda Detwiler at (609) 259-5825.

All nonspecific inquiries about APHIS' role concerning BSE or animal health should be referred to Legislative and Public Affairs at (301) 734-7799.

For question related to food safety, meat and meat products, or meat inspection, contact: Food Safety and Inspection Service (202) 720-9113

For question related to human health, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, contact: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (404) 639-7292

For question related to science, research, contact: National Institutes of Health (301) 496-5751

For questions related to food, nurture, drugs, cosmetics, or biological products, contact: Food and Drug Administration (301) 443-1130

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