Atypical BSE Found in Alabama

The USDA has found a single case of atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE, in Alabama in an 11-year-old beef cow.

Chief Veterinarian Dr. Jack Shere said it didn’t enter the food supply and that atypical BSE can happen, rarely, in older animals.

“It’s just a change in the proteins in the brain that the protein folds a certain way and it doesn’t unfold. It doesn’t occur as a result of being fed, it just happens spontaneously.”

The disease also can’t be transmitted from animal to animal.

Shere did note that they were doing a traceback with other animals kept with it and its offspring to make sure there is no other cases.

“And this shouldn’t lead to any trade implications in accordance the guidelines set out by the World Organization for Animal Health.”

Which means the U.S. status as a negligible risk country should not change.