CALGARY, Alberta, March 5 (UPI) -- The discovery of a dairy cow in Alberta diagnosed with mad cow disease does not mean beef eaters are at risk, Canadian health officials say.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Friday the most recent case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy was found during routine screening, the Calgary Sun reported. Canada has had a nationwide surveillance program and more than 300,000 cows have been tested for BSE since 2003, finding a total of 18 cases.
The 6 1/2-year-old cow was in Alberta, but officials have not disclosed its exact location.
The food inspection agency said the discovery should have no effect on Canadian beef exports. No part of the animal has been consumed by humans or used for animal feed.
BSE, which causes a fatal degeneration of the brain, is believed to be carried by a form of complex protein known as a prion. The disease occurs in humans, usually from eating the brain or spinal cord of an infected animal.
The disease has often been spread to cattle when the carcasses of infected animals are used for feed. In Britain, the country most affected by BSE, the disease has been found in 179,000 animals and more than 4 million have been destroyed to prevent its spread.
