USDA finds second potential case of mad cow

USDA finds second potential case of mad cow

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U.S. officials have discovered a second potential case of mad cow disease, but added that it did not enter the food system and poses no risk to human health.

The U.S. Agriculture Department said Friday night it needs to do more tests to confirm if the animal actually has the disease after receiving conflicting results.

Only one case of mad cow disease has been confirmed in the U.S. -- a dairy cow born in Alberta that was found in Washington State in December 2003. Since then, preliminary tests indicated that three cows have the disease, but further testing had ruled out any infection.

But this week, without saying why, the USDA decided to perform additional tests after a recommendation by the department's inspector general. And one of the animals -- a beef cow -- turned up positive.

The department was quick to point out that the animal never entered the food chain.

"Consumer confidence, I am very confident, will remain," said Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns. "This is a situation where the firewalls worked. We do not have a human health risk. This animal did not enter the food chain. This animal never got near the food or feed chain."

The department said so far there's no evidence the cow was imported from Canada.

A sample from the cow was being sent to a laboratory in Weybridge, England. The Agriculture Department will also conduct further tests.

Commonly known as mad cow disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is a brain-wasting ailment. In humans, it can cause a variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. An outbreak in the 1990s in Britain killed more than 150 people.

This is very serious, I am switching to chicken, fish, and range fed beef (only some times). So cut that beef way down and make sure it is range fed ect.

It is very painful and slow, your brain just slowly turning to sponge is not funny.

damn canadians! just kidding, yeah that is some scary stuff

Best thing to do is if you are going to eat beef,is to cook thoroughly and eat only free range, and organic beef. I don't trust the US department of agriculture with this disease, as it is the most horrific and slow death.