Government Is Investigating 3rd Possible Case of Mad Cow

By SANDRA BLAKESLEE
July 28, 2005

The Department of Agriculture is investigating another possible case of mad cow disease in a domestic cow, its chief veterinarian said yesterday.

The department would not say where the farm was, other than to say it was remote.

The veterinarian, Dr. John Clifford, said that the 12-year-old cow died in April but that its brain tissue was not tested until last week. Because the initial results were ambiguous, scientists at the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, are conducting more tests to determine whether the cow was infected.

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http://www.nytimes.com/auth/login?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/28/national/28cow.html&OP=47bff8e7Q2FQ3C8Q5BEQ3CBDQ3F)wDDbQ23Q3CQ23Q7BQ7B nQ3CQ7B.Q3CQ23uQ3C-RbQ5ED-R4Q3CQ23uQ3FD8Q27cbi4

Scary. :eek:

How long before the Beef council starts poo-pooing this off and launches a new wave of "Beef: it's good for you" ads?

Reminder: Don't post full news stories, it's a copyright violation.

Here's an update...

Suspect cow negative for mad cow disease

A cow suspected of having mad cow disease has tested negative for the brain-wasting ailment, the Agriculture Department said Wednesday.

Testing by the department's laboratory in Ames, Iowa, and the internationally recognized laboratory in Weybridge, England, came back negative, said John Clifford, the department's chief veterinarian.

"Needless to say, we are very pleased with these results," Clifford said in a statement. "I do want to emphasize that the most important protections for human and animal health are our interlocking food-safety protocols."


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http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/conditions/08/03/mad.cow.ap/index.html