MAD COW DISEASE

U.S. rules out mad cow disease in 2nd cow

Mad cow disease has been ruled out in another animal, the government said Friday, the second time this week that follow-up testing proved negative for a possible second case of the brain-wasting illness in the United States.

The Agriculture Department made the announcement at the start of the July Fourth weekend, trying to ease consumer anxiety at a time when Americans traditionally fire up their grills and cook hamburgers, hot dogs and other meats.

USDA gave no additional information about either animal, except to say that their meat did not enter either the human or animal food chain. Both were subjected to more definitive testing after initial screenings for infection were inconclusive....

Human Error Likely Caused Mad Cow Scare

The first inconclusive test for mad cow disease was most likely caused by human error and not by the test used in the government's newly deployed rapid screening test, said a senior executive with the test's manufacturer.

"What we are seeing right now is likely to be technician error," Brad Crutchfield, vice president of California-based Bio-Rad Laboratories, told Reuters in an interview late Thursday.

Using Bio-Rad's rapid tests, U.S. officials over the past week reported two inconclusive results that could not rule out bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease, in suspect animals.

Crutchfield said Bio-Rad's tests are extremely sensitive and can produce false results if the brain samples are prepared improperly.

"Given the sensitivity of our test, we have a sample preparation test that has to be performed correctly," he said. "If for some reason that is not done correctly, there could be leftover protein that could lead to an inconclusive (result)."

Crutchfield anticipated fewer inconclusive test results as state and federal officials gain experience in conducting the test. Worldwide, an estimated 1 in 300,000 inconclusive Bio-Rad test results last year was a false positive, he said....

LMA Executive Committee Criticizes USDA

Citing its devastating impact on livestock producers, the cash and futures market, Livestock Marketing Association’s executive committee has sharply criticized the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s policy of announcing inconclusive test results for mad cow disease.

“There is no justification for USDA’s current policy, considering what it’s done to America’s livestock producers,” said LMA President Randy Patterson. “And this is not a food safety issue – USDA policy keeps the meat from suspect animals from going into the human food supply. It is inexcusable that test results that haven’t been confirmed are allowed to affect the market so negatively.”

Patterson pointed out that as of July 1, inconclusive results on two animals have been widely reported. “Immediately after these announcements, the livestock futures market and the cash market have taken terrific beatings....

What's Eating the Chickens?

Mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, is believed to cause variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), the fatal human equivalent of mad cow disease. The human strain of the disease has been traced to trying to use the word encephalopathy in a sentence.

Although the disease has never been found in U.S. cattle, fears have created one more thing to whine and fret about. There has been a serious drop in the consumption of steaks and hamburgers, reeking havoc on summer cook-outs and bar-b-ques. Most recently, there was the quarantine of 1,353 cattle from various Islamic countries at Guantanamo, Cuba where hooded cows can be seen escorted to and from their open air pens. With its serious consequences for humans, caution and care, but not chop steak, are in order.

Today, however, scientists have confirmed their darkest fears. In tests conducted in both the U.S and Europe, another major global source of food may be unavailable for human consumption. Scientists have labeled this new strain of disease Urinarious Officious Poultryous (UOP) or in layman’s terms, “Pissed Off Chicken.”....