Meat inspectors' union warns of cuts to government's food-safety program  
Monday, January 16, 2012 12:25 AM
Monday, January 16, 2012 12:25 AM
Plan to cut meat plant inspections under fire
Risk of another major food-borne illness outbreak will be elevated, union  says 
By SARAH SCHMIDT, Postmedia NewsJanuary 17, 2012 
THIS is not surprising. Seems Canada has taken the bad habits of the USDA  et al. Canada now refuses to release any information on their mad cows. Canada  and the USA are both rated as BSE GBR III. 
bottom line, the USDA, CFIA, OIE, and officials there from, have concluded,  a slow incubating disease, one that is 100% fatal once clinical in humans and  animals does not matter, only the trade there from does$ 
Friday, December 30, 2011 
Feds back Quebec R+D for SRM removal equipment Canada 
Friday, March 4, 2011 
Alberta dairy cow found with mad cow disease 
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
REPORT ON THE INVESTIGATION OF THE SIXTEENTH CASE OF BOVINE SPONGIFORM  ENCEPHALOPATHY (BSE) IN CANADA
Thursday, August 19, 2010
REPORT ON THE INVESTIGATION OF THE SEVENTEENTH CASE OF BOVINE SPONGIFORM  ENCEPHALOPATHY (BSE) IN CANADA
Thursday, February 10, 2011
TRANSMISSIBLE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY REPORT UPDATE CANADA FEBRUARY 2011  and how to hide mad cow disease in Canada Current as of: 2011-01-31
Increased Atypical Scrapie Detections
Press reports indicate that increased surveillance is catching what  otherwise would have been unreported findings of atypical scrapie in sheep. In  2009, five new cases have been reported in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, and  Saskatchewan. With the exception of Quebec, all cases have been diagnosed as  being the atypical form found in older animals. Canada encourages producers to  join its voluntary surveillance program in order to gain scrapie-free status.  The World Animal Health will not classify Canada as scrapie-free until no new  cases are reported for seven years. The Canadian Sheep Federation is calling on  the government to fund a wider surveillance program in order to establish the  level of prevalence prior to setting an eradication date. Besides long-term  testing, industry is calling for a compensation program for farmers who report  unusual deaths in their flocks.
Thursday, December 22, 2011 
Chronic Wasting Disease discovered on game farm Saskatchewan Wednesday Dec.  21, 2011 
PRIONET CANADA Canada’s prion research network Annual Report 2010 / 2011  
USA 
J Vet Diagn Invest 21:454-463 (2009) 
Nor98 scrapie identified in the United States 
Christie M. Loiacono,' Bruce V. Thomsen, S. Mark Hall, Matti Kiupe!, Diane  Sutton, Katherine O'Rourke, Bradd Barr, Lucy Anthenill, Deiwyn Keane 
Abstract. 
A distinct strain of scrapic identified in sheep of Norway in 1998 has  since been identified in numerous countries throughout Europe. The disease is  known as Nor98 or Not-98-like scrapic. among other names. Distinctions between  classic scrapie and Nor98 scrapie are made based on histopathologv and  immunodiagnostic results. There are also differences in the epidemiology,  typical signalment, and likelihood of clinical signs being observed. In  addition, sheep that have genotypes associated with resistance to classic  scrapie are not spared from Nor98 disease. The various differences between  classic and Nor98 scrapie have been consistently reported in the vast majority  of cases described across Europe. The current study describes in detail the  patholo gic changes and diagnostic results of the first 6 cases of' Nor98  scrapic disease diagnosed in sheep of the United States. 
Key words: Hisiopathology: Nor98: PrP imniunolabeling; scrapie: sheep.  
snip... 
Results 
Case I 
The first case identified as consistent with Nor98 scrapie had nonclassic  PrP distribution in brain tissue, no PrPSC in lymph tissue, and nonclassic  migration of protein bands on a Western blot test. The animal was an aged,  mottled-faced ewe that was traced back to a commercial flock in Wyoming. ...  
Case 2 
The second case was a clinically normal 8-year-old Suffolk ewe that had  been in a quarantined flock for 5 years at a USDA facility in Iowa. 
Case 3 
A 16-year-old, white-faced, cross-bred wether was born to a black-faced  ewe. He lived his entire life as a pet on a farm in California. 
Case 4 
The fourth case of Nor98 scrapie was identified in an approximately  8-year-old Dorset ewe that was born into a flock of approximately 20 ewes in  Indiana. 
Case 5 
The fifth case was a clinically normal, approximately 3-year-old,  white-faced, cross-bred ewe from an approximately 400 head commercial flock in  Minnesota. 
Case 6 
The sixth case of Nor98 scrapie was identified in a 4-year-old, white-faced  ewe that was purchased and added to a commercial flock in Pennsylvania 
snip... 
see full text ; 
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
IN CONFIDENCE
SCRAPIE TRANSMISSION TO CHIMPANZEES
IN CONFIDENCE
Sunday, April 18, 2010
SCRAPIE AND ATYPICAL SCRAPIE TRANSMISSION STUDIES A REVIEW 2010
Monday, April 25, 2011
Experimental Oral Transmission of Atypical Scrapie to Sheep
Volume 17, Number 5-May 2011
Sunday, March 28, 2010 
Nor-98 atypical Scrapie, atypical BSE, spontaneous TSE, trade policy, sound  science ? 
Monday, November 30, 2009
USDA AND OIE COLLABORATE TO EXCLUDE ATYPICAL SCRAPIE NOR-98 ANIMAL HEALTH  CODE
I strenuously urge the USDA and the OIE et al to revoke the exemption of  the legal global trading of atypical Nor-98 scrapie TSE. ...TSS 
Friday, February 11, 2011
Atypical/Nor98 Scrapie Infectivity in Sheep Peripheral Tissues
Monday, January 16, 2012
9 GAME FARMS IN WISCONSIN TEST POSITIVE FOR CWD 
Tuesday, December 20, 2011 
CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE CWD WISCONSIN Almond Deer (Buckhorn Flats) Farm  Update DECEMBER 2011 
SNIP...SEE FULL TEXT ; 
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 
Annual report of the Scientific Network on BSE-TSE EFSA-Q-2011-01110  Issued: 20 December 2011 
last two _DOCUMENTED_ mad cows in the USA (EXCLUDING THE OTHER DOCUMENTED,  UNDOCUMENTED stumbling and staggering mad cow in Texas that was rendered without  being tested), and excluding the c-BSE case old Dave bolted in Washington.  
LET'S take a closer look at this new prionpathy or prionopathy, and then  let's look at the g-h-BSEalabama mad cow. This new prionopathy in humans? the  genetic makeup is IDENTICAL to the g-h-BSEalabama mad cow, the only _documented_  mad cow in the world to date like this, ......wait, it get's better. this new  prionpathy is killing young and old humans, with LONG DURATION from onset of  symptoms to death, and the symptoms are very similar to nvCJD victims, OH, and  the plaques are very similar in some cases too, bbbut, it's not related to the  g-h-BSEalabama cow, WAIT NOW, it gets even better, the new human prionpathy that  they claim is a genetic TSE, has no relation to any gene mutation in that  family. daaa, ya think it could be related to that mad cow with the same genetic  make-up ??? there were literally tons and tons of banned mad cow protein in  Alabama in commerce, and none of it transmitted to cows, and the cows to humans  there from ??? r i g h t $$$ ALABAMA MAD COW g-h-BSEalabama In this study, we  identified a novel mutation in the bovine prion protein gene (Prnp), called  E211K, of a confirmed BSE positive cow from Alabama, United States of America.  This mutation is identical to the E200K pathogenic mutation found in humans with  a genetic form of CJD. This finding represents the first report of a confirmed  case of BSE with a potential pathogenic mutation within the bovine Prnp gene. We  hypothesize that the bovine Prnp E211K mutation most likely has caused BSE in  "the approximately 10-year-old cow" carrying the E221K mutation. 
her healthy calf also carried the mutation (J. A. Richt and S. M. Hall PLoS  Pathog. 4, e1000156; 2008). 
This raises the possibility that the disease could occasionally be genetic  in origin. Indeed, the report of the UK BSE Inquiry in 2000 suggested that the  UK epidemic had most likely originated from such a mutation and argued against  the scrapierelated assumption. Such rare potential pathogenic PRNP mutations  could occur in countries at present considered to be free of BSE, such as  Australia and New Zealand. So it is important to maintain strict surveillance  for BSE in cattle, with rigorous enforcement of the ruminant feed ban (many  countries still feed ruminant proteins to pigs). Removal of specified risk  material, such as brain and spinal cord, from cattle at slaughter prevents  infected material from entering the human food chain. Routine genetic screening  of cattle for PRNP mutations, which is now available, could provide additional  data on the risk to the public. Because the point mutation identified in the  Alabama animals is identical to that responsible for the commonest type of  familial (genetic) CJD in humans, it is possible that the resulting infective  prion protein might cross the bovine-human species barrier more easily. Patients  with vCJD continue to be identified. The fact that this is happening less often  should not lead to relaxation of the controls necessary to prevent future  outbreaks. Malcolm A. Ferguson-Smith Cambridge University Department of  Veterinary Medicine, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ES, UK e-mail:  maf12@cam.ac.uk Jürgen A. Richt College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State  University, K224B Mosier Hall, Manhattan, Kansas 66506-5601, USA NATURE|Vol  457|26 February 2009 
Saturday, August 14, 2010 
BSE Case Associated with Prion Protein Gene Mutation (g-h-BSEalabama) and  VPSPr PRIONPATHY (see mad cow feed in COMMERCE IN ALABAMA...TSS) 
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Transmissibility of BSE-L and Cattle-Adapted TME Prion Strain to Cynomolgus  Macaque 
"BSE-L in North America may have existed for decades" 
2010-2011 
When L-type BSE was inoculated into ovine transgenic mice and Syrian  hamster the resulting molecular fingerprint had changed, either in the first or  a subsequent passage, from L-type into C-type BSE. In addition, non-human  primates are specifically susceptible for atypical BSE as demonstrated by an  approximately 50% shortened incubation time for L-type BSE as compared to  C-type. Considering the current scientific information available, it cannot be  assumed that these different BSE types pose the same human health risks as  C-type BSE or that these risks are mitigated by the same protective measures.  
This study will contribute to a correct definition of specified risk  material (SRM) in atypical BSE. The incumbent of this position will develop new  and transfer existing, ultra-sensitive methods for the detection of atypical BSE  in tissue of experimentally infected cattle. 
Over the next 8-10 weeks, approximately 40% of all the adult mink on the  farm died from TME. 
snip...
The rancher was a ''dead stock'' feeder using mostly (>95%) downer or  dead dairy cattle... 
P.4.23 
Transmission of atypical BSE in humanized mouse models 
Liuting Qing1, Wenquan Zou1, Cristina Casalone2, Martin Groschup3, Miroslaw  Polak4, Maria Caramelli2, Pierluigi Gambetti1, Juergen Richt5, Qingzhong Kong1  1Case Western Reserve University, USA; 2Instituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale,  Italy; 3Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Germany; 4National Veterinary Research  Institute, Poland; 5Kansas State University (Previously at USDA National Animal  Disease Center), USA 
Background: Classical BSE is a world-wide prion disease in cattle, and the  classical BSE strain (BSE-C) has led to over 200 cases of clinical human  infection (variant CJD). Atypical BSE cases have been discovered in three  continents since 2004; they include the L-type (also named BASE), the H-type,  and the first reported case of naturally occurring BSE with mutated bovine PRNP  (termed BSE-M). The public health risks posed by atypical BSE were largely  undefined. 
Objectives: To investigate these atypical BSE types in terms of their  transmissibility and phenotypes in humanized mice. Methods: Transgenic mice  expressing human PrP were inoculated with several classical (C-type) and  atypical (L-, H-, or Mtype) BSE isolates, and the transmission rate, incubation  time, characteristics and distribution of PrPSc, symptoms, and histopathology  were or will be examined and compared. 
Results: Sixty percent of BASE-inoculated humanized mice became infected  with minimal spongiosis and an average incubation time of 20-22 months, whereas  only one of the C-type BSE-inoculated mice developed prion disease after more  than 2 years. Protease-resistant PrPSc in BASE-infected humanized Tg mouse  brains was biochemically different from bovine BASE or sCJD. PrPSc was also  detected in the spleen of 22% of BASE-infected humanized mice, but not in those  infected with sCJD. Secondary transmission of BASE in the humanized mice led to  a small reduction in incubation time.*** The atypical BSE-H strain is also  transmissible with distinct phenotypes in the humanized mice, but no BSE-M  transmission has been observed so far. 
Discussion: Our results demonstrate that BASE is more virulent than  classical BSE, has a lymphotropic phenotype, and displays a modest transmission  barrier in our humanized mice. BSE-H is also transmissible in our humanized Tg  mice. The possibility of more than two atypical BSE strains will be discussed.  
Supported by NINDS NS052319, NIA AG14359, and NIH AI 77774. 
P26 TRANSMISSION OF ATYPICAL BOVINE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY (BSE) IN  HUMANIZED MOUSE MODELS 
Liuting Qing1, Fusong Chen1, Michael Payne1, Wenquan Zou1, Cristina  Casalone2, Martin Groschup3, Miroslaw Polak4, Maria Caramelli2, Pierluigi  Gambetti1, Juergen Richt5*, and Qingzhong Kong1 1Department of Pathology, Case  Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA; 2CEA, Istituto  Zooprofilattico Sperimentale, Italy; 3Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Germany;  4National Veterinary Research Institute, Poland; 5Kansas State University,  Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology Department, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA. *Previous  address: USDA National Animal Disease Center, Ames, IA 50010, USA 
Classical BSE is a world-wide prion disease in cattle, and the classical  BSE strain (BSE-C) has led to over 200 cases of clinical human infection  (variant CJD). Two atypical BSE strains, BSE-L (also named BASE) and BSE-H, have  been discovered in three continents since 2004. The first case of naturally  occurring BSE with mutated bovine PrP gene (termed BSE-M) was also found in 2006  in the USA. The transmissibility and phenotypes of these atypical BSE  strains/isolates in humans were unknown. We have inoculated humanized transgenic  mice with classical and atypical BSE strains (BSE-C, BSE-L, BSE-H) and the BSE-M  isolate. We have found that the atypical BSE-L strain is much more virulent than  the classical BSE-C.*** The atypical BSE-H strain is also transmissible in the  humanized transgenic mice with distinct phenotype, but no transmission has been  observed for the BSE-M isolate so far. 
III International Symposium on THE NEW PRION BIOLOGY: BASIC SCIENCE,  DIAGNOSIS AND THERAPY 2 - 4 APRIL 2009, VENEZIA (ITALY) 
I ask Professor Kong ;
Thursday, December 04, 2008 3:37 PM Subject: RE: re--Chronic Wating Disease  (CWD) and Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathies (BSE): Public Health Risk  Assessment
''IS the h-BSE more virulent than typical BSE as well, or the same as cBSE,  or less virulent than cBSE? just curious.....''
Professor Kong reply ;
.....snip
''As to the H-BSE, we do not have sufficient data to say one way or  another, but we have found that H-BSE can infect humans. I hope we could publish  these data once the study is complete. Thanks for your interest.''
Best regards, Qingzhong Kong, PhD Associate Professor Department of  Pathology Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH 44106 USA
END...TSS 
Thursday, December 04, 2008 2:37 PM
"we have found that H-BSE can infect humans."
personal communication with Professor Kong. ...TSS 
BSE-H is also transmissible in our humanized Tg mice. 
The possibility of more than two atypical BSE strains will be discussed.  
Supported by NINDS NS052319, NIA AG14359, and NIH AI 77774. 
Saturday, December 01, 2007 
Phenotypic Similarity of Transmissible Mink Encephalopathy in Cattle and L-type Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy in a Mouse Model Volume 13, Number 12–December 2007 Research
Phenotypic Similarity of Transmissible Mink Encephalopathy in Cattle and L-type Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy in a Mouse Model Volume 13, Number 12–December 2007 Research
Saturday, November 19, 2011 
Novel Prion Protein in BSE-affected Cattle, Switzerland 
Friday, January 6, 2012 
OIE 2012 Training Manual on Wildlife Diseases and Surveillance and TSE  Prion disease 
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 
Annual report of the Scientific Network on BSE-TSE EFSA-Q-2011-01110  Issued: 20 December 2011 
2011 Monday, September 26, 2011 
L-BSE BASE prion and atypical sporadic CJD 
TSS
 

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