Johanns announces positive BSE test results; by Pete Hisey on 6/24/2005 for Meatingplace.com

Results from retesting of brain tissue of a U.S. animal confirms that it suffered from bovine spongiform encephalopathy, the first ever native-born case of BSE to be discovered in the United States. USDA indicated that the beef animal was born before the September 1997 ban on ruminant-to-ruminant feed was put into effect, and was over 8 years of age.

Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced the discovery this afternoon in Washington, and also indicated that after the controversy over BSE test protocols, USDA will develop new protocols that subject samples that return conflicting or uncertain test results for BSE to both the immunohistochemistry test USDA has traditionally used, as well as the Western blot, which most BSE authorities consider the most conclusive test method.

The samples returned two positive tests last October when the Bio-Rad rapid test was applied, then returned negative results when the IHC test was applied. A surprising retesting of the tissue using the Western blot test at USDA's Ames, Iowa, laboratory two weeks ago resulted in what USDA called a "weak positive," at which point it was sent to the OIE's BSE laboratory in Weybridge, England for confirmation.

Johanns conceded that USDA's protocol, which prefers IHC to Western blot, might be out of date, and that a new protocol will be developed that examines samples with both tests simultaneously.

Johanns also acknowledged that body parts from five animals were stored together during the test process last fall, a failure of the sampling and segregation procedures that APHIS developed. Freezing of samples will be discontinued immediately, Johanns said.

USDA scientists will meet with international authorities to develop a comprehensive protocol for all detection, handling and testing of suspected BSE cases.