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Article: USDA bungles I.D. of first U.S.-born mad cow.(United States, Department of Agriculture speaks about mad cow disease)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Environmental Nutrition
- Article date:
- August 1, 2005
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Belvoir Media Group, LLC. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In late June, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed that a cow raised in Texas tested positive for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as mad cow disease. This is the second confirmed case in the U.S., but the first U.S.-bred cow infected with BSE.
Missteps. Most worrisome are the actions of the USDA. It took the agency seven months to confirm BSE after the cow was killed last November at a pet food plant, having been deemed unfit for human consumption. Two samples from the cow were misdiagnosed as negative for BSE. Another sample tested "weak positive," but the agency discounted the results and declared the animal disease free. In a ...