- State animal health officials are investigating reports
of dead cows at a Stevens County dairy farm, a Washington State Department
of Agriculture spokesman said today.
-
- The investigation by state Veterinarian Dr. Leonard Eldridge
was in the initial stages, spokesman Jason Kelly said.
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- "We don't have any information that would lead us
to identify one cause of illness or death," Kelly said. "Right
now, we're just investigating these reports we've gotten about diseased
animals."
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- Kelly said state investigators previously had been at
the dairy near Addy, about 75 miles north of Spokane and about 50 miles
south of the Canadian border. No milk had been sold or distributed there
since December [2007], Kelly said.
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- The investigation was prompted by reports that dead animals
were seen at the dairy. Kelly declined to give details, including how many
animals were involved, whether there were actual deaths or to identify
the dairy.
-
- "Reports prompted us to begin an animal health investigation,"
he said.
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- Officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and
U.S. Food and Drug Administration were aiding the investigation, Kelly
and others said.
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- Alan Bennett, a spokesman with the FDA in Portland, said
his agency has been in contact with state agriculture officials, but noted
it is not uncommon for the agency to work with state officials.
-
- Kelly would not say whether the investigation involves
bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease, a chronic, degenerative
disease of the brain and spinal cord in cattle. Cattle can get the disease
through contaminated meat and bone meal fed to the animal as a protein
source.
-
- It's thought that people eating infected beef can contract
the human variant of the disease.
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- The 1st U.S. case of the deadly brain-wasting disease
was found in a Mabton dairy cow in December 2003. The herd was destroyed
and that cow's origins were later traced to Canada, where it was believed
to have eaten contaminated feed.
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- Kelly warned against concluding that the current diseased
animal investigation has any link to BSE.
-
- "The state veterinarian's office is conducting an
investigation right now," Kelly said. "At this point, we simply
don't have any information."
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- http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/ 2003608529_webdeadcows08.html
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-
- ProMed Mail It is not uncommon for dairies, especially
large ones, to have a dead animal or 2, but what is interest grabbing here
is that milk has not been sold since December 2006, and both the USDA (United
States Department of Agriculture) and the FDA (Food and Drug Administration)
are involved, as well as a state agency. Although it is not uncommon for
agencies to cooperate in an investigation, a dead animal case more often
involves local authorities. If the dairy has not sold milk since December,
then it is curious that FDA would be there.
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- We would appreciate any authoritative information that
is available. Mod.TG
-
- ..tg/mpp
-
-
- Patricia A. Doyle DVM, PhD
- Bus Admin, Tropical Agricultural Economics
- Univ of West Indies
-
- Please visit my "Emerging Diseases" message
board at:
- http://www.emergingdisease.org/phpbb/index.php
- Also my new website:
- http://drpdoyle.tripod.com/
- Zhan le Devlesa tai sastimasa
- Go with God and in Good Health
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