Ireland confirms atypical BSE case

A case of atypical BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) was identified in an 18-year-old cow in Ireland through the country's surveillance of fallen animals at knackeries, according to the government on Thursday.

In a statement, the Irish Department of Agriculture said the animal tested positive on a screening test carried out at a government accredited private laboratory over the weekend and was then subject to follow up confirmatory tests at the department's Central Veterinary Research Laboratory.

Atypical BSE is simply a case where the disease pattern and expression doesn't fit what's typically expected. For example, atypical cases of BSE may not be transmitted through infected feed like classic BSE, but rather may occur sporadically among older cattle. Importantly, BSE is a diminishing disease worldwide and atypical cases are even rarer, just more than 60 total cases have been identified.

The statement said there are no associated public health risks with this event, adding that a comprehensive set of public health controls are in place and the animal in this case was excluded from the food chain and its carcase will be incinerated.

The disclosure of this case of atypical BSE does not have any impact of Ireland's current OIE BSE "controlled risk" status or trade status, according to the statement.

In 2015, the Paris-headquartered World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) reclassified Ireland's risk status for BSE to "controlled" following the discovery of an infected dairy cow. Prior to that, Ireland had been granted a "negligible risk status" for the disease, the lowest possible designation. Endit