PROMISING NEW TESTS FOR BSE.
The discovery of elevated protein levels, in the urine of some cows infected with BSE, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, raises the possibility that animals could eventually be screened, using a test similar to a home pregnancy kit, according to reports from the University of Manitoba in Canada.
At this moment of time, cattle can only be tested after slaughter. The discovery in four infected cows was made by researchers from Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory, by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and scientists from the university.
BSE commonly known as mad-cow-disease, is unusual because there is no genetic material that is unique to it, which makes it impossible to detect, even using cutting edge technologies
Rob McNabb from the Canadian Cattleman’s Association, said that a test that can be applied to live cattle means that herds can be monitored on a regular basis.
The cattle industry has been looking for this type of simple technology for the last thirty years stated McNabb.
The simple test if a strip of paper, that changes color when it comes into contact with the cows urine.
There is a paper about to be published, on the breakthrough which will excite farmers on a global basis.
