(JP)MBM from Europe possibly in cow's diet

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MBM from Europe possibly in cow's diet

 

Yomiuri Shimbun, 28 Sep 2001

 

The nation's first milk cow found to be infected with

bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known

as mad cow disease, is suspected of having consumed

meat and bone meal (MBM) from Europe, according to a

test conducted by the National Institute of Animal

Health on a BSE-causing prion detected in the heifer

in question.

 

The protein structure of the prion detected in the cow

closely resembles that of a BSE-causing prion that has

struck a large number of cows in European nations,

institute officials said Thursday.

 

The test was conducted by the institute in Tsukuba,

Ibaraki Prefecture, an affiliate of the Agriculture,

Forestry and Fisheries Ministry.

 

In 1996, the ministry banned MBM imports from Britain.

However, it was not until January that the ministry

also embargoed MBM imports from other members of the

European Union. During that period, about 80,000 tons

of MBM animal feed had been imported from the EU.

 

Delay in the ministry's action to cope with the threat

posed by MBM imports from the EU has raised renewed

concerns that there may be more cows in this country

that have been infected with BSE.

 

According to the officials, researchers at the

institute took a disease-causing prion from samples of

the BSE-infected cow's medulla oblongata. They found a

strong similarity between the prion from the cow and

those from European BSE-infected cows in terms of the

molecule's shape and size.

 

Scientists have discovered about 20 types of prions

that can cause scrapie, a disease that attacks sheep

and causes symptoms similar to those of mad cow

disease. However, they have found only one kind of

prion that can cause BSE.

 

In 1986, a cow infected with mad cow disease was

discovered for the first time in Britain. Since then

cases have been discovered in 15 European countries.

 

According to the officials, however, it will take

about one year to precisely determine whether the

prion detected in Japan's first BSE-infected cow is

identical to that found in similar cows in Europe.

 

Copyright 2001 The Yomiuri Shimbun

 

 

 

 

 

 

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