Detection of Animal-Derived Proteins in Feedstuffs in Italy: A Reproducibility Study

2007 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 986-990 ◽  
Author(s):  
FRANCESCO INGRAVALLE ◽  
MARIA CESARINA ABETE ◽  
MARIA INES CRESCIO ◽  
GIUSEPPE RU
Keyword(s):  
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
Common Factor ◽  
Aquatic Organism ◽  
Farm Animals ◽  
Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
Official Method ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Surveillance Network ◽  
Reproducibility Study ◽  
Official Control

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy is a prion disease of ruminants that was first recognized in 1986 in the United Kingdom. Early in the epidemic, it became obvious that the presence of meat and bone meal in feed rations was a common factor in all bovine spongiform encephalopathy cases. The first ban of derived animal proteins in feed was enforced in Europe in 1994 and implemented by Regulation 999/2001 that prohibited the feeding of animal-derived protein to farm animals. The only official method currently accepted by the European Union Commission for test for the presence of animal-derived proteins in feedstuffs is feed microscopy. In Italy, monitoring of feedstuff safety is provided by both the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture. The quality of official control, usually assessed by verifying the reproducibility and the accuracy of the testing method, is of fundamental importance for all laboratories and institutions using these results for comparative purposes. The aims of this study were to assess the reproducibility of the official method over all the Italian surveillance network and to provide a model for evaluating the performance of the monitoring system. The accuracy of the identification of the animal class of derived protein detected (avian, mammalian, or aquatic organism) was assessed. The interlaboratory agreement within the overall network reached 0.97 (95% confidence interval of 0.95 to 0.98) for determining the presence or absence of animal-derived proteins (e.g., for mammalian, avian, or aquatic species), and specificity of the identification of the animal class indicated that fish proteins are more easily recognized than are avian or mammalian proteins.

scholarly journals Control methods for cattle feedstuffs aimed at prevention of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)

2006 ◽  
Vol 60 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 249-254
Author(s):  
Ksenija Nesic
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Active Role ◽  
World Market ◽  
Farm Animals ◽  
Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The World ◽  
First Time

In the course of the last decades of the twentieth century, more than 30 new diseases were determined for the first time in history. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or "mad cow disease" is one of them. The disease implies the subacute neurodegenerative transmission of spongiform encephalopathy and it was diagnosed and described for the first time in Great Britain in 1986. A theory has been established that BSE is spread through feedstuffs, more precisely, meat-bone flour which contains infective proteins of ruminants, and legislature has been passed throughout the world with the objective of preventing the entry of meat-bone flour into the food chain. The complete ban of the use of meat-bone flour for all farm animals (with the exception of fish flour for non-ruminants) and an adequate thermal treatment in the production of meat-bone flour (133?C, 3 bar, 20 min) are the elements on which the European Union (EU) legislature is based. The regulations in our country include a ban on the use of meat-bone flour in cattle feedstuffs and a ban on imports of beef proteins. The implementation of this legislature throughout the world requires the corresponding analytical means. At the present time, there are several available possibilities: optic microscopy, PCR, immunoprobes, spectroscopic methods, and several others which are still being examined for use for this purpose. All the analytical methods are being applied with the objective of controlling the implementation of the current regulations, but also in order to discover possible cross contamination that could take place in factories of animal feedstuffs, during transportation, storage, or on farms, in particular when there are no separate lines for feedstuffs that contains meat-bone flour and others in which even its traces are banned. In order to secure the successful control and prevention of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in our country, as well as to secure the unhindered continuation of the integration processes with the European Union, it is necessary to create an adequate system for the monitoring of this disease, not only because of food safety as a precondition for the good health of people, but also for commercial reasons, as that is the only way to have an active role on the world market. .

scholarly journals A Comparison of Rapid Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Testing Methods on Autolyzed Bovine Brain Tissue

2005 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angus Wear ◽  
Kirstine Henderson ◽  
Kath Webster ◽  
Indu Patel
Keyword(s):  
Western Blot ◽  
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
Bovine Brain ◽  
Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Routine Testing ◽  
New Methods ◽  
Surveillance Programs ◽  
The Eu ◽  
Do So

In 1999, the European Union (EU) approved 3 rapid methods for the testing of bovine brain samples for the presence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). The evaluation that led to the approval did not include an analysis of autolyzed material. Member states of the EU have active surveillance programs for BSE, which target fallen stock as well as other categories of cattle. Autolysis is a common feature of fallen stock samples because there can be a considerable delay between death and collection of samples. Therefore, it is important to know whether these tests perform optimally on autolyzed samples. The Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) selected 250 positive fallen stock samples. These had been detected during routine testing using the Prionics®-Check Western blot and confirmed as BSE cases by immunohistochemistry or electron microscopy. Samples were graded according to the degree of autolysis and then tested by the 3 methods: Prionics®-Check Western blot, Platelia test, and Enfer test. All 3 methods correctly classified the samples as positive BSE cases, therefore alleviating doubt about their ability to do so. Subsequent EU validation exercises, such as those conducted in 2002–2003, have included the testing of autolyzed material. It is important that all new methods be evaluated on autolyzed tissue before approval for official use.

European Interlaboratory Trial Regarding the Official Microscopic Method for the Detection of the Presence of Animal Constituents in Feedstuffs

2008 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 578-583 ◽  
Author(s):  
JEANNE LAI ◽  
GIUSEPPE RU ◽  
FRANCESCO INGRAVALLE ◽  
JAMES CHOISEUL ◽  
JAN STEN JØRGENSEN ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Fish Tissue ◽  
Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
Official Method ◽  
Microscopic Method ◽  
Large Variability ◽  
Ring Trial ◽  
Bone Fragments ◽  
Poultry Tissues

The bovine spongiform encephalopathy epidemic is thought to have occurred as a consequence of feeding prion-infected material to cattle. To avoid the risk of bovine spongiform encephalopathy diffusion, the European Commission (Directive 2003/126/EC) established an official method to detect the presence of animal-derived constituents in feedstuffs, using microscopic examination. This method allows easy identification of bone fragments among other animal constituents. The analysis is based on morphological conformation of the fragments and their characterization (mainly of the shape of lacunae) to discriminate among mammalian, poultry, and fish tissues. The aim of this study was to assess the performances of nine European laboratories through a ring trial of the official microscopic method, and to calculate accuracy and reproducibility of the method. In general the reproducibility of the microscopic method was very good (κ overall = 0.83), with a high sensitivity for all laboratories. Concerning the analysis on the different animal-derived constituents, the results show values of sensitivity with large variability between fish and poultry or mammal. It was generally more difficult to discriminate between mammalian and poultry tissues than fish tissue.

scholarly journals Update – BSE in Europe

2001 ◽  
Vol 5 (51) ◽  
Author(s):  
G Bryant
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
The European Union

Austria (previously assessed as geographical BSE risk (GBR) category II) announced its first confirmed case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) on 6 December 2001. Therefore, since the report in last week’s issue of Eurosurveillance Weekly (1), Sweden is now the only country in the European Union not to have reported BSE.

scholarly journals Is there a decline in bovine spongiform encephalopathy cases born after reinforced feed bans? A modelling study in EU member states

2017 ◽  
Vol 145 (11) ◽  
pp. 2280-2286 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. E. ARNOLD ◽  
R. R. L. SIMONS ◽  
J. HOPE ◽  
N. GIBBENS ◽  
A. L. ADKIN
Keyword(s):  
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Birth Cohorts ◽  
Member States ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Rate Of Decline ◽  
Spontaneous Occurrence

SUMMARYOccasional cases of classical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) still continue to occur within the European Union (EU) for animals born after reinforced feed bans (BARBs), which should in theory have eliminated all risk of infection. The study aimed to determine (i) whether a common rate of decline of BSE infection was evident across EU member states, i.e. to determine whether control measures have been equally effective in all member states, (ii) whether there was any evidence of spontaneous occurrence of BSE in the data and (iii) the expected date for the last BSE case in UK. It was found that there was no significant difference in the rate of decline of BSE prevalence between member states, with a common rate of decline of 33·9% per annum (95% CI 30·9–37%) in successive annual birth cohorts. Trend analysis indicated an ultimate decline to 0 prevalence, suggesting that spontaneous occurrence does not explain the majority of cases. Projecting forward the trends from the back-calculation model indicated that there was approximately a 50% probability of further cases in the UK, and should the current rate of decline continue, there remains the possibility of further occasional cases up until 2026.

scholarly journals Epidemiological status of BSE in France – update on ‘born after the ban’ cases

2000 ◽  
Vol 5 (9) ◽  
pp. 97-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Ducrot ◽  
D Calavas ◽  
T Baron ◽  
A E Agrech ◽  
M Coudert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
Epidemiological Surveillance ◽  
Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
Surveillance Network

Despite measures taken in France since 1990 to control the spread of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), the incidence of BSE cases notified in France by the BSE Epidemiological Surveillance Network has been rising in recent years. By 1 July 2000, 103

scholarly journals Compensations for the losses caused by bovine spongiform encephalopathy in the Czech Republic

2008 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 157-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Pospíšil ◽  
Zdeněk Pospíšil
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Disease Incidence ◽  
Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
First Case ◽  
Specified Risk Material ◽  
Additional Costs

Since 2001 when the first case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was identified in the Czech Republic, a total of 27 infected cows have been detected. A single outbreak of BSE in 2007 confirms that, in the Czech Republic, the disease incidence has a decreasing trend, which is in agreement with the situation in other EU countries. In order to conrol the disease and in the interests of human health protection, the killing of infected animals and related cohorts (groups of potentially infected animals), as well as eliminaton of specified risk material (SRM) were commenced. To reduce the negative impact of these measures on agricultural production it was possible, on the basis of the Veterinary Act No. 166/1999, to compensate the relevant costs to the farmers involved; these were covered by the Ministry of Finance of the Czech Republic from the budgedary chapter „General Treasury Administration“. Between the outbreak in 2001 and 2007, a total of 1 181 296 cows were examined and, based on the finding of 27 BSE-positive animals, 3 994 cows were subsequently slaughtered. BSE exa­mi­na­tion, killing and decontamination costs amounted to 18.9 million CZK, compensation costs for killed animals reached almost 163.9 million CZK and compensation for unaccomplished production accounted for over 13.6 million CZK. Together with other additional costs, the total financial compensations paid out during the period of BSE presence were almost 197 million CZK. The findings of this study are discussed and compared with rather sparse information available on the costs related to BSE abroad. The available data suggests that the compensations for BSE-related costs paid to farmers in the Czech Republic were proportional to those in the European Union, USA or Canada.

1. Economic Impacts of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy in Canada and Europe And The Effect of Compensation Programs

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Burnett
Keyword(s):  
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
Economic Impacts ◽  
The United States ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Beef Industry ◽  
Government Subsidies ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The U.S

Before the first domestic case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was identified in May 2003, Canada was the world’s third largest exporter of cattle behind the United States (U.S.) and Australia. After the BSE disclosure, the U.S. and 40 other countries imposed an immediate ban on imported Canadian beef and cattle products. The interdependence of the Canadian beef industry with that of the U.S. prior to the outbreak of BSE was a critical factor in Canada’s market vulnerability and the resulting economic impact. As the re-opening of the U.S. border was prolonged, beef producers adopted a variety of strategies to deal with the loss of income including refinancing existing loans and selling land or other assets. However these measures taken by individual farmers were not sufficient in completely supplementing their loss of income, thus creating a need for government funding and support. Little research has been done to assess the impact of government subsidies as a tool to offset the economic losses incurred by BSE. The analysis of the impacts of BSE and the resulting subsidies is extended to Britain, France, Germany and the European Union to see if government subsidies had a similar impact as compared to Canada. Analysis of existing literature shows the economic impacts to be heavily impacted by the structure of the beef industry and the subsidies to be impacted by consumption levels. The result of the subsidies is unclear; however due to lack of recent information the full analysis of the result of subsidy programs is difficult to determine.

scholarly journals BSE in Finland and the rest of Europe

2001 ◽  
Vol 5 (50) ◽  
Author(s):  
G Bryant
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
Laboratory Tests ◽  
Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Check Test

Until 7 December 2001, Finland had enjoyed Category II status in the European Union assessment of geographical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) risk (GBR) when laboratory tests (Prionics Check test, immunocytochemistry and histopathology) confirmed the disease in a six year old cow that had been slaughtered after exhibiting typical symptoms of BSE (1).

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