BSE and Human Health
Scientific evidence shows the same disease agent that causes BSE in cattle also causes the new human disease, variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (CJD). Variant CJD (vCJD) is a rare, degenerative, fatal brain disorder in humans. The probable transmission of vCJD is consumption of the BSE agent.
The vCJD can be confirmed only through examination of brain tissue obtained by biopsy or at autopsy.
Characteristics of vCJD
- Predominantly affects younger people
- Prominent psychiatric or sensory symptoms at the time of clinical presentation
- Delayed onset of neurologic abnormalities, including ataxia within weeks or months, dementia and myoclonus late in the illness, a duration of illness of at least 6 months
- Diffusely abnormal non-diagnostic electroencephalogram.
CALIFORNIA CREUTZFELDT–JAKOB DISEASE (CJD) SURVEILLANCE PROJECT
The California Creutzfeldt–Jakob Disease Surveillance Project is funded by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through the California Emerging Infections Program (EIP) to improve the public health capacity to detect cases of CJD.
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U.S. Preventing the Introduction and Spread of BSE
Since 1989, the U.S. Government has taken a series of preventive actions to protect against this animal disease. This includes USDA prohibitions on the import of live ruminants, such as cattle, sheep, goats and most ruminant products from countries that have been or are considered to be at risk for having BSE.
In August 1997, Food and Drug Administration promulgated regulations, known as the “animal feed rule”, to prohibit the recycling of the high risk material. The animal feed rule also prohibits feeding most material from mammals to cattle or other ruminant animals to further enhance BSE prevention efforts. The feed rule was implemented to prevent the introduction or spread of BSE to the U.S.
In addition, FDA and the state regulatory agencies have increased the number of inspections of renderers, animal feed manufacturers, feed mills, and other firms responsible for keeping prohibited mammalian protein out of cattle and other ruminant feed. FDA has dedicated more resources to these animal feed inspections and has upgraded its tracking system and database to ensure effective and timely follow-up.
Since the animal feed rule became effective in August 1997, FDA continues to annually inspect the firms that actually handle prohibited material.
In 2001, a risk assessment done by Harvard University showed the risk of BSE occurring in the United States as extremely low. The report also determined that early protection systems put into place by the USDA and Department of Health and Human Services have been largely responsible for keeping BSE out of the United States and would prevent it from spreading if it ever did enter the country.
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California Protecting Livestock Feed Supply
Compliance with the Ruminant Feed Ban in California
California's rendering industry processes over one million tons of waste material to produce about 275,000 tons of animal product yearly. Approximately 50% of the rendered product made in California is exported. The remainder is used in California in feed for swine, poultry and aquaculture, and as fertilizer. Through a partnership agreement with the FDA, personnel with the Feed, Fertilizer, Livestock Drugs and Egg Regulatory Services (FFLDERS) Branch of CDFA are commissioned and credentialed to inspect and complete an official Food and Drug Administration inspection report for feed-manufacturing facilities in California.
In cooperation with the FDA, all facilities that manufacture formula feeds in California have been inspected for compliance with the ruminant feed ban, in addition to all rendering/protein blending firms. Inspections conducted at feed manufacturing facilities and ruminant feeding operations during the past 12 months have found no significant deviations from the FDA Rule on prohibited animal proteins.
Regulatory personnel regularly visit manufacturing facilities that use prohibited materials. Inspections and sampling of ingredients and finished feeds are conducted to ensure ongoing compliance with the ruminant feed ban. Additionally, dairy-producer facilities are inspected for compliance with the feed ban.
All feeds containing animal protein prohibited from ruminant feed are required by federal and state law to display on the label the cautionary statement, "Do Not Feed to Cattle or Other Ruminants". Compliance with the ruminant feed ban is also included as part of a comprehensive voluntary feed quality assurance inspection program for feed-manufacturing facilities conducted under the auspices of the Safe Animal Feed and Education Program of CDFA. Training seminars for the livestock feeding industry and commercial feed manufacturers have been given in cooperation with the FDA. Information on BSE prevention has also been provided to each dairy producer in CDFA newsletters.
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Contact us for more information:
California Department of Food and Agriculture
Animal Health and Food Safety Services, Animal Health Branch
1220 N Street, Room A-107
Sacramento, California 95814
Telephone: (916) 654-1447
Fax: (916) 653-2215
or send an email to: ahbfeedback@cdfa.ca.gov