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The government has
euthanized and is testing 29 cattle that were herdmates
of the beef cow that tested positive for bovine spongiform
encephalopathy last month.
All 29 will be tested using the Bio-Rad Elisa rapid test,
and if any positive results are indicated, the animals will
be subjected to more advanced testing using both the immunohistochemistry
(IHC) and Western blot tests. USDA did not say how many
of the animals are offspring of the infected cow and how
many were born at roughly the same time as that animal.
Authorities are also investigating the feed history of the
affected animals. The infected animal, which was delivered
dead to a pet food renderer in Waco, Texas, was 12 years
old and therefore was born well before the imposition of
a ruminant-to-ruminant feed ban in 1997, and therefore could
have become infected before the ban was put in place.
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