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Canadian cows are pictured on
a farm in the Prairie province Alberta in this undated file photo.(Photo:
eastday.com) | BEIJING,
Aug. 24 (Xinhuanet) -- The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) confirmed on
Wednesday a new case of mad cow disease in the Prairie province Alberta.
It is Canada's fifth case in 2006 and eighth
case since 2003, when the disease was first found in this
country, officials said.
The disease, also known as bovine spongiform
encephalopathy, or BSE, is thought to be spread mainly in contaminated
feed. It attacks victims through hard-to-destroy protein forms called prions,
which can multiply in the brain, reducing it to a spongy wreck.
The risk of transmission to humans who consume meat
from infected animals remains unclear.
Information from the dead cow's owner and a private
veterinarian suggests the animal was between eight and 10 years old, the CFIA
said in a statement.
No part of its carcass entered the human food or
animal feed systems, the agency said.
A CFIA investigation is underway to locate the cow's
birth farm, verify the animal's age, and identify other cows from the herd and
possible sources of contaminated feed. Enditem
(Agencies)
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