Alabama BSE Investigation: Final Epidemiology Report

摘要

On February 27, 2006, an Alabama cattle producer contacted his herd veterinarian and reported that he owned a cow that was down and unable to rise. He had last seen the cow approximately three days prior and had not noted any abnormalities at that time. Upon examination the veterinarian found the cow in right lateral recumbency with her feet pointing uphill. The cow was unable to rise after being rolled onto her sternum. The differential diagnoses at the time of the visit included hypocalcemia (milk fever) and hypomagnesemia (grass tetany). Grass tetany is a common cause of downer cows in Alabama during this time of the year. Intravenous and oral mineral supplements were administered with minimal clinical improvement. After treatment, the cow displayed tremors of the head and neck and was still unable to rise. On the following day, February 28, the cow remained in lateral recumbency and she was euthanized and the obex removed to test for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). The attending veterinarian who removed the obex is accredited by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and has received training in the collection procedure. At that time, the attending veterinarian determined that she was approximately 10-years old based on dentition. The index premises owner buried the cow on his premises. The obex was placed on ice and transported to the veterinarians clinic and stored in a freezer. On March 7, a State Animal Health Technician with the State Veterinarians office picked up the sample and transported it to a branch of the Alabama Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. The sample was registered, prepared, and then shipped to the Georgia Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Lab (GVMDL) in Athens, GA, on March 9.