Disease Information
12 January 2001
Vol. 14 - No. 2
BOVINE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY IN SPAIN
See also: 8 December 2000, 1 December 2000, 24 November 2000
Emergency report
Translation of the summary of two faxes received on 9 and 11 January 2001 from Dr Quintiliano Pérez Bonilla, Director General of Animal Production, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Madrid:
Report date: 11 January 2001.
Nature of diagnosis: laboratory.
Date of initial detection of animal health incident: 27 November 2000.
Date of laboratory confirmation: 5 January 2001.
New outbreaks:
Registration No. of the outbreak Location 01/2001 Algadefe district, León province, Castilla y León Autonomous Community 02/2001 Crémenes district, León province, Castilla y León Autonomous Community 03/2001 Guitiriz district, Lugo province, Galicia Autonomous Community
Description of affected population: dead animals from which a sample was taken within the framework of the Surveillance Programme for Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies.
Total number of animals in the outbreaks:
species susceptible cases deaths destroyed slaughtered bov 232 3 3 45* 0
* Slaughter and destruction of all other cattle present in the farms of Algadefe and Crémenes are due to be carried out soon.
Diagnosis:
A. Laboratory where diagnosis was made: Department of Histology and Pathological Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zaragoza (National Reference Centre for Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies).
B. Diagnostic tests used: histopathological and immunohistochemical tests.
Origin of disease: investigations under way.
Control measures: implementation of measures provided for in Royal Decree No. 3454/2000. All cattle present in the affected farms will be slaughtered and their carcases destroyed. In addition, all 59 cattle present in the farm where the affected animal from Crémenes district was born will also be slaughtered and their carcases destroyed.
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