- The outbreak of mad cow disease in Japan was probably
caused by contamination during the feed production process, a farm ministry
panel investigating the issue said Wednesday.
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- The panel will finalize its findings during a meeting
Thursday, after which the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry
will move to map out measures to prevent a recurrence, according to ministry
officials.
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- Japan's first case of mad cow disease, formally known
as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, was confirmed in September 2001. Seven
Holsteins had been confirmed as infected with the brain-wasting illness
as of Jan. 31, and the farm ministry had been investigating the various
elements that those cows had in common, including the feed they were given.
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- Except for one cow born in December 1995, all infected
bovines were born in the spring of 1996. The proximity of the animals'
birthdays led to speculation that contaminated feed entered Japan during
a specific time frame.
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- As a result of the panel's investigations, it was learned
that a total of five feed production plants in Hokkaido, Gunma and Ibaraki
prefectures had been manufacturing feed for cows and other animals, including
pigs and chickens, on the same production line without sufficient cleansing
between production runs.
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- Although meat-and-bone meal had not been used in the
production of cattle feed, it was an ingredient in pig and chicken feed
at those plants, according to the panel's findings. MBM is made from slaughtered
animals and is seen as an infection route for BSE.
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- The panel determined that abnormal prions -- protein
particles suspected of transmitting BSE -- were in the MBM at some point,
and this tainted feed got mixed into the feed for cows. The panel was unable,
however, to confirm where the tainted MBM originated.
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- Powdered animal-based oils imported from the Netherlands
were used in producing substitute milk that was given to the seven cows,
but the panel said it doubts they were the cause of the BSE outbreak. The
imported oils were virtually free of such impurities as proteins and there
were no cases in the Netherlands of BSE contamination through substitute
milk, it said.
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- BSE was first confirmed in Britain in 1986. It is believed
to be caused by the consumption of MBM contaminated with abnormal prions.
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- Humans who have consumed tainted beef have developed
variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Britain imposed a complete ban on the
use of MBM for cattle feed in 1996.
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- The Japanese government did not impose a similar ban
until October 2001, following the discovery of the first BSE-infected cow
in Japan.
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- Beef sales and consumption dropped drastically as a result
of the mad cow outbreak, prompting the government to introduce stringent
inspections of all cow carcasses brought to slaughter that are destined
for human consumption.
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- http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20030828a3.htm
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