Italy reports BSE cases similar to Japan's 8th

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Archive Number20031012.2576Published Date12-OCT-2003SubjectPRO/AH> BSE - Italy:

atypical, suspected

BSE - ITALY: ATYPICAL, SUSPECTED********************************A ProMED-mail

post<http://www.promedmail.org>ProMED-mail is a program of theInternational

Society for Infectious Diseases<http://www.isid.org>Date: Sun, 12 Oct 2003

ProMED-mail <promedSource: Yomiuri Shimbun, 12 Oct 2003

[edited]<http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20031012wo71.htm>Italy reports BSE cases

similar to Japan's 8th-------------2 cows in

Italy that were found to have bovine spongiform encephalopathy {BSE}, or mad cow

disease, in 2002 were infected with abnormal prions -- the protein molecules

believed to cause the disease -- similar in structure to the ones found recently

in a cow in Ibaraki Prefecture in the nation's 8th BSE case, the Yomiuri Shimbun

learned Saturday.The finding was revealed by an Italian researcher at an

international conference on prion-caused disease held recently in Germany.The

Ibaraki cow was described as suffering from an atypical case

of mad cow disease, as it was infected with prions structured differently from

those of BSE cases discovered so far, either in Japan or elsewhere, leading to

fear that there could be an unknown source of BSE infection in the nation.

Japanese experts expressed hope that they could narrow down possible sources of

infection through joint research with Italian experts.According to Tokyo

University Prof. Takashi Onodera, who attended the conference, the 2 infected

Italian cows were 11 and 12 years old.The Italian researcher was cited as saying

at the conference [that] the results of BSE tests that checked the prions'

structure, and the locations of prions concentrated within the cows' brains,

showed that the prions were clearly different from those of " typical " cases of

BSE previously found. The researcher also said there could be undiscovered

cases of BSE within Italy.Prof. Onodera and a team of Italian researchers

compared data and agreed that it was highly likely that the latest case

found in Japan and the 2 cows found in 2002 in Italy had the same type of

BSE.After reporting the latest findings to a BSE study panel in the Agriculture,

Forestry and Fisheries Ministry, Prof. Onodera plans to proceed with a joint

study with the Italian experts on infectivity and pathogenicity of the 3 cases

to try to identify the route of infection.The ministry panel in September 2003

said it was highly possible that the source of infection in the previous 7 cases

was feed mixed with meat-and-bone meal (MBM) produced from cows imported from

Britain, or imported from Italy in the 1980s. It is also possible that Japan's

8th case of BSE stemmed from feed mixed with MBM produced from cows imported

from Italy.--ProMED-mail<promed[Additional data on the Italian

and Japanese findings on the " atypical " characteristics of the described cases

will be useful.The results of an official interim investigation into the

possible source of BSE introduction into Japan was included

in posting 20021101.5677. One of the findings was that up until 1 Jun 1998, the

Italian factories making MBM feed for export to Japan were not using the special

thermal processing method; therefore, it was highly possible that before this

time the pressure treatment standards for insuring that potential causes of

diseases are effectively kept inert (humidity of 136 degrees C for 30 minutes)

were not met.Additional data on Japan's external BSE risk -- such as the imports

of live bovines and MBM -- might have been included in the dossier provided by

Japan to the EU for the analysis of Japan's geographical BSE risk (GBR).

However, this GBR document -- mentioned in EU's press release of 2 Apr 2001 as

one of a series which were pending finalisation -- remains unpublished. -

Mod.AS][see also:BSE - Japan (04): atypical 20031007.2511BSE - Japan (05):

atypical 20031008.2526BSE - Japan (06): atypical 20031009.2547BSE - Japan:

source 20030202.0292BSE - Japan: source (02)

20030828.21672002----BSE - Italy 20020314.3746BSE - Japan (08): source

20021101.5677BSE - Japan (07): source 20020914.5305BSE - Japan (06): source

20020901.5206BSE - Japan (05): source 20020825.5137BSE - Japan (03): source

20020518.42532001---- BSE - Italy (02) 20011130.2910 BSE - Italy: OIE report

20010120.0160 BSE, new cases - Austria, Italy (02) 20010117.0137 BSE, new cases

- Austria, Italy

20010115.0120]....................arn/pg/jw*####################################\

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