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News Update
April 28, 2006

BSE in U.S. less than one in a million

Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns today announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) estimate of the prevalence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in the U.S.

“We can now say, based on science, that the prevalence of BSE in the United States is extraordinarily low,” Johanns said. “The testing and analysis reinforce our confidence in the health of the U.S. cattle herd, while our interlocking safeguards, including the removal of specified risk materials (SRMs) and the feed ban, protect animal and human health.”

USDA’s data show the most likely number of cases present in the United States is between four and seven animals. The department concluded that the prevalence of the disease in the U.S. is less than one case per million adult cattle, based on an adult cattle population in this country of 42 million animals. The estimate of BSE prevalence in the United States is based on data gathered from the enhanced surveillance effort that has been under way since June 2004, and from surveillance conducted in the United States for the five years prior.

USDA will use the prevalence analysis, once it is peer-reviewed, and international standards set by the World Animal Health Organization (OIE), to design an ongoing BSE-surveillance program for the U.S. The data and analysis will also assist in making science-based policy and regulatory decisions related to the disease.

The analysis, along with a summary report on the BSE enhanced surveillance program, is available at www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom/hot_issues/bse.shtml.

Controlling bacteria

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and university cooperators have collected and partially characterized beneficial viruses, called bacteriophages, that could help control salmonella bacteria.

Salmonella causes illness in livestock, pets and people, but its hosts often show no signs of disease, complicating detection and control efforts.

Bacteriophages — also called “phages” — invade bacteria, multiply and eventually rupture bacterial walls, releasing multiple copies of new phages capable of invading more bacteria. Most phages attack only specific species and strains of bacteria. Knowledge of this host-specificity allows specialists in agriculture, medicine and food safety to apply specific phages to help identify, track — and even treat or prevent — bacterial infections.

Look for a complete story on phages in the June 2006 issue of the Angus Journal.

New nutrition education

Secretary Johanns today announced that USDA has entered into cooperative agreements (CAs) with three partners to increase the public’s knowledge of the 2005 Dietary Guidelines and MyPyramid.

The new Nutrition Education and Promotion Program (NEPP) public-private partnerships are designed to collaboratively educate American consumers in creative, innovative ways on important nutrition messages that help individuals to make better food choices and improve physical activity behaviors. Each CA will link science-based dietary guidance to the nutrition needs of consumers, facilitate nutrition-policy coordination and promote nutrition education.

For more information on the NEPP, the 2005 Dietary Guidelines and MyPyramid, visit www.cnpp.usda.gov/. For information about how beef fits in a healthy lifestyle and the dietary guidelines, see “The Beef You Love is Good for You” in the October 2005 Angus Journal.

— compiled by Meghan Soderstrom, assistant editor, Angus Productions Inc.