In addition, tests conducted by the World Organization for Animal Health also confirmed what US labs had identified: the cow had a random mutation of the illness which was unlikely to affect other cows in the herd.
These tests were a part of an investigation which was initiated in April after the carcass of a dairy cow from Hanford rendering plant was tested positive for mad cow disease.
Mad cow disease or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) leads to death in cows, and can cause a deadly brain disease in people who consume infected parts of the animal. This case represented the fourth case of mad cow disease in the US and the third atypical strain to be discovered.
