The Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee held its 103rd Meeting in London on 24th November 2009, and discussed the following:
CURRENT ISSUES
SEAC was informed about:
• Confirmation of BSE in a Scottish goat originally diagnosed with scrapie in 1990; the goat culled in 1990 was born prior to the introduction of the ruminant feed ban and could have been exposed to contaminated feed.
• The first case of atypical scrapie discovered in a sheep from New Zealand.
• A recommendation to Health Ministers by the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood Tissues and Organs that prion filtration should be introduced for blood used to treat patients who were not exposed to BSE through their diet.
• Recently published research1 on the discovery in Papua New Guinea of a novel protective prion protein variant.
CJD UPDATE
SEAC was updated on the number of clinical cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) and sporadic CJD (sCJD). To date there have been 170 definite or probable UK cases of clinical vCJD. 167 of these are associated with probable dietary exposure to BSE and three arose after transfusions of blood from donors who later developed vCJD. The mean age of death was 30 years. There have been no cases of vCJD in individuals born after 1989.
1 A Novel Protective Prion Protein Variant that Colocalizes with Kuru Exposure by S Mead, J Whitfield, M Poulter, P Shah, J Uphill, T Campbell, H Al-Dujaily, H Hummerich, J Beck, C A Mein, C Verzilli, J Whittaker, M P Alpers & J Collinge. New Eng J Med., 2009, 361, 2056-65.
2 © SEAC 2009
Elsewhere in the world, 47 vCJD cases have been reported: 25 in France, five in Spain, four in the Republic of Ireland, three in both the USA and the Netherlands, two in Portugal and Italy and single cases in Canada, Saudi Arabia and Japan.
A brief report was provided on the novel human disease known as Protease-Sensitive Prionopathy (PSPr). Eleven cases have been reported with a mean age of onset of 62 years and disease duration of 20 months. The committee thought it was important that the unique pathology of this disease be more widely recognised to enable future diagnosis and tissue collection during autopsy procedures. SEAC will keep a watching brief on emerging data which may characterise this disease further.
EFFECT OF AGE ON THE PATHOGENESIS OF TSEs Most clinical cases of variant CJD have occurred in young adults, the median age at onset of disease being 26 years and the median age at death 28 years (the comparable ages for sporadic CJD are both 67). The reasons behind this apparent age-related susceptibility are uncertain. A recent paper2 reports the findings of a study in mice, which suggest that the age related decline in the functioning of follicular dendritic cells might impair TSE pathogenesis. The Committee agreed that a competent immune system was required for efficient replication of TSEs in the host. It was noted that older people are more immuno-compromised than the young, but there is very little data on the effect of ageing on the human immune system. The Committee concluded that there are insufficient data to suggest that this might provide an explanation for the young age of vCJD patients.
UP-DATE ON vCJD PREVALENCE STUDIES
The committee received an update on progress with the vCJD prevalence studies being conducted by the Health Protection Agency. This covered the National Anonymous Tonsil Archive (NATA), the post mortem archive and a new study of appendices. To date, NATA has tested approximately 80,000 pairs of tonsils and none were positive. A pilot for a study of spleens obtained
2 The effects of host age on follicular dendritic cell status dramatically impair scrapie agent neuroinvasion in aged mice. K L Brown, G J Wathne, J Sales, M E Bruce, and N A Mabbott, the Journal of Immunology 2009, doi:10.4049/jimmunol.0802695. 3 © SEAC 2009
from post mortems, that will assess a number of potential methodologies, will start in early 2010, and report on the efficacy of these methodologies in June 2010. The new study of 30,000 appendices, to be tested by immunohistochemistry, will also start in early 2010. The Committee noted progress, and commented that in order to have sufficient power, the spleen study would have to test approximately 50,000 samples.
CATEGORY 3 ANIMAL PRODUCTS IN FERTILISERS
Building on previous work in 2005, Defra has commissioned a full risk assessment, which SEAC was invited to consider, to evaluate the amount of potential infectivity available in the soil of nonpasture land following the application of Category 3-derived3 fertiliser.
The committee considered that the methodology used in the risk assessment was scientifically valid, but felt that too many worst case assumptions had been made in addressing the paucity of experimental data, that certain temporal aspects could have been addressed differently and that the possibility of regulatory failure had not been sufficiently considered.
FUTURE OPERATION OF SEAC
The Committee discussed the future organisation of SEAC business and the desirability of streamlining the decision making process, so that Ministers could obtain advice more quickly. In particular, SEAC considered a proposal that in future much of its business could be dealt with by correspondence, rather than in face-to-face meetings.
In discussion the committee recognised that some SEAC business could be carried out more efficiently by e-mail correspondence. The process would need to be structured, perhaps at fixed times of the year and the discussion would be summarised and recorded on the SEAC Website so that the decision-making process was transparent and available for public scrutiny. However, it was important that the committee still aimed to meet in person twice or three times per year.
3 Category 3 is low risk material, most of which is fit for human consumption, but not intended for human consumption.
3 © SEAC 2009
http://www.seac.gov.uk/pdf/seac103_summary.pdf
RE--Protease-Sensitive Prionopathy (PSPr) SEE ;
Protease-Sensitive Prionopathy (PSPr)
http://www.mhlw.go.jp/shingi/2009/02/dl/s0210-8d_0030.pdf
Since Gambetti's team wrote a paper describing an initial 11 cases referred to his centre between 2002 and 2006 (Annals of Neurology, vol 63, p 697), another five have come to light. "So it is possible that it could be just the tip of the iceberg," Gambetti says.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-07/ns-tpk070908.php
Thursday, July 10, 2008 A Novel Human Disease with Abnormal Prion Protein Sensitive to Protease update July 10, 2008
http://cjdmadcowbaseoct2007.blogspot.com/2008/07/novel-human-disease-with-abnormal-prion.html
see sporadic CJD, the big lie, POLICY IN CONFIDENCE; CONFIDENTIAL, coming full circle below ;
http://neuropathologyblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/new-prion-disease.html
http://www.wellsphere.com:86/cjd-article/a-novel-human-disease-with-abnormal-prion-protein-sensitive-to-protease-prionopathy/641206
Thursday, July 10, 2008
A Novel Human Disease with Abnormal Prion Protein Sensitive to Protease update July 10, 2008
http://cjdmadcowbaseoct2007.blogspot.com/2008/07/novel-human-disease-with-abnormal-prion.html
>>>In the papers, the government alleges the meatpacking plant slaughtered and processed downer cows for nearly four years — from January 2004 to September 2007 — at the average rate of one every six weeks...<<<
http://downercattle.blogspot.com/2009/09/suit-meatpacker-used-downer-cows-for-4.html
do you actually believe all these schools recalled this meat because of a few cattle being abused,
see list ;
FNS All Regions Affected School Food Authorities By State United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service National School Lunch Program
March 24, 2008
School Food Authorities Affected by Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co. Beef Recall February 2006 - February 2008
http://www.fns.usda.gov/fns/safety/Hallmark-Westland_byState.pdf
I have tried to get these papers through the court, but no luck. they want me to pay to retrieve the papers, and i am not going to pay for something I know happened. about like the last two FOIA on suspect mad cow feed going into commerce in the USA in 2009. I knew it had, but wanted them to say it. and they finally did via the FOIA.
Members of The HSUS are also concerned about the meat products provided to their children through the National School Lunch Program. More than 31 million school children receive lunches through the program each school day. To assist states in providing healthful, low-cost or free meals, USDA provides states with various commodities including ground beef. As evidenced by the HallmarkNVestland investigation and recall, the potential for downed animals to make their way into the National School Lunch Program is neither speculative nor hypothetical.
http://biotech.law.lsu.edu/cases/FDA/hsus-v-schafer-usda-complaint.pdf
Over the next 8-10 weeks, approximately 40% of all the adult mink on the farm died from TME. snip... The rancher was a ''dead stock'' feeder using mostly (>95%) downer or dead dairy cattle...
http://web.archive.org/web/20030516051623/http://www.bseinquiry.gov.uk/files/mb/m09/tab05.pdf
Friday, September 4, 2009
FOIA REQUEST ON FEED RECALL PRODUCT 429,128 lbs. feed for ruminant animals may have been contaminated with prohibited material Recall # V-258-2009
http://madcowfeed.blogspot.com/2009/09/foia-request-on-feed-recall-product.html
Saturday, August 29, 2009
FOIA REQUEST FEED RECALL 2009 Product may have contained prohibited materials Bulk Whole Barley, Recall # V-256-2009
http://madcowfeed.blogspot.com/2009/08/foia-request-feed-recall-2009-product.html
----- Original Message ----- From: "Terry S. Singeltary Sr."
http://madcowfeed.blogspot.com/2009/11/re-foia-request-on-feed-recall-product.html
PLEASE be aware, for 4 years, the USDA fed our children all across the Nation dead stock downer cows, the most high risk cattle for BSE aka mad cow disease and other dangerous pathogens. who will watch our children for CJD for the next 5+ decades ???
SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM FROM DOWNER CATTLE UPDATE
http://downercattle.blogspot.com/2009/05/who-will-watch-children.html
http://downercattle.blogspot.com/
please see full text here ;
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
SEAC EFFECT OF AGE ON THE PATHOGENESIS OF TRANSMISSIBLE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHIES SEAC 103/2
http://downercattle.blogspot.com/2009/11/seac-effect-of-age-on-pathogenesis-of.html
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
R-CALF: 40 Groups Disagree With USDA's Latest BSE Court Submission
http://bse-atypical.blogspot.com/2009/11/r-calf-40-groups-disagree-with-usdas.html
Monday, October 19, 2009
Atypical BSE, BSE, and other human and animal TSE in North America Update October 19, 2009
http://bse-atypical.blogspot.com/2009/10/atypical-bse-bse-and-other-human-and.html
Sunday, September 6, 2009
MAD COW USA 1997 SECRET VIDEO
http://madcowusda.blogspot.com/2009/09/mad-cow-usa-1997-video.html
U.S.A. HIDING MAD COW DISEASE VICTIMS AS SPORADIC CJD ? see video at bottom
http://creutzfeldt-jakob-disease.blogspot.com/2009/07/usa-hiding-mad-cow-disease-victims-as.html
DAMNING TESTIMONY FROM STANLEY PRUSINER THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNER ON PRIONS SPEAKING ABOUT ANN VENEMAN see video
http://maddeer.org/video/embedded/prusinerclip.html
CVM Annual Report Fiscal Year 2008: October 1, 2007-September 30, 2008
PUTTING LIPSTICK ON A PIG AND TAKING HER TO A DANCE...TSS
BSE Feed Rule Enforcement: A Decade of Success OFF TO A FAST START
http://madcowfeed.blogspot.com/2008/06/texas-firm-recalls-cattle-heads-that.html
2009 UPDATE ON ALABAMA AND TEXAS MAD COWS 2005 and 2006
http://bse-atypical.blogspot.com/2006/08/bse-atypical-texas-and-alabama-update.html
Saturday, December 05, 2009
Molecular Model of Prion Transmission to Humans
http://creutzfeldt-jakob-disease.blogspot.com/2009/12/molecular-model-of-prion-transmission.html
Monday, November 23, 2009
BSE GBR RISK ASSESSMENTS UPDATE NOVEMBER 23, 2009 COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES AND O.I.E.
http://docket-aphis-2006-0041.blogspot.com/2009/11/bse-gbr-risk-assessments-update.html
Sunday, August 09, 2009
CJD...Straight talk with...James Ironside...and...Terry Singeltary... 2009
http://creutzfeldt-jakob-disease.blogspot.com/2009/08/cjdstraight-talk-withjames.html
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
BSE-The Untold Story - joe gibbs and singeltary 1999 - 2009
http://madcowusda.blogspot.com/2009/08/bse-untold-story-joe-gibbs-and.html
Atypical BSE North America Update February 2009
http://bse-atypical.blogspot.com/2009/02/atypical-bse-north-america-update.html
Sunday, December 28, 2008
MAD COW DISEASE USA DECEMBER 28, 2008 an 8 year review of a failed and flawed policy
http://bse-atypical.blogspot.com/2008/12/mad-cow-disease-usa-december-28-2008-8.html
Monday, May 4, 2009
Back to the Past With New TSE Testing Agricultural Research/May-June 2009
http://madcowtesting.blogspot.com/2009/05/back-to-past-with-new-tse-testing.html
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Identification and characterization of bovine spongiform encephalopathy cases diagnosed and NOT diagnosed in the United States
http://bse-atypical.blogspot.com/2009/05/identification-and-characterization-of.html
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
U.S. Emergency Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Response Plan Summary and BSE Red Book Date: February 14, 2000 at 8:56 am PST
WHERE did we go wrong $$$
http://madcowtesting.blogspot.com/2009/07/us-emergency-bovine-spongiform.html
http://seac992007.blogspot.com/
TSS
