NYT: Testing Changes Ordered After U.S. Mad Cow Case

[DeepModem Mom]

Testing Changes Ordered After U.S. Mad Cow Case
By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr.
Published: June 25, 2005


Substantial changes in the nation's mad cow testing system were ordered yesterday after British tests on a cow slaughtered in November confirmed that it had the disease even though the American "gold standard" test said it did not.

"The protocol we developed just a few years ago to conduct the tests might not be the best option today," Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said in making the announcement. "Science is ever evolving."

At an afternoon news conference in Washington, Mr. Johanns described serious errors in the testing in the United States on the animal, the second one found with mad cow disease, formally known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

But he also defended the safety of American beef, reminding reporters that the animal had been incinerated rather than being ground into hamburger, as the first one was in late 2003.

"I enjoyed beef this noon for lunch," Mr. Johanns said. "It is the safest beef in the world."...


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/25/national/25cow.html

[warrens]

1. What a pack of hooey

I asked him in a press conference two weeks ago why they weren't using the Western blot. He blinked and said, there are TWO gold standard tests, which was a major change in talking points, which is all these guys have. At that very moment, they were testing using the Western blot and the first positive came back the next day. I am going to take a WILD guess that as Sec of Ag, he knew about the retesting. Just an inkling of a hint of a guess.

They didn't use the Western blot because they didn't want a positive. You can retest the same sample with the IHC and get opposite results. With the Western blot, it's yes or no.

[leftchick]

4. exactly....

these asshole were finally caught fudging the facts. Sadly I have no doubt there are MANY cows that would have tested positive on the store shelves now. The have used the American public as Guinea pigs.

:grr:

[reality based]

2. I'm switchen to chicken n/t

[kestrel91316]

3. Best if EVERYBODY switched to chicken...........

I got news folks..........the reason they don't want to test more extensively (as in standing cattle and young cattle as opposed to downers and sick old ones) is because they don't want to find the rest of the iceberg. By testing only downers, it's like only testing gay men with Kaposi's sarcoma for HIV. You might miss one or two there..............

Oh, and if that's not enough to scare you vegetarian, there is a new form of BSE the Italians found last year called BASE (bovine amyloidotic spongiform encephalopathy) which causes amyloid plaques, not spongiosis. Amyloid plaques are the things people with "Alzheimer's" disease get in their brain cells. I am not liking the sound of that.

[Eurobabe]

7. Wouldn't it be ironic if someday we find out that

Alzheimer's and TSEs are related? I've been eating only organic meat for two years now -- bonus -- I've lost 20 lbs from eating organic meat and dairy products, tell me their isn't SHIT in our food supply, called toxic burden.

[whosinpower]

5. This is where living in a rural community

Helps -

We buy our beef from a local farmer....he uses one half and we have a freezer for the other half.

[MountainLaurel]

6. Don't like the results

Then change the test.

Why do these people hate science so much?

:eyes:

Edited to add that I already know the answer to that question. Was just speaking rhetorically.