Examination of the offspring of a Japanese cow affected with L-type bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

Abstract

The offspring of a beef cow affected with L-type bovine spongiform encephalopathy (L-BSE) was kept in a pen at a BSE-dedicated animal facility till the offspring was 48 months of age. The steer was then euthanized and subjected to a test for BSE. The abnormal isoform of the prion protein was not detected in the brain and spinal cord of the steer. Transmission of L-BSE was not observed during 4 years of observation, though the steer was born when the dam was in the terminal stages of the disease.