A new form of BSE has been discovered in a small number of animals.
Atypical BSE has been found in 18 cases among cattle older than 10 years, says Ray Bradley, a former veterinary surgeon who was head of pathology in Great Britain when BSE hit.
The infected cattle were found through BSE surveillance programs in Switzerland, Japan, Canada and the United States. They ranged in age from two to 19.
No atypical cases have been found in Britain to date, Bradley told the PrioNet meeting.
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There appears to be two different phenotypes, and scientists don’t understand how the infection is spread. The atypical form is found in the cerebrum rather than the brain stem and looks different when examined using the western blot test.
Bradley said so few cases have been found that it is hard to determine if a relationship exists with other prion related diseases.
There is no evidence of atypical BSE before 1986 but a retrospective study is underway, he added. It is also unknown if the strain is harmful to people and how resistant the prions are to destruction.
