Cows, cats, and FSE: death penalty justified?
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies affect a number of mammalian species. The most common spongiform encephalopathies are scrapie in sheep and Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle. Feline Spongiform Encephalopathy (FSE) is a related disorder in domestic cats. Because of the link between BSE and FSE, cats are put on a par with cattle, in terms of politics and regulations. In the Netherlands, when a case of BSE is found on a farm, not only the ruminants, but also the cats are taken away for post-mortem examination. So far, the cats examined have always been negative for FSE. There are no scientific reasons for destroying the cats on farms where BSE has been found.
Oomkes
C
C
Hoofdafdeling VVDO, Faculteit der Diergeneeskunde, Postbus, Utrecht.
van Knapen
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F
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission*; D002415:Cats; D002417:Cattle; D005065:Euthanasia / Q000662:veterinary*; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D017096:Prion Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary*