Rare form of mad cow disease found in Alabama

July 19, 2017 at 10:45 a.m. | Updated July 19, 2017 at 10:45 a.m.

by Associated Press

A cow stands with others in DeWitt, Neb., Wednesday, April 25, 2012. The beef industry responded swiftly after the first new case of mad cow disease was found in the U.S. since 2006. With billions of dollars at risk, the USDA and other government officials quickly explained that consumers were never at risk because none of the animal's meat was bound for the food supply. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
Summary — A cow stands with others in DeWitt, Neb., Wednesday, April 25, 2012. The beef industry responded swiftly after the first new case of mad cow disease was found in the U.S. since 2006. With billions of dollars at risk, the USDA and other government officials quickly explained that consumers were never at risk because none of the animal's meat was bound for the food supply. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik) Summary

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- Agriculture officials say a rarely seen form of mad cow disease has been found in Alabama.

A statement from state Agriculture Commissioner John McMillan says atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy was confirmed in an 11-year-old beef cow.

The U.S. Agriculture Department says this only the fifth case of the atypical form of the disease being confirmed in the United States.

McMillan says the animal was discovered during routine screening at a livestock market. The cow wasn't slaughtered and its meat didn't enter the food chain.

Mad cow disease can spread from byproducts of cud-chewing animals being used in feed, but the state says that's not what happened. The state is calling the discovery a "rare and spontaneous" case of the disease, which can occur in older animals.

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