Victoria participates in the national Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy Freedom Assurance Program (TSEFAP).
The TSEFAP aims to enhance market confidence that Australian animals and animal products are free from Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs), such as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE or 'mad cow disease') and scrapie, through the structured and nationally integrated management of animal-related TSE activities. This is achieved by the multiple components of the TSEFAP:
- active TSE surveillance
- ruminant feeding restrictions, including audit, feed sampling and testing
- imported ruminant surveillance, including buy-back schemes for targeted cattle
- research and development, including validation, adoption and technology transfer of diagnostic tests.
The TSEFAP is funded by industry and governments and managed by Animal Health Australia.
Active TSE surveillance in Victoria
Australia is free from BSE and scrapie. However, to continue to be classified as 'free' and to maintain access to international markets, there is an active surveillance program in place to detect cases of BSE and scrapie, should they occur. This program is known as the TSE Surveillance program.
An incentive scheme is funded by industry.
Producers who have suitably sick animals autopsied for the program are entitled to claim $330 GST free for cattle and $110 GST free for sheep.
Private vets who are called to examine cases of nervous disease in cattle, sheep and goats, and submit samples and case histories to government laboratories can claim a rebate per case of up to:
- $374 GST inclusive for cattle
- $242 GST inclusive for sheep
- $137.50 (GST inclusive) for goats.
Eligible for program
To be eligible for the program, cattle must be 30 months or older and sheep and goats must be 18 months or older. They must show nervous signs that can include (but are not limited to):
- abnormal behaviour
- gait and sensitivity to sound and touch
- and for sheep/goats, persistent itchiness.
More information on the National TSE Surveillance program can be found on the Animal Health Australia website.
Veterinarians wishing to submit cases for the NTSESP must examine the NTSESP Guidelines for Field Operations at Animal Health Australia and consult the department's District Veterinary or Animal Health Officers before submitting cases. This is to ensure that animals meet eligibility criteria and sample and documentation requirements are clearly understood. Incentive payments to producers and veterinarians are then assured.
For vets already familiar with the program, the relevant laboratory submission form, clinical history or necropsy report form and an application form for cattle and sheep compensation are included.
NLIS or RFID tag details must be included on the clinical history or necropsy report form.
Download:
- Laboratory submission form(WORD - 138.5 KB)
- Clinical history/necropsy report form (WORD - 82.9 KB)
- Claim form for incentive payments (WORD - 114.2 KB)
- TSE submissions and reporting – Checklist (WORD - 57.5 KB)
Ruminant feeding restrictions
Australia has banned the feeding of certain animal-derived materials to ruminants. These materials are known as restricted animal materials (RAM) and include meat, fish, eggs and poultry meals (including feathers) but do not include gelatin, milk, tallow or fish oils. The ban is known as the Ruminant Feed Ban (RFB).
Australia is free of BSE. The RFB serves to maintain this freedom by ensuring that if the agent causing BSE were to spontaneously occur or to be inadvertently introduced to Australia, it would not be able to establish a cycle of infection within the ruminant population.
Each of Australia's state and territory animal health authorities has developed similar but not identical legislation and are responsible for creating awareness, performing audits and enforcing legislation relating to the ban within their jurisdictions that follow nationally agreed guidelines and meet nationally agreed targets. In Victoria, those responsibilities are owned and given high priority by the department's animal health and welfare group. A target number of audits have to be conducted in each region each year as part of Victoria's RFB auditing program.
The RFB auditing program compliments quality assurance (QA) programs already existing within the livestock feed industry. Many but not all of the companies producing stock feeds are members of the Stock Feed Manufacturers Council of Australia (SFMCA). The SFMCA has introduced an independently audited QA program called FeedSafe sets standards of feed production that includes measures to protect ruminant feeds against contamination with RAM.
Private vets visiting farms are asked to watch for instances where ruminants might be exposed to RAM and take action to advise the farmer and prevent the risk. These instances are most likely to occur on farms where ruminants might gain access to discarded, spilt or stored pig, poultry and dog foods.
Research and development
(including validation, adoption and technology transfer of diagnostic tests)
The department has contributed significantly to the evaluation of new rapid tests for TSEs in Australia since 1998.
FAQs
BSE is a transmissible disease that primarily affects the central nervous system; it is a form of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, like Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease and kuru in humans, scrapie in sheep, and chronic wasting disease in deer.
What are prion diseases or transmissible spongiform encephalopathies? ›
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) or prion diseases are a family of rare progressive neurodegenerative brain disorders that affect both humans and animals. They have long incubation periods, progress rapidly once symptoms develop and are always fatal.
What is Creutzfeldt Jakob disease and related transmissible spongiform encephalopathies? ›
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rare, fatal degenerative brain disorder caused by prion proteins. This condition belongs to a group of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies affecting people worldwide, with an incidence of 1 case per million per year.
What is bovine spongiform encephalopathy caused by quizlet? ›
a progressive neurological disorder of cattle that results from infection by an unusual transmissible agent called a prion. >Scientists believe that BSE is often spread through feeding cattle various meats from slaughtered animals such as goats, sheep, and other cattle (ruminants).
Can spongiform encephalopathy be cured? ›
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), also known as prion diseases, are a group of progressive, incurable, and fatal conditions that are associated with prions and affect the brain and nervous system of many animals, including humans, cattle, and sheep.
How does bovine spongiform encephalopathy affect humans? ›
It also is known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE. People cannot get mad cow disease. But in rare cases they may get a human form of mad cow disease called variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), which is fatal. Over time, vCJD destroys the brain and spinal cord.
How do you get transmissible spongiform encephalopathy? ›
TSEs cannot be transmitted through the air or through touching or most other forms of casual contact. However, they may be transmitted through contact with infected tissue, body fluids, or contaminated medical instruments.
Can prion disease infect humans? ›
Prion diseases can affect both humans and animals and are sometimes spread to humans by infected meat products. The most common form of prion disease that affects humans is Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Prion diseases are rare. About 300 cases are reported each year in the U.S.
Is prion disease a type of dementia? ›
Creutzfeldt-Jakob (KROITS-felt YAH-kobe) disease, also known as CJD, is a rare brain disorder that leads to dementia. It belongs to a group of human and animal diseases known as prion disorders. Symptoms of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease can be similar to those of Alzheimer's disease.
What is the rarest brain disorder? ›
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rare, rapidly worsening brain disorder that causes unique changes in brain tissue and affects muscle coordination thinking, and memory. There are about 350 cases per year in the U.S. The two main symptoms of CJD are: Severe mental deterioration and dementia.
She received long-term home care with regularly visiting nursing services and died of pneumonia 198 months (16 years) after symptom onset. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first report of CJD who lived more than 16 years after onset.
Is CJD contagious after death? ›
Are there any risks to relatives in viewing the body of a patient who has died with CJD? There is no evidence that CJD can be passed from one person to another by contact with the skin or hair. Therefore, the body bag can be opened to allow relatives to view the body, and, if they wish, have contact with the deceased.
What bacteria causes bovine spongiform? ›
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), widely referred to as “mad cow disease,” is a progressive and fatal disease of the nervous system in cattle. It results from infection by a "prion," an abnormal cellular protein found mostly in the brain. BSE is not contagious.
How did bovine spongiform encephalopathy start? ›
Origin of bovine spongiform encephalopathy: recycled scrapie
It began in the United Kingdom and not elsewhere because of a comparatively high incidence of scrapie in UK sheep and a comparatively large proportion of sheep in the mix of carcases rendered for animal feed for livestock.
What are the risk factors for bovine spongiform encephalopathy? ›
Classical BSE spreads through the ingestion of certain materials (brain, spine, etc.) from infected animals. The main way classical BSE spread was through contaminated animal feed containing meat or bone meal from infected cattle.
What is bovine spongiform encephalopathy also known as? ›
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), widely referred to as “mad cow disease,” is a chronic degenerative TSE disease affecting the central nervous system of cattle. It is caused by an abnormal prion protein.
What is the transmissible spongiform encephalopathy disease called? ›
Prion diseases, also known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, constitute a group of fatal, human, and animal subacute neurodenerative diseases caused by an unconventional agent.
What does the disorder known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathy result in? ›
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), also known as prion diseases, are a group of rare degenerative brain disorders characterized by tiny holes that give the brain a "spongy" appearance. These holes can be seen when brain tissue is viewed under a microscope.
What are the symptoms of TSE disease? ›
Symptoms of TSEs vary, but they commonly include personality changes, psychiatric problems such as depression, lack of coordination, and/or an unsteady gait. Patients also may experience involuntary jerking movements called myoclonus, unusual sensations, insomnia, confusion, or memory problems.
