Rare Form Of Mad Cow Disease Found In Alabama Cow

MONTGOMERY, AL — A "rare and spontaneous" form of mad cow disease was discovered in Alabama, agriculture officials said.

Atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy was confirmed in an 11-year-old beef cow, a statement from state Agriculture Commissioner John McMillan said. The animal was discovered during routine screening at a livestock market.

The cow wasn't slaughtered, he said, and its meat didn't enter the food supply. (For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

The animal died at the market before entering the slaughter channels and samples were sent to a USDA lab in Iowa for confirmation, AL.com reported.

This is just the fifth case of the atypical form of the disease being confirmed in the country, the U.S. Agriculture Department said.

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

Photo credit: Nati Harnik/Associated Press