A rare case of mad cow disease, also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), has been detected at a slaughter plant in South Carolina but poses no threat to humans or other cattle. It is only the seventh confirmed case of the extremely deadly disease ever recorded in the U.S.
Officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the discovery in a statement released May 19. A 5-year-old beef cow belonging to a herd from Tennessee tested positive for BSE after being deemed unfit for slaughter and undergoing routine testing.
