Negative finding on inconclusive BSE test result

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced in November 2004 that confirmatory testing procedures have been completed on inconclusive tissue samples that were sent to the national BSE reference laboratory (National Veterinary Services Laboratories, NVSL) on 18 November 2004.

These confirmatory results indicate that the sample in question is negative for BSE.

Bio-Rad is pleased that its test has performed as expected, screening more than 121,000 samples as part of USDA's enhanced BSE surveillance programme.

The test is designed to be extremely sensitive so that it will detect any sample with the potential of being positive.

By using Bio-Rad's rapid screening test, the USDA has been able to streamline BSE test processing in its efforts to determine if mad cow disease is present in the U.S.

As USDA noted, "Screening tests are often used in both human and animal health, and inconclusives are not unexpected".

"These tests cast a very wide net and many end up negative during further testing".

Bio-Rad Laboratories has extensive experience providing BSE tests to 27 countries including Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.

More than 27 million cattle worldwide have been screened using the Bio-Rad BSE assay.