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List of the confirmed and suspected BSE cases
in Germany in 2001

Roland Heynkes (Translation Ingrid Schütt-Abraham), last update: 30.09.2003

Marked in red are the cattled not slaughtered as healthy as far as this could be learned from the often rather poor press releases.

No. Herd of the BSE-case Birth Diagnosis
Age in months
confirmed details
132 Schleswig-Holstein
local district Schleswig-Flensburg
28/9/95 31/12/01
75 months
yes The German Red Pied dairy cow had been born on the farm and was probably regularly slaughtered on the 28.12.2001. A BSE screening test gave a positive result on the 29.12.2001. The BFAV confirmed the suspicion.
131 Brandenburg
local district Oberhavel
Großwoltersdorf
1/3/96 28/12/01
70 months
yes The Black Pied dairy cow had been born on the farm from where it was sent for slaughter to the abattoir in Kasel-Golzig near Luckau without conspicious symptoms on the 27th of December 2001. The cow became suspicious as probably BSE-infected when the screening test was positive (Potsdamer Tagesspiegel, 3.1.2002). The BFAV confirmed the suspicion.
130 Bayern
regional district Schwaben
local district Unterallgäu
12/4/94 27/12/2001
93 months
yes The cow had been born on the farm and was obviously not slaughtered as healthy but had died or been killed because of a disease. Accordingly the screening test for BSE was carried out in the LUA Südbayern. It gave a positive result. The BFAV confirmed the BSE-suspicion.
129 Niedersachsen
regional district Braunschweig
local district Helmstedt
22/12/95 21/12/01
72 months
yes The BFAV confirmed the BSE-suspicion in an animal born in Niedersachsen and slaughtered or killed there for reasons not forwarded.
128 Baden-Württemberg
regional district Tübingen
local district Reutlingen
8/3/97 17/12/01
57 months
yes The German Simmental dairy cow was killed on the 11th of December 2001 because of clinical BSE-suspicion due to abnormal behaviour. The BFAV diagnosed BSE.
127 Bayern
regional district Oberpfalz
local district Cham
26/2/96 14/12/01
70 months
yes The German Simmental cow had been born on the farm and had to be killed because of central nervous symptoms and disposed of in a rendering plant. The screening test for BSE carried out by the LUA Nordbayern gave a positive result. The BFAV confirmed the suspicion.
126 Niedersachsen
regional district Hannover
local district Diepholz
22/11/95 14/12/01
73 months
yes The BFAV confirmed the BSE-suspicion in a bovine born in Niedersachsen and regularly slaughtered in Bayern.
  Bayern
regional district Schwaben
27/11/98 4/12/01 probably not The German Simmental cow which was extremely young for a BSE-suspicion was regularly slaughtered on the 26th of November 2001. A screening test for BSE carried out by a private laboratory gave a positive result. According to a press release on the 4th of December 2001 the BSE-suspicion was finally dismissed following an immunohistochemical examination in the LUA Südbayern. This is not likely possible, though, because the BioRad-test applied in the private laboratory is more sensitive than the immunohistology. Actually the case seems to be negative rather because a repetition of the BSE screening test in the LUA Südbayern gave a negative result. It is not really convincing, however, to repeat the testing until a negative result occurs and to consider this proof against a BSE-infection.
  Bayern
regional district Oberfranken
25/7/95 4/12/01 no The German Simmental cow was regularly slaughtered on the 12th or the 13th of November 2001. A screening test for BSE carried out by a private laboratory gave a positive result. For further clarification the sample was sent to the LUA Südbayern,, but the result of this test is not forwarded by the Bavarian Consumer Ministry. According to press release No. 439 of the 4th of December 2001 the BSE-suspicion was not confirmed by the BFAV.
  Bayern
regional district Schwaben
14/8/99 30/11/01 no The German Simmental cow which was extremely young for a BSE suspect was regularly slaughtered on the 26th of November 2001. A screening test for BSE carried out by a private laboratory gave a positive result. According to press release 435 of the 30th of November 2001 the BSE-suspicion was ruled out by a histochemical examination in the LUA Südbayern. This would, however, be impossible as the BioRad test used in the private laboratory is more sensitive than the immunohistology. In fact this case is to be considered negative rather because the repetition of the BSE screening test in the LUA Südbayern gave a negative result and because the animal seemed too young for being detectable by a screening test. Nevertheless repeating the tests until a negative result is obtained is not very convincing in ruling out a BSE-infection.
125 Baden-Württemberg
regional district Tübingen, local district Alb-Donau-Kreis
28/4/96 30/11/01
67 months
yes The German Simmental dairy cow was regularly slaughtered and the BFAV confirmed the diagnosis of BSE.
  Bayern
regional district Oberpfalz
11/9/97 29/11/01 probably not The German Simmental cow had probably died and a BSE screening test carried out in the LUA Nordbayern gave a positive result. However, the BFAV could not confirm the suspicion.
124 Bayern
regional district Schwaben
local district Ostallgäu
10/5/97 15/11/01
54 months
yes The cow had been born on the farm and had died and a BSE screening test carried out by the LUA Südbayern gave a positive result. The BFAV confirmed the suspicion.
123 Hessen
regional district Kassel, local district Waldeck-Frankenberg
25/12/95 15/11/01
71 months
yes The cow was without recognizable BSE-symptoms and therefore went to normal slaughter (email-information given by Mrs Dr. Escher). The BFAV diagnosed BSE.
  Bayern
regional district Schwaben
25/10/95 13/11/01 no The German Braunvieh cow was (date?) regularly slaughtered. A BSE screening test carried out by a private laboratory gave a positive result. The LUA Südbayern could not confirm the BSE-suspicion by an immunhistochemical examination. As the immunhistochemical examination is rather less sensitive than the BioRad-screening test this lack of confirmation actually does not count for much. However, by phone I received the information by the Bavarian Health Ministry that a second BioRad test in the private laboratory and a BioRad test in the LUA Südbayern had also been negative.
122 Schleswig-Holstein
local district Dithmarschen
29/8/90 13/11/01
135 months
yes The German Red Pied dairy cow was regularly slaughtered on the 8th of November 2001. A BSE screening test gave a positive result. The BFAV confirmed the suspicion.
121 Bayern
regional district Oberpfalz
local district Cham
21/11/95 31/10/01
71 months
yes A German Simmental cow born on the farm showed BSE-typical symptoms (decreasing milk yield, increasing fright reactions and nervousness, strongly positive "Broom test" according to Prof. Braun, incoordinated atactic gait) and had been destroyed. The BSE screening test carried out by the LUA Nordbayern gave a positive result. The BFAV confirmed the suspicion. Bravo, Bavaria! But it was to be expected that the turn to useful BSE-press releases could only come from the Land with the best schooling system, the greatest willingness to accept the participation of citizens in politics and the most generous support of the TSE research.
120 Niedersachsen
regional distict Weser-Ems
local district Aurich
28/2/96 22/10/01
68 months
yes The BFAV confirmed the BSE-suspicion in a bovine. As usual Niedersachsen impairs any independent research for the causes of BSE by concealing the epidemiologically significant data.
119 Baden-Württemberg
regional district Tübingen, local district Reutlingen
7/5/96 17/10/01
65 months
yes The BFAV diagnosed BSE in a regularly slaughtered German Simmental dairy cow.
118 Bayern
regional district Oberbayern
local district Mühldorf am Inn
6/11/95 16/10/01
71 months
yes The German Simmental cow had been born on the farm and was probably killed because of a disease on the 26th of September 2001. A BSE screening test carried out by the LUA Südbayern gave a positive result. The BFAV confirmed the suspicion.
117 Bayern
regional district Oberbayern
local district Traunstein
14/11/95 16/10/01
71 months
yes The German Simmental cow had died on the 30th of September 2001 and a BSE screening test carried out by the LUA Südbayern was positive. The BFAV confirmed the suspicion.
116 Thüringen
local district Sömmerda
11/1/96 16/10/01
69 months
yes The BFAV diagnosed BSE in a bovine concerning which the Thuringian Government is only willing to to tell that it had been killed due to a not stated disease and been disposed of in a rendering plant. The Landesamt für Lebensmittelsicherheit und Verbraucherschutz (TLLV) in Bad Langensalza carried out more than one BSE-screening test and judged the animal thereafter as suspect. From a veterinarian I learned that the cow had been recumbent after having calved and had therefore been killed.
115 Bayern
regional district Oberpfalz
local district Amberg-Sulzbach
17/1/96 10/10/01
69 months
yes The German Simmental cow which had been born on the farm was regularly slaughtered on the 28th of September 2001. Screening tests in a private laboratory and the LUA Südbayern [4] were positive for BSE and the BFAV confirmed the suspicion.
114 Sachsen
regional district Chemnitz, local district Mittweida
17/11/95 10/10/01
71 months
yes The dairy cow of the Agricultural Cooperative Altmittweida had died in the cowshed on the 27th of September, but is said not to have shown any BSE-symptoms until its sudden death. Most probably this admission is based on lack of knowledge. The brain sample collected in a rendering plant in Sachsen was examined in the Landesuntersuchungsanstalt für das Gesundheits- und Veterinärwesen (State Laboratory for Public Health and Veterinary Affairs) Sachsen, Standort Leipzig, and tested BSE-positive. The BFAV confirmed the suspicion.
113 Bayern
regional district Niederbayern
local district Dingolfing-Landau
1/7/97 5/10/01
51 months
yes The German Simmental cow which had been born on the farm was regularly slaughtered on the 27th of September 2001. Screening tests carried out in a private laboratory and the LUA Südbayern [4] gave BSE-positive results. The BFAV confirmed the suspicion.
112 Bayern
regional district Oberpfalz
local district Cham
11/5/96 5/10/01
65 months
yes The German Simmental cow which had been born on the farm had been killed together with eight other bovines from the birth and feed cohort of a BSE-positive animal from the same farm. In the LUA Nordbayern a BSE screening test gave a positive result. The BFAV confirmed the suspicion.
111 Bayern
regional district Oberbayern
local district Weilheim-Schongau
6/9/96 27/9/01
61 months
yes The German Simmental cow which had been born on the farm had died or been killed because of a disease and a screening test for BSE carried out in the LUA Südbayern gave a positive result. The BFAV confirmed the suspected BSE-case.
110 Bayern
regional district Oberbayern
local district Traunstein
1/11/95 27/9/01
71 months
yes The German Simmental cow which had been born on the farm had died or been killed because of a disease and a BSE screening test carried out in the LUA Südbayern gave a positive result. The BFAV confirmed the suspected BSE-case.
109 Bayern
regional district Schwaben
local district Aichach-Friedberg
24/11/95 19/9/01
70 months
yes The German Simmental cow which had been born on the farm had been regularly slaughtered on the 12th of September 2001. A first screening test for BSE carried out in a private laboratory gave a positive result. This was first confirmed by the LUA Südbayern [4] and subsequently by the BFAV wurde.
108 Thüringen
local district Altenburger Land
6/3/97 18/9/01
54 months
yes The BFAV diagnosed BSE in a bovine. The Thuringian government, however, is only willing to admit that it had been killed because of a not stated disease and disposed of in a rendering plant. The Landesamt für Lebensmittelsicherheit und Verbraucherschutz (TLLV) in Bad Langensalza at first carried out 2 BSE-screening tests (which seems odd) which produced a positive and a negative result. Both results are said to have been confirmed by two additional screening tests. (Hopefully problems with carrying out the screening tests are not responsible for the small number of confirmed BSE cases in Thüringen.) Finally the brain sample was forwarded to Tübingen, where the BSE-suspicion was confirmed.
107 Baden-Württemberg
regional district Stuttgart, local district Ostalbkreis
4/3/96 18/9/01
67 months
yes The BFAV diagnosed BSE in a German Simmental x Limousin cow from a beef suckler herd. The animal had to be killed and disposed of because of an accident or a disease.
106 Bayern
regional district Oberpfalz
local district Cham
23/4/96 17/9/01
65 months
yes The German Simmental cow which had been born on the farm had been regularly slaughtered on the 12th of September 2001. A first screening test for BSE carried out in a private laboratory gave a BSE-positive result which was first confirmed by the LUA Südbayern [4] and subsequently by the BFAV.
105 Niedersachsen
regional district Lüneburg
local district Celle
2/9/95 14/9/01
72 months
yes The BFAV confirmed the BSE-suspicion in a bovine. As usual the responsible ministry conceals not only all data of epidemiologic significance but also whether regular slaughter of the animal could be prevented. The reason for this may be that the infectivity spread by processing these animals cannot be completely removed from the slaughter plant equipment, especially the split saws, and would also contaminate the waste water.
104 Bayern
regional district Oberbayern
local district München
18/7/96 13/9/01
62 months
yes The German Simmental cow which had been born on the farm had been killed because of clinical symptoms typical for BSE. A screening test for BSE carried out by the LUA Südbayern gave a BSE-positive result. The BFAV confirmed the BSE suspicion.
103 Bayern
regional district Oberbayern
local district Traunstein
29/3/96 10/9/01
65 months
yes The German Simmental cow which had been born on the farm had been regularly slaughtered on the 5th of September 2001. Screening tests carried out in a private laboratory and the LUA Südbayern [4] gave BSE-positive results. The BFAV confirmed the BSE suspicion.
102 Niedersachsen
regional district Weser-Ems
local district Aurich
26/11/95 6/9/01
69 months
yes The BFAV confirmed the 14th BSE-case in Niedersachsen and the competent ministry is not willing to give additional information. Obviously the responsible employees see themselves as authorities and not as civil servants for their land as they have now ignored for months my pleas to publish the epidemiologically significant data. Even the date of birth of the animal one has to look up in the federal BSE-chronic as these information are forwarded to Brussels via Bonn but concealed from the citizens.
101 Bayern
regional district Schwaben
local district Günzburg
25/5/96 22/8/01
63 months
yes The German Simmental cow which had been born on the farm was probably not regularly slaughtered became suspect due to BSE positive results in a screening test carried out in the LUA Südbayern. The BFAV confirmed the BSE suspicion.
100 Bayern
regional district Schwaben
local district Unterallgäu
4/4/96 22/8/01
65 months
yes The German Braunvieh cow which had been born on the farm and was killed because of an illness not pointing at BSE became a suspect case following a BSE-positive result in a screening test carried out by the LUA Südbayern. The BFAV confirmed the BSE suspicion.
99 Rheinland-Pfalz
local district Bitburg-Prüm
14/9/95 15/8/01
71 months
yes The BFAV confirmed BSE diagnosed in a cow. The animal had been brought for reasons not stated into a rendering plant and a BSE-test had been carried out. As usually press spokesman Kram does not reveal any more details.
98 Sachsen
regional district Dresden
local district Kamenz
5/2/96 10/8/01
66 months
yes The Black Pied cow was in the late stage of pregnancy and had been killed after prolonged recumbency. The sampling of the brain was carried out in a rendering plant and the Sächsische Landesuntersuchungsanstalt für das Gesundheits- und Veterinärwesen (Saxonian State Laboratory for Public Health and Veterinary Affairs) in Leipzig suspected BSE according to the results of a BSE screening test on the 7th of August 2001 fest. The BFAV confirmed the BSE-diagnosis.
97 Bayern
regional district Schwaben
local district Augsburg
5/10/95 9/8/01
70 months
yes The BFAV confirmed the BSE-diagnosis in a German Braunvieh cow which had been born on the farm and was killed because of injuries obtained in a fall after a screening test for BSE carried out in the LUA Südbayern gave a positive result.
96 Baden-Württemberg
regional district Tübingen
local district Ravensburg
25/6/96 8/8/01
61 months
yes The BFAV diagnosed BSE in a German Braunvieh dairy cow which had been regularly slaughtered.
95 Schleswig-Holstein
local district Dithmarschen
2/3/96 8/8/01
65 months
yes The German Red Pied cow had been regularly slaughtered on the 3rd of August 2001 and a screening test was BSE positive. The BFAV confirmed the BSE-suspicion.
94 Brandenburg
local district Uckermark
8/3/96 3/8/01
65 months
yes The BFAV diagnosed BSE in a bovine born and held in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern until mid-July 2001. The animal had only 14 days prior to the diagnosis been sold to Brandenburg. The date of birth, breed, details concerning possibly recognizable symptoms and the method of killing or slaughter Brandenburg is not willing to tell. The Agricultural Ministry of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the Ostsee-Zeitung, however, informed that the animal had died.
93 Baden-Württemberg
regional district Stuttgart
local district Ostalbkreis
6/4/95 25/7/01
76 months
yes The BFAV diagnosed BSE in a German Simmental cow from a beef suckler herd. The animal had to be killed and disposed of because of symptoms suspicious of BSE.
92 Bayern
regional district Schwaben, local district Ostallgäu
6/4/96 25/7/01
64 months
yes The German Braunvieh cow which had been born on the farm had been regularly slaughtered on the 20th of July 2001. A screening test for BSE carried out in a private laboratory gave a BSE-positive result [4] which was confirmed by the BFAV .
91 Bayern
regional district Oberbayern, local district Garmisch-Partenkirchen
20/5/96 20/7/01
62 months
yes The German Brown cow which had been born on the farm had been put to death because of therapy resistant inflammation in both tarsal joints and a screening test for BSE carried out in the LUA Südbayern gave a positive result. The BFAV confirmed the suspicion.
90 Schleswig-Holstein
local district Dithmarschen
18/1/96 20/7/01
66 months
yes The bovine which had joined the herd in 1998 had been regularly slaughtered on the 15th of July and a screening test was BSE-positive. The BFAV confirmed the BSE-suspicion.
  Bayern
regional district Oberfranken
local district ?
26/8/95 19/7/01 no The German Simmental cow had been regularly slaughtered on the 10th of July 2001. An initial BSE screening test carried out in a private laboratory gave a negative result which was not clear, but follow-up tests carried out in the same laboratory dismissed a suspicion. To be on the safe side an additional test was carried out in the LUA Südbayern, and this test was also negative [4].
89 Niedersachsen
regional district Weser-Ems
local district Cloppenburg
12/4/96 9/7/01
63 months
yes The cow became a suspect case due to a positive result in a BSE screening test and the BFAV confirmed the suspicion.
88 Hessen
regional district Darmstadt, local district Odenwaldkreis
18/4/96 4/7/01
63 months
yes The dairy cow which had been bought three years ago from a farm in the area of Bissingen and had been kept in a beef suckler herd had been killed and tested for BSE by a screening test following a BSE positive test obtained only three weeks before in another cow born on the same farm (Case 86). The result of the screening test was positive for BSE and was confirmed by the BFAV.
87 Bayern
regional district Oberfranken
local district Wunsiedel
21/8/96 29/6/01
58 months
yes The German Simmental cow had died for unknown reasons and gave a BSE-positive result in a screening test carried out in the LUA Nordbayern which was confirmed by the BFAV.
86 Baden-Württemberg
regional district Karlsruhe, local district Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis, Bissingen
29/3/96 22/6/01
63 months
yes The BFAV confirmed BSE in a German Simmental dairy cow which had to be killed and disposed of because of an accident or a disease.
85 Bayern
regional district Oberpfalz
local district Neustadt a.d.Waldnaab
15/2/94 22/6/01
88 months
yes The German Simmental cow which had been born on the farm had died from unknown reasons and gave a BSE-positive result in a screening test carried out in the LUA Nordbayern which was confirmed by the BFAV.
84 Rheinland-Pfalz
local district Daun
14/3/96 22/6/01
63 months
yes The BFAV confirmed BSE in a bovine and more the Agricultural Ministry of Rheinland-Pfalz is not willing to tell. Instead it is untruthfully said that the animal had been sick with BSE and nevertheless been regularly slaughtered in a slaughter plant.
83 Schleswig-Holstein
local district Rendsburg-Eckernförde
30/9/96 21/6/01
57 months
yes The German Red Pied dairy cow born on the same farm became clinically suspect by the end of May by showing nervousness, insecurity and fright responses. The animal was therefore scientifically examined in the Veterinary Institute in Göttingen and treated with drugs. It was certainly not slaughtered but killed, tested and disposed of. The BFAV confirmed the BSE-suspicion.
82 Bayern
regional district Schwaben
local district Unterallgäu
10/7/91 19/6/01
119 months
yes The cow which had been born in a neighbouring community had been regularly slaughtered in another German land on the 12th of June 2001. A private laboratory found a positive result by a BSE screening test. The BFAV confirmed the suspicion.
81 Bayern
regional district Schwaben
local district Unterallgäu
23/6/95 19/6/01
72 months
yes The German Braunvieh cow born on the same farm had died on the farm. Therefore the brain sample was not examined in a private laboratory but by the LUA Südbayern. The result of the screening test was positive for BSE and was confirmed by the BFAV.
80 Bayern
regional district Oberpfalz
regional district Neustadt a.d.Waldnaab
25/9/96 19/6/01
57 months
yes The German Simmental cow born on the same farm had been regularly slaughtered on the 12th of June 2001 and gave a BSE-positive test result at first in a private laboratory, then in the LUA Nordbayern [4] and finally in the BFAV.
79 Bayern
regional district Oberfranken
local district Bamberg
13/7/95 12/6/01
71 months
yes The German Simmental cow which had been born on the farm and was regularly slaughtered on the 6th of June 2001 became conspicious by a BSE-positive result in a screening test carried out in a private laboratory. The BSE-suspicion was first investigated by the LUA Südbayern [4] and subsequently confirmed by the BFAV.
78 Schleswig-Holstein
local district Rendsburg-Eckernförde
8/12/95 11/6/01
66 months
yes The Black Pied dairy cow had fallen ill on the farm with symptoms reminding of a metabolic disorder and became finally recumbent. In the rendering plant of Einfeld belonging to the city of Neumünster on the 6th of June 2001 a brain sample was removed and examined in a BSE screening test. The final BSE-positive result was announced by the BMVEL on the 11th of June 2001,. The Ministerium für ländliche Räume, Landesplanung, Landwirtschaft und Tourismus (Ministry for rural areas, state development, agriculture and tourism) of Schleswig-Holstein did not forward the information until the 13th of June 2001.
77 Bayern
regional district Schwaben
local district Ostallgäu
20/7/96 7/6/01
59 months
yes The German Simmental cow which had been born on the farm and had apparently died tested BSE-positive by a screening test carried out in the LUA Südbayern. The BFAV confirmed the BSE-suspicion.
76 Sachsen-Anhalt
regional district Magdeburg, local district Stendal
23/9/94 7/6/01
80 months
yes The BFAV confirmed the BSE-suspicion in a bovine of which the press spokeswoman in charge told upon a request by Mrs Dr. Köster-Lösche that the Black Pied cow had not raised suspicions during ante-mortem inspection and therefore been regularly slaughtered.
75 Niedersachsen
regional district Weser-Ems
local district Cloppenburg
5/11/92 29/5/01
103 months
yes The cow (this assumption can only be made by her age as the press release is rather short) had been regularly slaughtered or slaughtered or killed as sick or found dead (Will press spokesmen of Niedersachsen ever understand why somebody might be interested in such details?) and was suspicious in a BSE screening test. The BFAV confirmed the BSE-suspicion.
74 Niedersachsen
regional district Lüneburg
local district Cuxhaven
16/9/96 29/5/01
56 months
yes The cow had been slaughtered in Bremen and tested in Hamburg. The BFAV confirmed the BSE-suspicion.
73 Bayern
regional district Oberpfalz
local district Schwandorf
14/10/95 29/5/01
67 months
yes A cow that had been born on the farm and had died was tested positive for BSE by a screening test carried out in the LUA Nordbayern. The BFAV confirmed the BSE-suspicion.
72 Bayern
regional district Schwaben
local district Ostallgäu
24/5/96 25/5/01
60 months
yes The German Braunvieh cow which had been born on the farm had died on the farm. The screening test carried out by the LUA Südbayern gave a positive result. The BFAV confirmed the BSE-suspicion.
71 Bayern
regional district Oberbayern
local district Mühldorf am Inn
21/7/95 23/5/01
70 months
yes The German Simmental cow which had been born on the farm had died on the farm on the 2nd of May 2001. The screening test carried out by the LUA Südbayern gave a positive result. The BFAV confirmed the suspicion.
70 Bayern
regional district Schwaben
local district Unterallgäu
8/1/95 23/5/01
76 months
yes In a cow which had been born on the farm the screening test carried out by the LUA Südbayern was positive. The BFAV confirmed the BSE-suspicion.
69 Bayern
regional district Mittelfranken
local district Nürnberger Land
18/6/96 23/5/01
59 months
yes The cow which had been born on the farm had died on the farm on the 13th of May 2001. The screening test carried out by the LUA Nordbayern gave a positive reaction . The BFAV confirmed the suspicion .
68 Sachsen-Anhalt
regional district Magdeburg
local district Jerichower Land
26/11/95 23/5/0166 months yes The bovine had been killed because of suspicious symptoms which had been notified by the farmer and gave a positive reaction in a BSE screening test obviously already on the 18th of May. The BFAV confirmed this suspicion.
67 Schleswig-Holstein
local district Nordfriesland
10/9/97 23/5/01
44 months
yes The pregnant Black Pied dairy cow had been killed on the 18th of May 2001 after having fallen ill on the farm displaying symptoms reminding of a metabolic disorder ending in recumbency . This important information and whether a BSE screening test had been carried out and if so, its result the press centre of the competent ministry would not tell. But the BFAV confirmed the BSE-suspicion.
66 Bayern
regional district Niederbayern
local district Kelheim
4/9/95 23/5/01
69 months
yes The German Simmental cow which had been born on the farm had died on the farm on the 4th of May 2001. The screening test carried out by the LUA Südbayern gave a positive result. The BFAV confirmed this suspicion.
65 Niedersachsen
regional district Weser-Ems
local district Leer
7/9/94 15/5/01
80 months
yes In the wake of the screening tests for BSE obligatory in bovines falling under the EU buying program a bovine had become a suspect case due to a positive screening test result. The BFAV confirmed the suspicion.
64 Bayern
regional district Oberbayern
local district Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen
7/1/95 9/5/01
76 months
yes A German Simmental cow wich had been born on the farm was killed within the frame of BSE-Monitoring. A BSE screening test carried out in the LUA Südbayern gave a positive result which was confirmed by the BFAV.
63 Bayern
regional district Oberbayern
local district Landsberg am Lech
9/9/96 9/5/01
56 months
yes The German Braunvieh cow which had been born on the farm was regularly slaughtered on the 3rd of May 2001. BSE-screening tests in a private laboratory and the LUA Südbayern [4] were positive. The BFAV confirmed the BSE-suspicion.
62 Bayern
regional district Niederbayern
local district Landshut
31/3/96 9/5/01
61 months
yes The German Simmental cow which had been born on the farm was regularly slaughtered in another German land on the 3rd of May 2001. The BSE screening test gave a positive result. The BFAV confirmed the BSE-suspicion.
61 Bayern
regional district Oberbayern
local district Weilheim-Schongau
18/11/96 9/5/01
54 months
yes The German Simmental cow which had been born on the farm was slaughtered on the 3rd of May 2001. BSE-screening tests carried out by a private laboratory and the LUA Südbayern [4] were positive. the BFAV confirmed the BSE-suspicion.
60 Niedersachsen
regional district Lüneburg
local district Cuxhaven
5/10/94 9/5/01
79 months
yes The cow had been slaughtered within the frame of the EU buying action.
59 Baden-Württemberg
regional district Freiburg
local district Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis
2/8/96 7/5/01
57 months
yes The animal, which had been bought from a farm in the local district Ravensburg was a German Braunvieh cow. It had according to Mrs Dr. Köster-Lösche since the previous year become suspect because of decreasing milk yield and progressing emaciation, showed in 2001 increasing difficulties when rising and had finally to be killed on the farm after having become recumbent in mid-April. It was brought to a rendering plant for disposal. The BFAV confirmed the BSE-diagnosis.
58 Bayern
regional district Oberbayern
local district Weilheim-Schongau
9/8/96 7/5/01
57 months
yes The cow which had been born on the farm had died on the farm on the 4th of April 2001. The screening test carried out by the LUA Südbayern was positive. The BFAV confirmed the BSE-suspicion.
  Bayern
regional district Oberfranken
24/3/98 4/5/01 no The female German Simmental had died on the farm. The screening test carried out by the LUA Nordbayern was positive. The BFAV could not confirm the suspicion.
57 Sachsen
regional district Chemnitz, local district Mittweida
12/3/95 2/5/01
74 months
yes The Black Pied cow is said to have expressed hyperaesthesia to touch for years and had since Easter been treated by a veterinarian for apparent loss of appetite, weight and milk yield, anxiety and increased fright responses, nervousness, difficulties when rising, swaying, ataxia, falling down and injuring the hip joint and had finally to be put to death on the farm on the 23th of April 2001
(Mrs Schreiber-Rademacher, Karin.Schreiber-Rademacher@rpc.sachsen.de and information by phone from Dr. Frenzel). On the 25th of April 2001 a brain sample was taken in a rendering plant. It turned out to be positive for BSE in a Bio-Rad screening test carried out by the Landesuntersuchungsanstalt für das Gesundheits- und Veterinärwesen Sachsen in Leipzig on the 27th of April 2001. This result was confirmed by the BFAV.
56 Bayern
regional district Schwaben
local district Unterallgäu
30/5/96 24/4/01
59 months
yes The German Braunvieh cow which had been born on the farm had been put to death on the farm because of a disease. The screening test carried out by the LUA Südbayern gave a positive result. The BFAV confirmed the BSE-suspicion.
  Bayern
regional district Unterfranken
8/3/99 24/4/01 no The German Simmental heifer had been regularly slaughtered on the 9th of April 2001. The screening test carried out by the LUA Nordbayern gave a positive result. However, the BFAV could not confirm the BSE-suspicion.
55 Hessen
regional district Kassel, local district Schwalm-Eder-Kreis
16/6/95 19/4/01
70 months
yes The dairy cow had been regularly slaughtered at the abattoir in Würzburg on the 12.04.2001 and until the 17.04.2001 two screening-tests gabe BSE positive results. The BFAV confirmed the diagnosis BSE. [3]
54 Schleswig-Holstein
local district Schleswig-Flensburg
20/3/96 19/4/01
61 months
yes The BFAVconfirmed the BSE suspicion which had arisen because of the positive results of a screening test on the 17.04.2001 in a fallen cow [3].
53 Niedersachsen
regional district Hannover
local district Diepholz
1/4/96 18/4/01
61 months
yes The BFAV confirmed the BSE suspicion in a cow which had already become conspicious due to clinical symptoms.
  Bayern
regional district Mittelfranken
19/11/96 12/4/01 no The cow had been regularly slaughtered on the 2nd of April 2001 and a BSE screening test carried out in the Landesuntersuchungsanstalt für das Gesundheitswesen (LUA) Nordbayern gave a weak positive result. In the BFAV the BSE-suspicion could not be confirmed.
52 Rheinland-Pfalz
local district Kaiserslautern
20/5/95 11/4/01
71 months
yes The bovine which had been kept in its last holding for less than a year had died in the cowshed during the first week of April and a positive result of a BSE screening test was obtained in the State Laboratory in Koblenz. The BFAV confirmed the BSE-suspicion.
  Niedersachsen   4/4/01 no In a bovine had been slaughtered in Hamburg and on March 28, 2001 a screening test carried out in the Hygiene Institut Hamburg was BSE positive. The BFAV could not confirm the BSE suspicion.
  Bayern
regional district Mittelfranken
12/2/99 29/3/01 no The German Simmental cow had been regularly slaughtered on the 21/03/2001. A BSE screening test carried out by a private laboratory as well as a screening test subsequently carried out by the LUA Nordbayern gave positive results [4]. Astonishingly the final test result obtained by the BFAV turned out to be BSE-negative.
  Niedersachsen
regional district Weser-Ems
local district Emsland
  29/3/01 no The BFAV could not confirm the BSE-suspicion in a bovine.
51 Niedersachsen
regional district Weser-Ems
local district Emsland
22/7/95 29/3/01
68 months
yes The dairy cow which had been born on the farm had died 2 weeks before and been disposed of in the rendering plant Mulmshorn. A BSE screening test carried out in the Veterinäruntersuchungsamt (State Veterinary Laboratory) in Oldenburg was positive and the BFAV confirmed the BSE suspicion.
50 Bayern
regional district Oberpfalz
local district Regensburg
6/9/96 28/3/01
55 months
yes The German Simmental cow which had been born on the farm had died on the farm on the 09/03/2001 and the results of a screening test carried out by the LUA Südbayern as well as the re-eximination by the BFAV were clearly BSE-positive.
  Nordrhein-Westfalen
regional district Düsseldorf
local district Viersen
?/?/98 23/3/01 no In a 38-month-old fallen bovine the BSE suspicion was raised by the results of the Prionics screening test. The BFAV could not confirm the BSE suspicion which is rather surprising after a Prionics screening test.
  Bayern
regional district Oberpfalz
22/2/98 22/3/01 no The German Simmental cow was killed on the 13/03/2001 after central nervous dysfunctions had been confirmed. A BSE screening test carried out by the LUA Nordbayern gave a BSE-negative result. Mere prophylactically to obtain final clarification an immunhistochemical examination was induced. Even by this method which may be considered acceptable in this case the BSE suspicion could not be confirmed.
49 Niedersachsen
regional district Lüneburg
local district Cuxhaven
11/1/96 22/3/01
62 months
yes The BFAV confirmed the BSE suspicion in a fallen cow which was disposed of in a rendering plant.
  Hessen ?/?/97 20/3/01 no The 45-month-old bovine had been regularly slaughtered and tested once with a doubtful and once with a positive result by BSE screening tests on the 14/03/2001. However, the BFAV did not confirm the BSE suspicion.
  Hessen   20/3/01 no The bovine had died and was tested for BSE on the 08/03/2001 with a not clearly negative result. However, the BFAV did not confirm the BSE suspicion.
48 Saarland
local district Saarlouis
28/10/95 17/3/01
65 months
yes A fallen dairy cow born in northern Germany and aquired from her previous owner on the 06/04/1998 stood out with 2 positive screening tests on the 14/03/2001 the results of which were confirmed by the BFAV.
  Bayern
regional district Niederbayern
25/11/98 15/3/01 no In a German Simmental cow slaughtered on the 06/03/2001 the screening test carried out by a private laboratory was not clearly negative. A subsequently carried out screening test by the LUA Nordbayern gave a negative result [4]. Nevertheless the final and credible clarification took place in the BFAV.
  Niedersachsen
regional district Lüneburg
local district Harburg
  14/3/01 no In a five-year-old bovine BSE screening tests carried out on the 08/03/2001 gave one positive and one negative result, but the BFAV discarded the BSE suspicion. For news economical reasons the Government of Niedersachsen will abstain from publishing BSE suspect cases in the future.
  Niedersachsen
regional district Hannover
local district Hannover
  14/3/01 no In a five-year-old bovine BSE screening tests carried out on the 08/03/2001 gave a positive and a negative result, but the BFAV discarded the BSE suspicion.
47 Bayern
regional district Schwaben
district free city of Memmingen
9/5/96 13/3/01
58 months
yes The German Braunvieh cow which had been born on the farm was killed on the 07/03/2001 because of clinical symptoms suspect for BSE (fright reactions, hyperreactions to touch and sound, muscle tremor). A BSE screening test carried out in the LUA Südbayern and the final test in the BFAV gave a BSE-positive result.
  Niedersachsen
regional district Lüneburg
local district Cuxhaven
21/12/98 8/3/01 no In a bovine born in Brandenburg, raised in the regional district Lüneburg and slaughtered in the Bremerhaven abattoir on the 27/02/2001 a screening test raised a BSE suspicion on the 01/03/2001 which was evaluated in the BFAV and discarded.
  Schleswig-Holstein
local district Pinneberg
10/8/96 8/3/01 no The cow (Ear tag number DE1268140871) had been regularly slaughtered in Bremerhaven on the 27/02/2001 and tested BSE-positive by a screening test, however, not by the BFAV.
  Bayern
regional district Oberfranken
1/3/95 7/3/01 no? The bovine had been regularly slaughtered on the 27th of February 2001. The BSE screening test carried out by a private laboratory gave a result which was not clearly negative. Another screening test carried out in the private laboratory was negative like a screening test subsequently carried out by the LUA Nordbayern [4]. "Only for prophylactical reasons" for final confirmation the LUA Nordbayern carried out an immunhistochemical examination. Again no reliable confirmation took place using the OIE-Western-Blot by the BFAV.
  Schleswig-Holstein
local district Steinburg
27/5/99 7/3/01 no In a cow regularly slaughtered on the 26/02/2001 and originating from a Bio-Farm in Schleswig-Holstein a voluntarily carried out BSE screening test gave a reaction near the detection limit. The BFAV did not confirm the BSE suspicion.
46 Rheinland-Pfalz
local district Bitburg-Prüm
26/3/96 7/3/01
59 months
yes The regularly slaughtered cow tested BSE-positive by a screening test as well as in the BFAV.
45 Bayern
regional district Oberbayern
local district Neuburg-Schrobenhausen
17/10/96 7/3/01
53 months
yes The German Simmental cow which had been born on the farm was slaughtered on the 02/03/2001 and tested in a private laboratory as well as by the BFAV with a BSE-positive result.
  Schleswig-Holstein 3/99 6/3/01 no The only 23-month-old bovine originated from Schleswig-Holstein and was slaughtered in Hamburg. A voluntary screening test had a positive result on the 01/03/2001, however, the BFAV did not confirm the BSE suspicion.
44 Bayern
regional district Schwaben
local district Ostallgäu
6/9/96 1/3/01
54 months
yes The cow was tested by a screening test in the LUA-Südbayern as well as in the BFAV with a BSE-positive result.
43 Bayern
regional district Oberbayern
local district Weilheim-Schongau
5/8/96 1/3/01
55 months
yes The cow was tested by a screening test in the LUA-Südbayern as well as in the BFAV with a BSE-positive result.
42 Bayern
regional district Oberpfalz
local district Regensburg
19/6/96 1/3/01
56 months
yes The German Simmental cow was tested by a screening test in the LUA-Südbayern as well as in the BFAV with a BSE-positive result.
  Bayern
regional district Niederbayern
10/7/99 1/3/01 no The German Simmental cow had been slaughtered on the 20/02/2001 and a private laboratory obtained a weak positive result in a BSE screening test. The final verification took place in the BFAV.
41 Bayern
regional district Mittelfranken
local district Roth
30/12/95 28/2/01
62 months
yes After having been killed because of an injury the German Simmental cow which had been born on the farm gave a BSE-positive result in the LUA-Nordbayern by the BioRad screening test which the BFAV confirmed.
40 Bayern
regional district Schwaben
local district Ostallgäu
9/3/95 28/2/01
60 months
yes The German Braunvieh cow which had been born on the farm was killed because of an injury and gave a BSE-positive result in a BioRad screening test carried out at the LUA-Südbayern. The BFAV confirmed the BSE-suspicion.
  Bayern
regional district Oberpfalz
27/9/95 27/2/01 no? The brain sample of a German Simmental cow tested positive in a screening test carried out in the LUA Nordbayern on the 20/02/2001. The sampling material was tested for further clarification by an immunhistochemical examination in the LUA Nord, however, the result was not verified by the BFAV[1].
39 Niedersachsen
regional district Weser-Ems, local district Grafschaft Bentheim
27/12/95 23/2/01
62 months
yes The fallen dairy cow was tested in Nordrhein-Westfalen for BSE with a positive result by a Prionics-Check-screening test. The result was confirmed by the BFAV.
38 Bayern
regional district Niederbayern
district free city of Landshut
10/11/95 23/2/01
63 months
yes The fallen German Simmental cow which had been born on the farm tested positive for BSE in a BioRad screening test carried out in the LUA Nordbayern on the 21/02/2001. The result was confirmed by the BFAV.
37 Bayern
regional district Oberbayern
local district Weilheim-Schongau
14/9/96 23/2/01
53 months
yes The fallen German Simmental cow which had been born on the farm tested positive for BSE in a BioRad screening test carried out in the LUA Südbayern on the 21/02/2001. The BFAV confirmed the result.
36 Bayern
regional district Oberbayern
local district Landsberg/Lech
23/6/96 23/2/01
56 months
yes The German Braunvieh cow which had been born on the farm was injured during a fall and subsequently euthanatized. A BioRad screening test carried out by the LUA-Südbayern had a BSE-positive result which was confirmed by the BFAV.
  Rheinland-Pfalz not stated 22/2/01 no The cow had to be killed after calving and the BioRad screening test did not show a clearly negative result. The BFAV examined the suspicion but discarded it due to a negative result as false positive. Usually Rheinland-Pfalz does not announce such allegedly false-positive cases.
  Hessen
regional district Darmstadt
?/10/98 22/2/01 no According to a press release of the Hessian Social Ministry dated 15/02/2001 (which unfortunately has meanwhile been eliminated from the Internet) a 28-month-old cow had died and the BSE screening test gave a weak positive result. The BFAV did not confirm the BSE-suspicion.
35 Bayern
regional district Oberbayern
local district Landsberg/Lech
23/5/96 21/2/01
57 months
yes The German Braunvieh cow which had been born on the farm had been euthanatized due to clinical symptoms on the 15/02/2001 and a BioRad screening test carried out in the LUA Südbayern gave a BSE positive result which was confirmed by the BFAV.
34 Bayern
regional district Oberbayern
local district Weilheim-Schongau
5/1/94 21/2/01
86 months
yes The German Simmental cow which had been born on the farm was euthanatized on the 06/02/2001 due to central nervous dysfunctions not necessarily typical for BSE (behaviour abnormalities). A BioRad screening test carried out by the LUA Südbayern gave a BSE-positive result which was confirmed by the BFAV.
33 Bayern
Regional district Mittelfranken
Local district Neustadt an der Aisch
1/6/94 21/2/01
81 months
yes The German Simmental cow having been born in the local district of Ansbach and brought only 4 years ago into its present herd (which was now culled without scientifically sound reason) [5] had been euthanatized on the 06/02/2001 because of central nervous symptoms not necessarily typical for BSE (Twitches and teeth grinding). At the LUA-Nordbayern the BioRad screening test gave a BSE-positive result which was confirmed by the BFAV wurde.
  Bayern
regional district Mittelfranken
17/9/98 20/2/01 no? The Black Pied cow had died on the 09/02/2001. A BSE screening test carried out by the LUA Nord gave a weak positive result. For final clarification an immunhistochemical examination took place in the LUA Nord but unfortunately again not in the BFAV [1].
  Nordrhein-Westfalen   20/2/01 no The bovine originating from Nordrhein-Westfalen had been slaughtered in Belgium on the 06/02/2001 and a positive BioRad screening test raised a BSE suspicion which, however, was not confirmed by the Belgium National Reference Laboratory.
32 Bayern
regional district Oberbayern
local district Landsberg/Lech
5/3/96 19/2/01
60 months
yes The German Simmental cow which had been born on the farm had been regularly slaughtered in another German land on the 13/02/2001 and a BioRad screening test was BSE-positive on the following day. The result was confirmed by the BFAV.
31 Bayern
regional district Oberbayern
local district Weilheim-Schongau
14/6/96 19/2/01
56 months
yes The German Simmental cow which had been born on the farm was several times inspected by the Official Veterinarian in charge and finally euthanatized on the 12/02/2001 because of central nervous dysfunctions allegedly not typical for BSE. At the LUA Südbayern the BioRad screening test gave a positive result which was confirmed in the BFAV.
30 Sachsen-Anhalt
regional district Halle
local district Merseburg-Querfurt, Mücheln
3/3/96 15/2/01
59 months
yes Following BSE case No. 19 in the rendering plant of Genthin the entire herd of 951 animals had to be killed and was tested by the BioRad screening test. The BSE screening test had a positive result in a clinically inconspicious bovine apparently already on the 01/02/2001. The result was confirmed by the BFAV on the 15.2.2001.
29 Nordrhein-Westfalen
regional district Detmold
local district Minden-Lübbecke
28/1/96 13/2/01
61 months
yes In Niedersachsen a cow which had become recumbent was euthanatized by a veterinarian and disposed of in a rendering plant. A BioRad screening test gave a BSE-positive result which was confirmed by the BFAV.
28 Sachsen
regional district Dresden
local district Weißeritzkreis
28/10/95 7/2/01
63 months
yes The dairy cow which had been born on the farm was regularly slaughtered in the Oschatz abattoir in the local district Torgau-Oschatz on the 30/01/2001. On the 01/02/2001 a positive BioRad screening test was carried out by the Landesuntersuchungsanstalt für Gesundheits- und Veterinärwesen Sachsen, Standort Leipzig (State Laboratory for Health and Veterinary Affairs Sachsen, located in Leipzig) and raised the BSE suspicion which was confirmed by the BFAV.
  Nordrhein Westfalen
regional district Köln
Stadt Aachen
2/99 6/2/01 no The 23-month-old fattened bull which had been born in Poland around the end of February 1999 had been slaughtered in the abattoir in Eschweiler and inspected by the BioRad screening test. The result was not clearly negative and therefore re-examined in the State Veterinary Laboratory Krefeld. Neither there nor in the BFAV could the BSE suspicion be confirmed.
  Schleswig-Holstein
local district Rendsburg-Eckernförde
30/7/95 6/2/01 no The Red Pied dairy cow had been slaughtered in the Slaughter Centre Nordfriesland in Husum on the 26/01/2001 and until the 29/01/2001 twice been tested with a positive result by a BSE screening test in the Lebensmittel- und Veterinäruntersuchungsamt (State Food and Veterinary Laboratory) Neumünster. However, the BFAV could not confirm the BSE suspicion.
  Schleswig-Holstein
local district Rendsburg-Eckernförde
  3/2/01 no The animal showed central nervous symptoms and was unable to rise. It was therefore euthanatized and the BSE screening test apparently gave a positive result. However, the BFAV did not confirm the BSE suspicion.
  Schleswig-Holstein
local district Rendsburg-Eckernförde
7/12/99 3/2/01 no The Black Pied young bull born on the combined milking and fattening farm had been slaughtered on the 26/01/2001 and his brain sample tested positive in 2 BSE screening tests. However, the BFAV did not confirm the BSE suspicion.
27 Schleswig-Holstein
local district Rendsburg-Eckernförde
9/3/96 1/2/01
59 months
yes According to the press release of the responsible Land Ministry the Red Pied cow had been born on the farm already on the 8.3.1996. She allegedlydied tested positive for BSE by a BioRad screening test, and also in the BFAV.
  Bayern
regional district Niederbayern
17/8/99 1/2/01 no The young bull had been slaughtered on the 25/01/2001. Screening tests for BSE carried out in a private laboratory as well as in the LUA-Südbayern initially gave positive results [4]. However, these were not confirmed by the BFAV.
  Bayern
regional district Oberbayern
local district Erding
19/4/86 1/2/01 no? The German Simmental cow had been slaughtered in a butchery on the 22/01/2001. The screening test carried out by the LUA Südbayern gave a not clearly negative result. For further clarification only a immunhistochemical examination was induced in the LUA Nordbayern in Erlangen the negative result of which was - scientifically not justified - taken as proof for a false-negative result of the screening test.
26 Baden-Württenberg
regional district Tübingen
local district Sigmaringen
29/6/95 1/2/01
67 months
yes The German Simmental dairy cow had been regularly slaughtered on the 29/01/2001 and the State Veterinary Laboratory Sigmaringen obtained a BSE positive result using a BioRad screening test The final confirmation took place in the BFAV.
25 Brandenburg
local district Havelland
26/4/96 31/1/01
57 months
yes In a dairy cow which had been sold for slaughter into Niedersachsen and slaughtered in the abattoir in Nordhorn (Niedersachsen) originated from Brandenburg. A Hamburger Laboratory obtained a positive result in a BSE screening test on the 26/01/2001. The BFAV confirmed the BSE infection.
  Saarland
local district Saar-Pfalz-Kreis
94 30/1/01 no? On the 23/01/2001 the dairy cow which had been born and raised in Saarland was slaughtered as inconspicious in an abattoir in Rheinland-Pfalz and examined with positive results for BSE in Dresden by 2 BioRad screening tests. The samples were allegedly forwarded to the BFAV. But instead letting the BFAV clarify the suspicion as initially announced the Environmental Ministry in Mainz allegedly ordered to carry out an extent investigation including histological examination and judged their negative results sufficient for discarding the BSE suspicion. In my opinion this judgement is not justified in view of the experiences obtained so far [1].
  Bayern
Regional district Mittelfranken
Local district Nürnberger Land
? ? ? A male German Simmental bovine is said to have been suspicious for BSE.
  Bayern
Regional district Oberpfalz
3/3/88 27/1/01
no? A cow which had been born on the farm and found dead was tested with a positive result by the LUA Nord on or shortly before the 21/01/2001. In the same LUA subsequently an immunhistochemical examination was carried out which did not confirm the suspicion. A more credible clarification by the BFAV was not carried out [1].
  Bayern
Regional district Oberpfalz
31/1/98 27/1/01 no? A cow which had been born on the farm and died was tested with a positive result by the LUA Nord on or shortly before the 21/01/2001. In the same LUA subsequently an immunhistochemical examination was carried out which did not confirm the suspicion. A more credible clarifiction by the BFAV was not obtained [1].
  Bayern
Regional district Niederbayern
Local district Regen
25/1/00 27/1/01 no? The only 12-month-old bovine had been born in the Oberpfalz, was regularly slaughtered in Niederbayern on the 18/01/2001 and a private laboratory obtained a weak positive result in a screening test. A screening test carried subsequently out for control purposes in the LUA Nordbayern on the 20/01/2001 and an immunhistochemical examination carried out on the 26/01/2001 gave negative results [4]. A more credible verification by the BFAV [1] was not obtained.
24 Niedersachsen
Regional district Weser-Ems
Local district Ammerland
24/12/96 27/1/01
49 months
yes The dairy cow which had been born on the farm was regularly slaughtered in an abattoir in Steinhagen-Brockhagen, local district Gütersloh (NRW), however, was reportedly very excited. The State Veterinary Laboratory Detmold (NRW)stated the BSE suspicion from the Prionics screening test. The BFAV confirmed the BSE suspicion.
23 Schleswig-Holstein
local district Dithmarschen
5/3/96 27/1/01
59 months
yes The German Red Pied dairy cow born on the farm had delivered twins on the 14th of October 2000 and had subsequently been treated for a metabolic disorder called milking fever. As the cow gave only little milk and lost much weight, she was euthanatized by a veterinarian on the 21st of January 2001 and transported to the rendering plant Einfeld on the 22nd of January 2001. There on the 23rd of January 2001 a brain sample was taken which gave 2 positive results in the BioRad screening test carried out in the State Food and Veterinary Laboratory Neumünster. The BFAV confirmed the BSE suspicion.
22 Nordrhein-Westfalen
Regional district Düsseldorf
Local district Wesel
14/9/98 27/1/01
28 months
yes The only 28-month-old fallen animal proved to be BSE positive by the Prionics screening test carried out in the State Veterinary Laboratory Münster and - on the 25/01/2001 - also in the State Veterinary Laboratory Krefeld. The BFAV confirmed the BSE suspicion.
21 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Local district Mecklenburg-Strelitz
22/9/95 27/1/01
64 months
yes The cow had been regularly slaughtered in the Teterow abattoir on the 23/01/2001 and gave a positive result in a BSE screening test on the 24/01/2001, which was confirmed by the BFAV.
20 Bavaria
regional district Schwaben
local district Oberallgäu
21/5/96 26/1/01
56 months
yes The cow which had been born on the farm became conspicious by showing central nervous symptoms and was therefore killed. A BSE test gave a positive reaction.
  Sachsen

regional district Leipzig
local district Leipziger Land
?/?/95 26/1/01 no The dairy cow had been slaughtered in Jena around the 18th of January 2001 and a BSE screening test carried out by the Thuringian Medicinal, Food and Veterinary Laboratory gave a positive result. However, the BFAV did not confirm the BSE suspicion.
  Bayern
Oberpfalz
  26/1/01 no The German Simmental cattle had died and was apparently tested for BSE with a positive result, however, the BFAV could not confirm the suspicion.
  Bayern
Oberpfalz
  26/1/01 no The German simmental bovine had died and was apparently tested for BSE with a positive result, but the BFAV could not confirm the BSE suspicion.
  Bayern
Oberpfalz
  26/1/01 no The Geman Simmental young bovine was regularly slaughtered and apparently tested for BSE with a positive result, but the BFAV could not confirm the BSE suspicion.
  Schleswig-Holstein
local district Segeberg
10/9/98 25/1/01 no The Black-Pied cow had given birth to a calf on the 06/01/2001 and thereafter developed an inflammation of the limbs because of which she was euthanatized on the 23/01/2001. The brain sample taken in the rendering plant Einfeld gave positive results in 2 BioRad screening tests carried out by the 26/01/2001 in the Food and Veterinary Laboratory Neumünster. On the 31/01/2001 a final result was not yet available from the BFAV for this and 4 other suspect cases from Schleswig-Holstein, however, on the 01/02/2001 the BFAV told the responsible Ministry of the Land that the BSE suspicion had not been confirmed [6]. A press notification for this case was not released and from then on Agricultural Minister Franzen refused to publish BSE-suspect cases in Schleswig-Holstein whereas until then not only the epidemiologically relevant information as to the local district had been revealed but also the rather irrelevant size of the herd enabling the farms to be identified.
19 Sachsen-Anhalt
Regional district Halle
Local district Merseburg-Querfurt
3/6/96 24/1/01
56 months
yes The cow which had been born on the farm had died and the State Veterinary and Food Laboratory in Stendal stated a BSE suspicion on the 20/01/2001 which was confirmed by the BFAV.
18 Bayern
Regional district Oberbayern
Local district Dachau
14/5/96 24/1/01
56 months
yes The German Simmental cow which had been born on the farm was regularly slaughtered in the abattoir in Waldkraiburg (regional district Oberbayern, local district Mühldorf a. Inn) on the 16/01/2001. Two screening tests carried out in a private laboratory and one carried out in the LUA-Südbayern gave BSE-positive results [4]. Confirmation took place in the BFAV.
17 Baden-Württemberg
regional district Tübingen
local district Reutlingen
23/8/95 23/1/01
61 months
yes The German Simmental dairy cow from Baden-Württemberg had been killed on the 12/01/2001 because of a disease and the brain sample taken in a rendering plant gave in the State Veterinary Laboratory in Aulendorf as well as in the BFAV a result positive for BSE.
  Baden-Württemberg
regional district Tübingen
local district Ravensburg
28/9/97 19/1/01 no The cow had been killed on the 12/01/2001 because of a disease and been tested in the State Veterinary Laboratory in Aulendorf by a BSE screening test with a positive result. However, the BFAV did not confirm the BSE suspicion.
  Saarland
local district Saarlouis
25/11/98 19/1/01 no The only 25-month-old Limousin which had been born on the farm and slaughtered on the 12/1/2001 gave two weak positive results in the BioRad screening test carried out in the State Institute for Health and Environment. But the BFAV did not confirm the BSE suspicion.
  100 bovines from Hessen   18/1/01 no? The bovines had been regularly slaughtered and then tested until all samples turned out to be negative once. [2]
16 Baden-Württemberg
regional district Tübingen
local district Ravensburg
17/4/94 17/1/01
81 months
yes The Black Pied dairy cow had been killed on the 4/1/2001 because of a disease and been tested for BSE in the State Veterinary Laboratory in Aulendorf as well as in the BFAV with a positive result.
15 Niedersachsen
regional district Lüneburg, local district Cuxhaven
21/5/96 17/1/01
56 months
yes The dairy cow which had been born on the farm was slaughtered because of an udder dysfunction (only 3 tits milkable) in Bremerhaven on the 12th of January 2001 and the BSE screening test gave a positive result.
  Baden-Württemberg
regional district Tübingen, local district Sigmaringen (of Austrian origin)
/93 16/1/01 no The cow born in 1993 had been imported from Austria on the 24th of November 2000 and regularly slaughtered on the 12th of January 2001. In a private laboratory the BSE-screening test gave a positive result, but the BFAV could not confirm this.
14 Bayern
regional district Oberbayern, local district Freising
17/8/98 15/1/01
29 months
yes The German Simmental heifer which had been born on the farm had been sick for three days before it was hospitalised in the II. Veterinary Clinic of the Munich University on the 28th of December. There it was euthanatized because its small intestine had got strangulated in a hernia of the greater omentum resulting in an infected peritonitis. A BioRad BSE screening test initiated on the 29/12/2000 as well as a repetition of this test carried out on the 3/1/2001 gave BSE positive results in the LUA-Südbayern in Oberschleißheim. It took the BFAV a lot of effort to confirm the weak positive BioRad-test [1].
  Hessen
3 animals from the local districts of Fulda, Odenwald and Hersfeld-Rotenburg
  15/1/01 no The results of the BSE screening tests for the regularly slaughtered bovines had been unclear, however, were clarified by the BFAV as clearly negative.
  Hessen
regional district Gießen
  13/1/01 no The bovine had been regularly slaughtered on the 9th of January 2001 and gave a weak positive result in the first BSE screening test and a doubtful result in the second BSE screening test carried out in the State Medicinal, Food and Veterinary Laboratory in Gießen. However, the BFAV did not confirm the suspicion.
  Hessen
regional district Gießen
  13/1/01 no The bovine had been regularly slaugthtered and was tested with a not clearly negative result. However, the BFAV did not confirm the suspicion..
13 Schleswig Holstein
local district Stormarn
17/2/96 12/1/01
59 months
yes The dairy cow which had been born in the local district Ostholstein (Schleswig Holstein) had only in March 2000 been sold to a dairy farm in the local district Stormarn and was culled within the frame of the herd culling of BSE-case No.6. Two BioRad screening tests gave BSE-positive results on the 10/ and 11/01/2001 before the BFAV confirmed the suspicion [6]
12 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
local district Güstrow
8/3/96 12/1/01
58 months
yes The cow first became clinically conspicious on the 29th of December 2000 and was killed on the farm on the 2nd of January 2001. Thereafter it was tested for BSE by the State Veterinary and Food Laboratory of the land Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Rostock and by the BFAV with positive results.
  Baden-Württemberg
local district Alb-Donau-Kreis
/90 12/1/01 no The German Simmental cow had been regularly slaughtered on the 8th of January 2001 in the regional district Reutlingen and was tested for BSE with a positive result in the State Veterinary Laboratory in Aulendorf. However, the BFAV did not confirm the BSE suspicion.
11 Baden-Württemberg
Regional district Tübingen
Local district Biberach
27/6/96 11/1/01
55 months
yes The Bavarian- born German Braunvieh dairy cow which had been born in the local district of Lindau (Lake Constance, regional district of Schwaben in Bavaria) had been transferred to Baden-Württemberg on the 08/01/2001, where she had - due to a disease - to be killed on the 27/12/2001 and disposed of was tested with a BSE-positive result in the State Veterinary Laboratory in Aulendorf following brain sampling in a rendering plant. The BFAV confirmed the BSE suspicion.
  67 bovines in Baden-Württemberg   9/1/01 non On the 09/01/2001 by the BSE screening test of the company Bio-Rad in only one abattoir 67 bovines were tested false-positive. In an investigation carried out by Bio-Rad, however, no faults were detected in the test kit.
10 Niedersachsen
regional district Lüneburg, local district Celle
8/11/95 9/1/01
62 months
yes The dairy cow had (on the 4th of 5th of January 2001) been regularly slaughtered in an abattoir in the local district of Hannover, and been twice tested with a BSE screening test with positive result, probably in a private laboratory, and at least once in the State Veterinary Laboratory Oldenburg. The BFAV diagnosed BSE.
9 Bayern
Regional district Schwaben
Local district Lindau, near Lindau
20/4/95 9/1/01
69 months
yes The German Braunvieh cow while still alive was stated by two Official Veterinarians as officially BSE suspect due to clinical symptoms on the 03/01/2001. The BFAV confirmed the BSE suspicion.
8 Schleswig Holstein
Local district Stormarn
20/10/96 8/1/01
51 months
yes The BFAV confirmed the BSE suspicion which had arisen from positive results of screening tests in a cow born in Schleswig Holstein, local district Ostholstein, which had been sold to a dairy herd in the local district Stormarn only in March 2000 and had been euthanatized in the rendering plant Neumünster on the 04/01/2001 because of a hoof disease.
  Bayern
regional district Niederbayern
local district Kelheim
  4/1/2001 no? The follow-up examination of a bovine slaughtered in the abattoir in Landshut and tested with a not negative result in a private laboratory gave in the LUA-Südbayern a clearly negative result. Nevertheless it was planned to be further confirmed at another location, probably using the immunhistochemical examination which is not really suitable for this purpose.
  Bayern
regional district Niederbayern, local district Kelheim
  4/1/2001 no? The follow-up examination of a bovine slaughtered in the abattoir in Erlangen and tested with a not negative result in a private laboratory had a clearly negative result in the LUA Nordbayern [4]. Further confirmation was announced to take place at another not stated location, probably using the immunhistochemical method which is not really suited for this purpose.
  previous cases        

1 . The first brain sample of a bovine originating from the local district Freising gave repeatedly very weak positive results in the BioRad-ELISA showing less than 20 percent of the extinction usually seen with BSE-cases. But the results were higher than the more often seen doubtful results which as a rule gave clearly negative results in the first repetition. In the BFAV the remains of the brain underwent 7 examinations. Two by the Prionics-Immunoblot, two by the BioRad-ELISA, one immunhistochemical examination and an examination with the OIE-Immunoblot gave negative results. Only a second test by the OIE-Immunoblot method gave a weak positive signal after an especially long exposure of the Autoradiographic film. The Reference Laboratory therefore judged the only 28-month-old bovine as weak positive, thereby showing the detection limits of its own methods. That even the BioRad-ELISA and the with respect to sensitivity obviously comparable OIE-Immunoblot reacted in part positive and in part negative could be explained with the fact that the concentration of the BSE-agent, the disease-typical prionproteins varies with the brain area inspected. Altogether this means that a weak positive result obtained by the BioRad-test cannot be dismissed by a immunhistochemical examination and not even for sure by the OIE-Immunoblot.

2 . The BioRad-BSE-screening test gave in 100 of a total of 200 samples doubtful or weak positive results. The cattle had mostly been slaughtered in the abattoir of Gießen around the 15th and the 16th of January 2001. A repetition of the examination using the same sample preparation gave identical results. A third test row with the BSE-screening test using a new sample preparation gave 85 negative, 12 inconclusive and 3 weak positive results. The 15 samples which had not yet tested negative were examined immunhistologically in Gießen. According to Minister Mosiek-Urbahn also in other laender similar clusters of inconclusive or weak positive results have been found which could not subsequently be confirmed.

3 According to an agreement by Federal and Laender authorities on the 18th of April 2001 Hessen and Schleswig-Holstein have first applied the exceptions to the so-called herd-culling as foreseen in the draft of the BSE-prophylactic measures regulation and intended to come into effect in May. Not culled are accordingly animals which have been kept on the farm for less than 20 months or were born after the meat-and-bone-meal feed ban of the 2nd December 2000 came into effect. This deadline ignores the fact that at this point of time feed that had already been on the farms could be fed to non-ruminants and that unsafe cattle feed was for a long time not collected from the farms. A proper scientific consultation on this important decision which depends on the compliance of the customers was not obtained.

Like in other German laender also in Bavaria problems arose with many false positive test results when using the BioRad BSEscreening test. To relieve the BFAV many positive test results obtained by private laboratories are first followed-up in one of the State Laboratories and only after confirmation by them forwarded to the Reference Laboratory in Tübingen. This is understandable, but a negative result in a state laboratory does not necessarily mean that a previous result in a private laboratory had really been false-positive.

5 . The herd culling was totally senseless in this case. The probability of an adult cow developing the deadly disease within only 4 years is so small that one would have to cull all German cattle and prohibit consumption of beef if one wanted to avoid even this last theoretical risk. Also with high probability another bovine of this herd would have long ago developed BSE if the feed of this herd had been that infectious.

6 . Personal communication with Dr. Martin Heilemann in the Ministerium für ländliche Räume, Landesplanung, Landwirtschaft und Tourismus des Landes Schleswig-Holstein, Düsternbrooker Weg 104, 24105 Kiel, Telefon 0431/988-4998, Fax 0431/988-5246

Abbreviations used

BFAV = Bundesforschungsanstalt für Viruserkrankungen der Tiere (Federal Research Institute for Viral Animal Diseases (formerly located in Tübingen, currently at the Baltic Sea island of Riems) with the National Reference Laboratory for Scrapie and BSE (Mad Cow Disease).

LUA = Landesuntersuchungsamt für das Gesundheitswesen (State Laboratory for Public Health)

Descriptions of various breeds of cattle like Fleckvieh (German Simmental), Braunvieh (German Braunvieh) und Schwarzbunte (Black Pied) may be found with the Agrar Information Service (AID).

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Additional information and critical comments are highly appreciated.

Copyright Roland Heynkes (Translation by Ingrid Schütt-Abraham)