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BSE Enhanced Surveillance - Testing and Sampling Information

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Testing Methods

No validated live animal test for BSE currently exists. Accordingly, testing for BSE can only be done on the brains of dead animals. Brain samples are screened using rapid tests that accurately and quickly detect a true BSE positive sample nearly 100% of the time. Rapid tests can, in rare cases, react when a sample is not infected with BSE. These are known as "inconclusive" results.

All samples that yield inconclusive results using a rapid test are sent to the National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease in Winnipeg - Canada's national BSE reference laboratory - for confirmatory testing. There they are tested using either the immunohistochemistry (IHC), or in the case of poor quality samples and IHC negative suspect tests, the SAF immunoblot, both internationally recognized confirmatory test for BSE.

Testing Levels

In January 2004, the Government of Canada announced that it would enhance its BSE surveillance testing to at least 8,000 cattle during the first year and to 30,000 per year in subsequent years to calculate the prevalence of BSE in Canadian adult cattle. The level and design of this enhanced program continues to be in full accordance with the guidelines recommended by the OIE. In 2004 there were 23,550 samples collected and tested. In 2005, the minimum target of 30,000 samples was surpassed in early June. This illustrates the effectiveness of the national BSE surveillance program and the high level of commitment from all levels of government, producers, private veterinarians and industry stakeholders to finding the disease.

Sample Collection

BSE surveillance samples come from a variety of sources, including the farm, federal, provincial and territorial abattoirs, rendering and deadstock operations, veterinary practitioners, and university and provincial veterinary diagnostic laboratories.

Since the effectiveness of this surveillance program relies heavily on the participation and cooperation of industry and all members of the animal health community, the CFIA, in partnership with stakeholders, has developed a comprehensive awareness campaign to encourage the availability of suitable samples. Primary producers are a key component to the success of Canada’s surveillance efforts and are, accordingly, the principle audience for this campaign.

Submitting Samples

To report a down, diseased, dying, or dead cow, call your local CFIA office.

Reimbursement Program

In 2004, the CFIA launched a program where producers and veterinarians receive payment when services are provided to the CFIA that result in an eligible sample being submitted to the national BSE surveillance program. Such payment may assist producers in covering a portion of the veterinary examination fees and carcass disposal costs.

Many provinces have also demonstrated their commitment by providing additional support to the reimbursement program through increased laboratory capacity, education and awareness campaigns, sampling assistance and financial supplements to the federal payments. This collective effort is critical to a successful national surveillance program and to the continued demonstration of vigilance in animal and public health and food safety in Canada.