G/SPS/GEN/1232  
 
15 March 2013  
(13-1421)  Page: 1/5  
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
BOVINE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY CASE IN BRAZIL – FINAL REPORT1 
COMMUNICATION FROM BRAZIL 
The following communication, received on 12 March 2013, is being circulated at the request of the 
Delegation of Brazil. 
 
_______________ 
 
 1.  Brazil notified its first case of Bovine Sp ongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) on 7 December 2012, 
right after the confirmation of the diagnosis by  the OIE International Reference Laboratory in 
Weybridge, United Kingdom (AHVLA). The reporting protocol followed the procedures set down in 
the Brazilian BSE Occurrence Manual, which was included in the dossier presented to the OIE when the country was classified as of negligible risk for the disease. 
2.  The BSE case registered in Brazil refers to one native cow raised for breeding purposes. The 
cow died at approximately 13 years of age and was raised throughout its productive life on pasture and mineral supplements. 
3.  A farm employee of Farm Boa Sorte, municipality of Sertanópolis, State of Paraná, observed a 
fallen cow during a daily survey of the animals.  On the next day (Sunday), after being informed 
that the animal had died (<24 hours of the prev ious observation), the St ate Veterinary Service 
visited the farm to investigate the case. It was decided, then, to collect samples for diagnosis of 
rabies due to the fact that the disease is endemic in the region. 
4.  The animal carcass was duly buried in a deep ditch in the same premises where it died. Hence, 
this animal did not represent any risk of contamination of the food or feed chain. 
1  LABORATORY AND EPIDEM IOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION 
5.  As stated in the Brazilian protocol of survei llance of neurologic syndromes, the sample was sent 
firstly for the diagnosis of rabies and later on for the diagnosis of differential diseases.  
6.  On 15 June 2012, the National Reference Laboratory - LANAGRO / PE identified the first prionic 
marking in a bovine sample in Brazil. Right after that, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (MAPA) started a series of field and laboratory activities to accurately check the information given until then, as follows: 
1.1  Checking of laboratory procedures 
7.  The investigation revealed that a temporary ov erload of work in the Transmissible Spongiform 
Encephalitis (TSE) diagnostic system was due to a fire at the section of histopathology in one of 
the laboratories of the accredited network, which partially compromised the flow of samples in 
accordance with the national protocol for the activity (figure 1). 
                                               
1 The Technical Note from the Animal Heath Department  of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and 
Food Supply of Brazil was used as a basis for this document. G/SPS/GEN/1232 
 
- 2 - 
 
  Figure 1 – Flow of laboratory tests for nerv ous syndromes and first notification of BSE. 
   
WAHIS 
OIE 
 
 
8.  Among the actions taken by MAPA to correct  the problems in the diagnosis and improve the 
flow of samples and information among the TSE laboratories network, these can be highlighted: 
a. Development and implementation of a new computer-based system: " Sistema de 
Encefalopatias Espongiformes Transmissíveis (SEET) ", starting 1 January 2013, aiming 
to facilitate the observation of eventual delays in processing and communication of test 
results; 
b. Investment at LANAGRO/PE to implement the Western Blot technique; 
c. Hiring more professionals to improve operat ional capacity at LANAGRO/PE laboratory; 
d. Hiring of a pathologist to implement the di agnosis of TSE's at LANAGRO/MG laboratory; 
e. Technical audits are being performed more frequently in accredited laboratories of the 
network. 
1.2  Field investigations 
9.  After the confirmation of the prionic marking in June 2012, MAPA sent federal veterinarians to 
check the procedures declared by the sanitary auth orities of the State of Paraná (ADAPAR) and to 
carry out additional investigations. 
10.  Field investigations followed point 3b, Article 11.5.3 of the Terrestrial Animal Health Code of 
the OIE, and searched animals born in the same prem ises of origin of the BSE case, in a period of 
12 months before and after its birth. Among the information provided during the investigation, the information provided by ADAPAR concerning th e age of the animal; feeding management and 
farms where the case lived were all checked in detail, as can be seen below. 
1.2.1  Farms where the case lived 11.  The BSE case was born between August and December 1997 at Água do Índio Farm, 
municipality of Cianorte, State of Paraná, belonging to Companhia de Melhoramento Norte do 
Paraná (CMNP). It was sold with 24 other animals to the farm Santo Antônio, municipality of Sertanópolis, in the same State. 
12.  This animal was kept at the birth farm for 15 to 20 months, and on the second farm until it 
died at the age of approximately 13 years old. In  the premises where the BSE case lived there was 
no evidence of use of potentially contaminated feedstuff or any other feed which could lead to 
suspicions about the use of meat and bone meal (MBM) in those farms. Further to that, the cow 
was born in 1997 after the prohibition of the use of ruminant protein to feed ruminants in Brazil, 
which occurred in 1996. 
1.2.1.1  Farm Água do Índio - Cianorte / PR 
13.  The farm Água do Índio, birthplace of the BSE case, was dedicated to beef cattle production, 
where steers were weaned and sent for fattening in other farms of th e CMNP Group, in the State of G/SPS/GEN/1232 
 
- 3 - 
 
  Paraná. Females were used mainly as replacement for the other farms belonging to the group. 
A few were also sold to farms not belonging to  the CMNP, aged a maximum of 36 months old. 
14.  All animals in farm Água do Índio were fire branded on the left leg with the letters "CMP" and 
on the right side of the face with the month and year of birth. 
1.2.1.2  Farm Santo Antônio / Farm Boa Sorte - Sertanópolis / PR 
15.  On 13 April 1999, the owner of farm Santo Antonio bought 25 heifers between 15 a 
20 months of age, from Farm Água do Índio in an auction in the municipality of Londrina, State of 
Paraná. 
16.  In 2003, due to the death of the owner, th e farm Santo Antonio was divided into three farms 
among the heirs: Farm Santo Antonio, Farm Boa Sorte and Farm Vale Verde, and the animals were distributed accordingly among the farms. Out of th e 25 animals bought from Farm Água do Índio, 
ten were found at farm Boa Sorte and two other we re at Farm Vale Verde. The BSE case was one 
of the ten animals which were at Farm Boa Sorte. 
1.2.2  Cohort Animals 
17.  The management of the beef cattle herd at the Group CMNP requires discarding (slaughter) of 
the animals when they reach 10 years of age, or sooner than that if any reproductive problems occur, as stated in the Standard Operational Procedure implemented by ISO 9000 Certification in 
their farms. Hence, there are no bovines older than 10 years in the farms of the Group CMN. This 
is why no more BSE case cohort animals could be found in those farms. 
18.  Between August 1996 and December 2001, Farm Água do Índio sold 4,946 animals to 
44 farms not belonging to the Group CMNP. Out of those, 4,751 animals were sent to 43 farms in 
31 municipalities in the State of Paraná, and the re mainder, 195 animals, were sent to a farm in 
the municipality of Paranhos, State of Mato Grosso  do Sul. All the 4,946 animals were raised for 
breeding purposes. 
19.  All cohort animals were traced back in the 44 farms, and 11 animals were found alive, all of 
them above 15 years of age, and in good health. As stated before, nine animals were at farm 
Boa Sorte and two at Farm Vale Verde. 
20.  Firstly, all cohort animals were individually identified and kept under control by ADAPAR. Later 
on, despite being healthy, the animals were humanely sacrificed on the premises, brain samples for BSE testing were collected and the carcasses were buried in a deep ditch in an appropriate site on the premises. 
21.  All tests were performed at LANAGRO/PE and all came out negative. 
1.3  General considerations about the investigation  22.  The results of the field investigations corroborate existing technical information on the beef 
cattle production system used in Brazil, and allow us to make some important considerations, as 
follows: 
 Farm Água do Índio belonged to a business enterprise dedicated to livestock production, 
among other activities, but with a main interest in producing animals for fattening in other 
premises of the same group. Animals for repl acement of the stock were also produced. The 
management of the enterprise was based on  an ISO 9000 certification which established 
guidelines for culling animals over 10 years old. 
 Farm Boa Sorte, where the BSE case lived most of its life, bases its production in a full 
cycle scheme. Nonetheless, livestock production is secondary to agriculture, which is the main source of income of the farm. Hence, the herd is small and management includes 
daily inspections of the herd to check for births, abortions and sick animals, especially 
when the herd is composed of aging cows. This management would allow for the identification of any other case of BSE if it had occurred, which was not the case.  G/SPS/GEN/1232 
 
- 4 - 
 
   All the farms involved in this investigation were classified in a management system where 
the animals are grass-fed and supplemented with minerals. This management is common 
to approximately 95% of the beef cattle herd in  Brazil, and is considered to be refractory 
to typical BSE. 
 The number of live cohort animals found through the investigation was the expected, 
having in mind how old those animals would be today (over 15 years old). The permanence of animals of such advanced age is not characteristic of the Brazilian beef 
cattle industry. 
2  SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM 23.  Starting in 1997, BSE surveillance has been included in the surveillance system for herbivore 
rabies, which is an endemic disease in parts of th e Brazilian territory. Since then, any suspicion, or 
occurrence of nervous diseases in cattle became compulsory, and the TSE's were included in a list 
of diseases subjected to animal health defense measures. 
24.  The sampling procedures adopted by Brazil fo r the prevention of BS E follow entirely the 
standards of the OIE, as defined in the Chapter 11. 5 of the Animal Health Code (Terrestrial Code). 
This model is designed to find BSE cases at a 95% confidence level, considering several aspects which have influence on the expression of this disease, such as cattle demography, sensitivity of 
tests and the total number of tests performed on at-risk populations. All these aspects are 
expressed by surveillance points to be reached by countries, which are defined on table 1 of Article 
11.5.21 of the Terrestrial Code. This table stratifies the surveillance points according to adult cattle population size and the type of surveillance. 
25.  This said, in what concerns the sample size and design prevalence, Brazil fits into the category 
"Countries with adult cattle population size (24 months and older) above 1,000,000 heads", as defined in table 1 of Article 11.5.21 of the Terrestrial Code. Countries which are included in this 
category are required to reach 150,000 surveillance points to be recognized as "negligible risk of 
BSE". Brazil, however, had reached more than 2,500,000 surveillance points when it was recognized by the OIE as negligible risk for BSE in May 2012, i.e., more than 15 times the 
surveillance points required for that category. 
26.  Brazil has been sampling animals from all th e four subpopulations described by the Terrestrial 
Code, as well as sampling all categories of age. 
3  RISK MITIGATION MEASURES 
27.  Since 1990, MAPA has been applying preventive measures to avoid the occurrence of BSE. 
These measures have been constantly updated in view of the scientific information available and on the recommendations of the Terrestrial Code. 
28.  It is important to underscore that every single  risk mitigation measure put in place in Brazil, 
and communicated to the OIE, which eventually led to the recognition of the country as of 
negligible risk for BSE are still enforced, as follows: 
 Import control for bovine, its products and by -products, to avoid the introduction of the 
agent of the BSE; 
 Control of the production of feedstuff for rumi nants, to avoid the transmission of the agent 
in case it were present; 
 Removal, during slaughter,  of potential risk material, such as: spinal cord, brain, distal 
ileum, eyes and tonsils, which are destroyed and not sent to rendering; 
 Meat and bone meal sterilization (at 133ºC, 20', 3 bar), to reduce agent infectivity, if it 
was present; 
 Surveillance directed to early detection of the disease, in order to check the effectiveness 
of the measures of risk prevention and mitigation; G/SPS/GEN/1232 
 
- 5 - 
 
   Sanitary education and technical update to constantly train all professionals involved in 
every level of the sanitary policy, be it official or private, as well as to constantly produce and publish technical information for the consumers. 
4  FINAL CONSIDERATIONS 
29.  Brazil has been recognized by the OIE as a country with negligible risk for BSE at its 80
th 
General Session, which took place in May 2012. This was a result of the fulfillment of all criteria set out by the Terrestrial Code, which, as mentioned before, are still under full enforcement. 
30.  Brazil understands that the occurrence of this isolated case of BSE is not related to any flaws 
in the risk mitigation procedures in place, whic h are fully operative and due to the fact that the 
affected animal was aged over 11 years. 
31.  Having in mind that the epidemiological situation of Brazil has not been altered by the 
notification of this BSE case, the Scientific Commission for Animal Diseases (SCAD/OIE), during its 
recent meeting (4-8 February 2013) decided to keep the classification of Brazil as a country with 
negligible risk for BSE. 
32.  Considering the aforementioned information, the results of the epidemiological investigation 
conducted by the Brazilian veterinary services and the AHVLA report that states that "Although the 
poor quality and the indeterminate fixation history of the sample compromises interpretation, even 
so we note that the sample appears to have some characteristics of H-Type rather than L or 
C-Type of BSE", the Brazilian veterinary services believe that this is a case of atypical BSE (rare and spontaneous). 
33.  It is important to highlight that this animal did not enter the meat-processing chain, having 
been buried on the farm where it died; therefore,  it did not represent any risk of contamination. 
34.  Based on these results, the Animal Health Department / SDA / MAPA considers the 
investigation on the BSE case in Brazil closed, as described in the Final Report sent out to the 
countries through the OIE's World Animal Health Information System (WAHIS). 
 
__________