US finds possible 2nd case of mad cow disease

The government refused to disclose any information about the suspect animal's origin or where it was slaughtered. "It was getting up in age. It was a beef breed," said John Clifford, chief veterinarian for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
It is not unusual to have conflicting test results for BSE, cattle experts said.
The USDA said the suspect animal tested positive for BSE in a rapid, preliminary test in November. When it was retested with more sophisticated technology, it was found free of the disease.
But USDA's Inspector General earlier this week asked department scientists to retest the suspect animal, and two others, using yet a third kind of technology known as the "Western blot" test. That test showed the beef animal was infected with the brain-wasting ailment, Johanns said.