1. Scientific and Technical Department OIE
Regional working group meeting on BSE -TSE, September 2008 Qingdao, People’s Republic of China,
OIE international standards on BSE the basis for BSE risk status recognition
Part II
Comments (with copyright) / Commentaires (soumis au Copyright) :
Dr. Lea Knopf
Scientific and Technical Department OIE

2. Presentation outline – Part II
BSE standards
Guidelines for trade
The BSE risk assessment
BSE risk status categories
Recognition – components and practical implications
BSE surveillance
News from the 76th OIE General Session May 2008
Scientific Commission
Terrestrail Animal Standards Commission
Biological Standards Commission
Future working programme

3. OIE Standards: official BSE risk status recognition
-OIE procedues to conduct risk assessment :release assessment, exposure asessment
-laboratories have to comply to provisions of the Manual /chapter I 1 2

4. OIE BSE standards: Terrestrial Animal Health Code and Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines
If applied by Members, the provisions of the OIE standards can …
…manage the human and animal health risks associated with the presence of the BSE agent in cattle (Bos taurus and B. indicus)…
…regardless of an official BSE risk status of the Member concerned

5. Content of the BSE chapter Terrestrial Animal Health Code
List of commodities that can be traded safely, regardless the BSE risk status of the exporting country
Considerations for trade with live cattle and commodities from cattle
Considerations for veterinary services in conducting a risk assessment for BSE (in the own or another country)
Provisions for recognition of a BSE risk status
Procedures for the reduction of BSE infectivity in meat-and-bone meal (MBM)
Guidelines for surveillance for BSE

6. Safe commodities for trade NOT dependant on BSE risk status
milk and milk products;
semen and in vivo derived cattle embryos ;
hides and skins;
gelatine and collagen prepared exclusively from hides and skins;
protein-free tallow and derivatives made from this tallow;
dicalcium phosphate (with no trace of protein or fat);
deboned skeletal muscle meat (excluding mechanically separated meat)
cattle <30 months of age,
no stunning process prior to slaughter leading to contamination,
ante-mortem and post-mortem inspections,
avoid contamination with tissues listed in Article ;
blood and blood by-products,
no stunning process leading to contamination

7. Recommendations for trade with cattle and cattle commodities Dependant on BSE risk status, conditions
Live cattle
Fresh meat and meat products
Ruminant derived MBM and greaves
Gelatine and collagen (not of hides)
Certain tallow and tallow derivates
Certain dicalcium phosphate products
Commodities that should not be traded

8. Example: Importation tallow (other than specified in Article 11.6.1.)
BSE risk status exporting country C 
Negligible BSE risk
Importing country
Controlled BSE risk
Undet. BSE risk

9. Evolution OIE BSE risk determination
<2006: 2 categories (“BSE free”, “prov. BSE free”)
Scientific considerations lead to the 3-category approach
That is risk based, not prevalence based!
Based on the risk assessment to transmit BSE agent
Focus on appropriate BSE risk mitigating measures in place
Time period that measures have been implemented
Absence of BSE difficult to prove
Finding a BSE case does not necessarily alter the risk status or imply trade restrictions, the “risk quality” of the case counts
Since 2007 OIE has the sole mandate for BSE risk status recognition ->no more GBR risk assessments!
“negligible BSE risk” “controlled BSE risk” “undetermined BSE risk”

10. Comonents BSE risk assessment General criteria Article 11.6.2.
Outcome of the risk assessment
Release assessment
Exposure assessment
On-going awareness programme
Compulsory notification and investigation
Examination carried out in accordance with the Terrestrial Manual
Backbone of BSE risk status evaluation

11. Components BSE risk status evaluation A) BSE casesRA
Baseline criteria, Article
Years complied with
BSE History
no BSE cases
any BSE cases = imported or
indigenous BSE cases
born > 11 years ago
all cases and their birth cohort, farm-age cohort are destroyed
all cases and their birth cohort , farm-age cohort are destroyed

12. No ruminant MBM or greaves fed to cattle
Components BSE risk status evaluation B) Effective ruminant to ruminant feed ban
No ruminant MBM or greaves fed to cattle
Years complied with
< 8 years complied with
> 8 years complied with

13. Components BSE risk status evaluation C) Surveillance
Surveillance type B
Surveillance type A
Surveillance ?
Negligible BSE risk
Controlled BSE risk
Undet. BSE risk

14. Goal of BSE Surveillance
Strategy BSE Surveillance
Stratification for relative BSE risk:
Consideration of the epidemiology of BSE
Exposure patterns & risk factors
(RA, Article )
Age category of cattle
Clinical subset
Husbandry systems
Use diagnostic methods described in the Terrestrial Manual
! Increase likelihood of finding BSE if present !
Goal of BSE Surveillance
Detecting BSE, to a pre-determined design prevalence, in a country, zone or compartment;
Monitoring the evolution of BSE in a country, zone or compartment;
Monitoring the effectiveness of risk mitigation measures (e.g. feed ban);
Supporting a claimed BSE status;
Gaining or regaining a higher BSE status.

15. BSE Surveillance contd 4 cattle subpopulations with a different risk for BSE
Cattle > 30 months of age…
displaying behavioural or clinical signs consistent with BSE (clinical suspects);
that are non-ambulatory, recumbent, unable to rise or to walk without assistance; that are sent for emergency slaughter or condemned at ante-mortem inspection (casualty or emergency slaughter or downer cattle);
which are found dead or killed on farm, during transport or at an abattoir (fallen stock);
Cattle > 36 months of age…
at routine slaughter

16. BSE Surveillance contd Accumulation of surveillance points

17. BSE Surveillance END….

18. News from the 76th General Session May 2008

19. News Scientific Commission
Review of BSE chapter sections for consistency
‘Atypical’ BSE and ‘atypical’ scrapie cases
Drafting of a new scrapie chapter
Development of “short questionnaire” to facilitate annual reconfirmation
Two resolutions consolidating procedure issues (technical and financial ), Resolutions XXII & XXIII

20. News Terrestrial Code Commission
Gelatine and collagen production (exclusion of skulls and vertebral column, contr. and undeter. BSE risk categories)
Age limit of 30 month maintained (deboned muscle meat – a safe commodity)
Sole reference to BSE and not TSEs anymore
Reference to data for annual reconfirmation of BSE risk status
Separate article for dicalcium phosphate

21. News Biological Standards Commission
New OIE validated test (Prionics® Check WESTERN)
post-mortem diagnosis of BSE in cattle and for the following purposes:
To confirm diagnosis of suspect or clinical cases (includes confirmation of a positive screening test);
To estimate prevalence of infection to facilitate risk analysis and to assist in the demonstration of the efficiency of control policies;
To confirm a non-negative test result obtained during active surveillance with a different type of test.
2008 Revision BSE chapter Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines

22. Future working programme
Encouraging Members to apply OIE BSE standards
Revise model for required surveillance points
Refinement problems of new cases of BSE and maintenance, suspension and re-instatement of status
Negligible BSE risk category
Controlled BSE risk category
Annual reconfirmation, short questionnaire
Validation additional diagnostic test
Update on 30 month rule for meat (new scientific evidence)

23. Thank you for your attention! Questions ? Discussion