‘No indication that infected cattle entered food chain’
The rare form of poisoning, which has killed a number of cattle in recent months, is caused by bacteria in contaminated feed. The latest case was reported in Waterford.
Last night, a department spokesperson said there was no indication that any of the infected cattle had entered the food chain.
After the toxin is eaten, the clinical signs of the disease appear in between one and seven days. As the disease spreads, the cow loses control of the muscles. The muscle weakness spreads from the hind legs, gradually moving to the head.
Similar outbreaks of botulism have also been reported in Northern Ireland, Britain and across Europe.
Botulism is caused by a bacterium of the Clostridia family. The organisms are widely distributed in nature but only occasionally give rise to clinical disease in animals or humans. It is believed that the organism proliferates in decaying organic material, producing the toxins that are then taken up by animals.
The recent cases have been associated with cattle coming into contact, directly or indirectly, with poultry litter that had been contaminated with decaying poultry carcases.
“While humans may be affected by botulism, it should be noted there are eight known types of the botulinum toxin and that the specific toxins implicated in the conditions in humans are not those normally associated with the condition in cattle,” the Department said in its statement.
“It is also generally accepted that humans are resistant to the types of toxin that affect cattle. Furthermore, these toxin types are poorly absorbed from the gastro-intestinal tract and the toxins themselves are inactivated by heat treatment.
“The risk to human health from consumption of milk or meat from cattle on farms with cases of botulism, appears to be remote,” it said.
However, as a precautionary measure, the Department advised farmers to wear gloves, to wash their hands thoroughly after handling poultry litter and to avoid unnecessary contact with the material.
It also requested farmers and veterinary practitioners to advise their local District Veterinary Office or nearest Veterinary Regional Laboratory in the event of sudden and unexplained illnesses or deaths of cattle on their farms which may be associated with access to poultry litter.
