Bovine spongiform encephalopathy and spatial analysis of the feed industry.

Mathilde Paul (1) , David Abrial (1) , Nathalie Jarrige (2) , Stéphane Rican (3) , Myriam Garrido (1) , Didier Calavas (2) , Christian Ducrot (1)

1 INRA - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique
2 Laboratoire d'études et de recherches en pathologie bovine et hygiène des viandes
3 LADYSS - Laboratoire Dynamiques Sociales et Recomposition des Espaces

In France, despite the ban of meat-and-bone meal (MBM) in cattle feed, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was detected in hundreds of cattle born after the ban. To study the role of MBM, animal fat, and dicalcium phosphate on the risk for BSE after the feed ban, we conducted a spatial analysis of the feed industry. We used data from 629 BSE cases as well as data on use of each byproduct and market area of the feed factories. We mapped risk for BSE in 951 areas supplied by the same factories and connection with use of byproducts. A disease map of BSE with covariates was built with the hierarchical Bayesian modeling methods, based on Poisson distribution with spatial smoothing. Only use of MBM was spatially linked to risk for BSE, which highlights cross-contamination as the most probable source of infection after the feed ban.

Keywords: 1UEPIDEMIOLOGIE; HAFSSA; ESST

Domains: Life Sciences [q-bio]; Animal biology; Veterinary medicine and animal Health; Life Sciences [q-bio]; Santé publique et épidémiologie

Mathilde Paul, David Abrial, Nathalie Jarrige, Stéphane Rican, Myriam Garrido, et al.. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy and spatial analysis of the feed industry.. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 2007, 13 (6), pp.867-71. ⟨10.3201/eid1306.061169⟩. ⟨hal-00378799⟩