Company says BSE test awaiting OK

An Alberta company that produces biological diagnostic tools said Friday it has a blood test that can quickly reveal the protein marker associated with mad cow disease.

The live test would require only a small amount of blood from a cow to indicate if the animal has developed the prions in its brain that leads to bovine spongiform encephalopathy, called mad cow disease.

The test has two main advantages. It can be performed on live animals, and the results are available as quickly as in 30 minutes. Current tests can only be done on the brain tissue of a dead cow and the results often take weeks.

By JIM GRANSBERY
Of The Gazette Staff

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