Public summary of the meeting on
30th July 1998

The Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC) met at the offices of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Tolworth on 30 July 1998.

The Committee conducted its regular review of research findings and epidemiological information on BSE and nvCJD.

The number of cases of BSE continues to decline in line with predictions about the decay of the epidemic.

The Committee noted that the total number of nvCJD cases in the UK is 27.

SEAC had previously noted that BSE could be transmitted experimentally by mouth to sheep and, in July 1996 and May 1997, had provided advice to Government on precautions which should be taken to protect public health. The Committee considered the theoretical possibility that BSE could exist in the UK sheep flock noting that no evidence of BSE in sheep in commercial UK flocks had so far been found.

The Committee noted that, on the basis of the limited experimental evidence available, the clinical disease caused by inoculating sheep with BSE appeared to be very similar to the natural disease of sheep called scrapie. As in scrapie, infectivity was found in the spleen of sheep experimentally infected with BSE, although no infectivity has been found in the spleen of BSE infected cattle. To distinguish the BSE strain from scrapie strains requires lengthy and expensive post mortem testing of sheep tissue. Such work must continue because, as previously explained (July 1996), finding the BSE strain in the national flock might have important implications for public health.

The Committee noted that valuable preliminary information was emerging from the studies which they had previously recommended. They concluded that additional work was required to determine the extent of scrapie in UK sheep and the strains involved and decided to set up a sub-group to develop further recommendations on this. The Committee agreed that, at present, there was no need to recommend further action to protect public or animal health.

SEAC
August 1998