§ Mr. MorleyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the background and field of expertise of each member of the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee.
§ Mr. SoamesThe information requested about members of the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee is as follows
Dr. David A. J. Tyrrell: CBE, FRS. (Chairman)—Physician and Virologist. Former Director of the Medical Research Council (MRC) Common Cold Unit and Deputy Director of the MRC Clinical Research Centre.Dr. Robert G. Will (Deputy Chairman)—Consultant Neurologist at the Western General Hospital, Edinburgh and Head of the National Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease Surveillance Unit.Professor Ingrid V. Allen—Professor of Neuropathology at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast.Professor Fred Brown FRS—Virologist. Former Deputy Director (Scientific) Animal Virus Research Institute (Pirbright).Dr. William D. Hueston—Veterinary Epidemiologist, United States Department of Agriculture.
Region Northern Mid/West Eastern South East South West Wales Scotland 1989 Beef 31 31 43 36 102 64 47 Dairy 365 886 326 1,017 3,050 374 124 1990 Beef 119 88 59 92 179 145 165 Dairy 882 2,027 678 1,655 4,935 760 242 1991 Beef 226 213 127 146 423 293 260 Dairy 1,544 3,566 1,108 2,262 8,852 1,604 378 1992 Beef 521 602 290 356 847 647 634 Dairy 2,740 6,147 1,669 3,009 11,223 2,578 831 1993 Beef 782 761 438 498 952 852 1,043 Dairy 2,920 6,537 1,989 3,014 10,093 2,634 1,007 19941 Beef 406 329 189 248 400 363 497 Dairy 1,284 2,951 1,050 1,470 4,069 1,161 437 1As at 11 July 1994.
§ Mr. Campbell-SavoursTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list all research
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Dr. Richard H. Kimberlin—Independent Consultant on Scrapie and Related Diseases.Mr. David B. Pepper—Veterinary Surgeon in Private Practice (Retired).Dr. William A. Watson—Veterinary Surgeon. Former Director of the Central Veterinary Laboratory.
§ Mr. MorleyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what financial allowance is given to members appointed to the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee.
§ Mr. SoamesAll members of the committee receive reimbursement of necessarily incurred travel and subsistence expenses. The chairman and four members of the committee also receive a daily fee for attendance at meetings in accordance with provisions set out in Treasury guidelines. The fee is £165 per meeting for the chairman and £131 for those members who receive a fee.
§ Mrs. Ann TaylorTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will make a statement about the supply of green top milk from dairy herds where BSE has been identified.
§ Mr. SoamesGreen top milk from dairy herds where BSE has been identified is safe. Indeed, there is no evidence to indicate that milk will transmit any of the spongiform encephalopathies. Nevertheless, as part of the Government's ultra-cautious approach to BSE, the use of milk from BSE suspects is prohibited unless fed to their own calf, and all suspect BSE cattle are slaughtered and incinerated.
§ Mrs. Ann TaylorTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cases of BSE have been reported in each region of Britain in(a) beef cattle and (d) dairy cattle in each of the last five years.
§ Mr. SoamesThe information requested is as follows:
Projects related to BSE which have been supported by Government in the last three years; and which projects are currently under consideration for future financial support.
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§ Mr. SoamesThe titles of research projects that, for the last three years, have been and are currently being supported by Government funding are shown in the table. Research on bovine spongiform encephalopathy is also
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Research projects related to bovine spongiform encephalopathy Supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in the last three years Project title Contractor Start date Proposed end date Infectivity of various tissues from animals with BSE Royal Veterinary College, Veterinary Pathology 1 January 1989 30 June 1993 Evidence for the inheritance of susceptibility to BSE Dr. W. V. S. Wijeratne 1 July 1990 30 June 1993 Experimental transmission of feline spongiform encephalopathy to mice Bristol University, Pathology and Microbiology 29 August 1990 28 August 1993 Large scale isolation of abnormal prion protein from BSE-infected tissue Birmingham University, Chemical Engineering 1 June 1991 31 May 1993 BSE deactivation studies (part of EC project) IAH, Compton Laboratory 1 October 1991 11 October 1994 Bovine gene mapping with particular reference to BSE Roslin Institute, Edinburgh 1 October 1991 30 September 1994 Further studies on oral transmission of BSE to mice Royal Veterinary College, Veterinary Pathology 30 January 1992 29 January 1995 Investigation of the role of the embryo in maternal transmission of scrapie in sheep IAH, Neuropathogenesis Unit 1 July 1992 30 June 1995 Potential role of anti-PrP in BSE Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1992 31 March 1994 Transferrin ion binding in normal and abnormal plasma UL, UCL, Medical Microbiology 1 November 1992 31 October 1993 Genetic susceptibility of cattle to BSE Reading University, Department Applied Statistics 1 July 1993 30 June 1994 Continued large scale isolation of abnormal PrP from BSE affected tissues Birmingham University 1 June 1994 31 May 1995 BSE: Epidemiological studies Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1988 31 March 1996 BSE: Study to determine occurrence and incidence of maternal transmission Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 October 1990 31 March 1997 Longitudinal studies of the brain pathology of BSE Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 January 1992 30 June 1996 Brain pathology of clinical BSE in cattle born subsequent to exclusion of ruminant protein in ruminant feed Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1992 31 March 1993 Clinical and epidemiological correlates of the vacuolar profile in BSE Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1992 31 October 1993 Correlation of the histopathological diagnosis of clinically suspect but histopathologically unconfirmed BSE Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1992 31 December 1993 Comparative neuropathology of recently recorded scrapie-like encephalopathies in animal species other than cattle Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1992 31 March 1998 Identification of BSE infection in cattle tissue IAH, Neuropathogenesis Unit 1 April 1992 31 March 1996 Transmission of BSE and natural scrapie into sheep and goats by intracerebral and oral routes IAH, Neuropathogenesis Unit 1 April 1990 31 March 1996 Strain typing of BSE pathogens in mice, and comparison with strains from natural sheep scrapie IAH, Neuropathogenesis Unit 1 April 1991 31 March 1999 Susceptibility of BSE and scrapie isolates to laboratory facsimilies of rendering practices IAH, Neuropathogenesis Unit 1 April 1990 31 March 1997 Susceptibility of BSE agent to chemical and physical inactivation procedures applicable to the field/laboratory IAH, Neuropathogenesis Unit 1 April 1990 31 March 1996 supported by the Biotechnology and Biologial Sciences Research Council, but this Ministry does not hold detailed information on these.
As new research projects are submitted by potential contractors "in confidence" for consideration by officials of this Ministry details of these projects are unavailable.
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Project title Contractor Start date Proposed end date PrP gene variants and their potential as markers for natural and experimental scrapie susceptibility in sheep IAH, Neuropathogenesis Unit 1 April 1990 31 March 1994 Analysis of neuclic acid and differences between control and scrapie/BSE infected animals IAH, Neuropathogenesis Unit 1 April 1990 31 March 1994 Diagnosis of BSE by detection of abnormal deposits of PrP and other BSE-infection specific antigens IAH, Neuropathogenesis Unit 1 April 1990 31 March 1994 Development of an antemortem test for BSE and natural scrapie infection through the detection of abnormal deposits of PrP IAH, Neuropathogenesis Unit 1 April 1994 31 March 1997 Sheep PrP gene studies IAH, Neuropathogenesis Unit 1 April 1992 31 March 1993 Further analysis of nucleic acid differences between control and scrapie/BSE infected animals IAH, Neuropathogenesis Unit 1 April 1994 31 March 1997 Identification of genetic markers for susceptibility of sheep to scrapie IAH, Neuropathogenesis Unit 1 April 1994 31 March 1997 Evaluation of electrophysiological methods for the study of BSE Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1992 31 March 1993 A study of the diagnostic potential of behavioural abnormalities in BSE Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1992 31 March 1993 Diagnostic potential of the pharmacological manipulation of clinical signs of BSE Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1992 31 March 1993 Electrophoretic analysis of body fluids to identify diagnostic markers in BSE and scrapie Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1992 31 March 1996 Identification of BSE and scrapie infected animals by the detection of a urinary metabolite Central Veterinary Laboratory I April 1992 31 March 1995 Sensitivity studies of fibril detection techniques used in Electron Microscopy for the diagnosis of scrapie Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1991 30 September 1996 Biochemical approaches to the differential diagnosis of BSE in the live animal Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 November 1992 31 March 1995 Sensitivity of scrapie-associated fibrils from different breeds of sheep to proteinase K digestion Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 July 1992 31 March 1994 TSE fibril immunolabelling studies Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 July 1992 31 March 1994 Establishment of in-vitro culture of bovine cells for veterinary research Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 January 1993 31 March 1994 Production of sera suitable for the development of immunodiagnostic tests for transmissible spongiform Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1992 31 December 1993 Gain information on use of resistant rams as method of controlling or eradicating scrapie ADAS 1 April 1992 31 March 1999 Scale up of isolation of abnormal PrP from BSE infected tissue Birmingham University 1 June 1993 31 May 1994 Molecular characterisation of a single stranded (SS) DNA observed in scrapie infected hamster and mouse brain—Jointly funded by MAFF and BBSRC London Hospital Medical College 1 August 1993 31 July 1994 Studies of PrP gene of species naturally and experimentally infected with transmissible spongiform encephalopathies Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1992 31 March 1995 Significance of PrP and putative anti-PrP genes on susceptibility to transmission of spongiform encephalopathies Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1992 31 March 1994 Transcriptional control of the PrP promotor Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1994 31 March 1997
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Project title Contractor Start date Proposed end date Antibodies against the BSE agent Reading University, Department of Microbiology 1 February 1994 31 January 1995 Molecular characterisation of bovine PrP IAH, Compton Laboratory 1 April 1994 31 March 1995 BSE: Embryo transfer studies Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 October 1989 30 September 2000 Transmissibility of BSE to pigs by injection with brain homogenate Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1989 31 March 1998 Transmissibility of BSE to pigs by oral exposure to brain homogenate Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1990 31 May 1999 Transmissibility of BSE to cattle by oranasal exposure to placentae of affected cattle Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1992 31 May 1998 Transmissibility of BSE to domestic fowl by injection with brain homogenate Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1992 31 May 1999 Transmissibility of BSE to domestic fowl by oral exposure to brain homogenate Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1992 31 May 1999 Transmissibility of BSE to mink by intracerebral and by oral exposure to brain homogenate Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1992 31 December 1993 Transmissibility of BSE and natural scrapie to marmoset by stereotoxic intracerebral inoculation of brain homogenate Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1992 31 March 1993 Comparative efficiencies of the bioassay of BSE infectivity in cattle and mice Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1992 31 March 2006 Peripheral tissue distribution of the agent of spongiform encephalopathy in kudu Institute of Zoology 1 June 1993 31 May 1996 Injection of bovine embryos with BSE/PrP infectivity Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1993 31 March 1994 BSE: Transmissibility to cattle by injection with brain homogenate Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1993 31 March 1994 Transmissibility of scrapie to pigs by oral exposure to brain homogenate Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1993 31 December 2005 Pathogenesis of experimental BSE in cattle Central Veterinary Laboratory I April 1992 31 July 1998 Effect of oral innoculation dose on attack rate and incubation period of BSE in cattle Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1992 31 March 1996 Targeting of PrBSE: Immunohistological localisation Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1992 31 December 1995 Spinal cord pathology in BSE Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1992 31 March 1993 Extraneural pathology of natural and experimental BSE in cattle Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1992 31 March 1993 Neuronal morphology in BSE Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1992 31 May 1995 Morphometric and immunohistochemical studies of BSE Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1992 31 March 1993 Ultrastructural morphological and immunocylochemical studies of transmissible degenerative encephalopathies Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1992 31 March 1996 Potential role of anti-PrP in BSE Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 January 1992 31 March 1993 Aetiological studies of brainstem neuronal chromatolysis; a disorder clinically similar to BSE Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 October 1992 31 October 1997 Sequential observations of neurological signs in BSE Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1992 31 December 1995 Magnetic resonnance of imaging bovine brains Animal Health Trust 1 December 1993 31 January 1994 Morphometric evaluation of scrapied mice Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 May 1994 31 August 1995 Scrapie infection of sheep neural and extraneural cell lines Moredun Research Institute 1 January 1994 31 December 1996
Project title Contractor Start date Proposed end date For BSE work with ADAS ADAS 1 April 1991 31 March 1995
§ Mr. Campbell-SavoursTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list the projects which have been funded in the last three years; and which are under consideration for funding, that are related to establishing a live BSE identification test for cattle.
§ Mr. SoamesThe table lists those research projects on bovine spongiform encephalopathy supported by
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Research projects concerned with the diagnosis of BSE in live animals supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Project title Contractor Start date Proposed end date Large scale isolation of abnormal prion protein from BSE-infected tissue Birmingham University, Chemical Engineering 1 June 1991 31 May 1993 Transferrin ion binding in normal and abnormal plasma UL, UCL, Medical Microbiology 1 November 1992 31 October 1993 Continued Large scale isolation of abnormal PrP from BSE affected tissues Birmingham University 1 June 1994 31 May 1995 PrP gene variants and their potential as markers for natural and experimental scrapie susceptibility in sheep IAH, Neuropathogenesis Unit 1 April 1990 31 March 1994 Analysis of neuclic acid and differences between control and scrapie/BSE infected animals IAH, Neuropathogenesis Unit 1 April 1990 31 March 1994 Diagnosis of BSE by detection of abnormal deposits of PrP and other BSE-infection specific antigens IAH, Neuropathogenesis Unit 1 April 1990 31 March 1994 Development of an antemortem test for BSE and natural scrapie infection through the detection of abnormal deposits of Prp IAH, Neuropathogenesis Unit 1 April 1994 31 March 1997 Sheep PrP Gene studies Neuropathogenesis Unit 1 April 1992 31 March 1993 Further analysis of neuclicc acid differences between control and scrapie/BSE infected animals IAH, Neuropathogenesis Unit 1 April 1994 31 March 1997 Evaluation of electrophysiological methods for the study of BSE Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1992 31 March 1993 A study of the diagnostic potential of behavioural abnormalities in BSE Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1992 31 March 1993 Diagnostic potential of the pharmacologicial manipulation of clinica; signs of BSE Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1992 31 March 1993 Electrophoretic analysis of body fluids to identify diagnostic markers in BSE and scrapie Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1992 31 March 1996 Identification of BSE and scrapie infected animals by the detection of a urinary metabolite Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1992 31 March 1995 Sensitivity studies of fibril detection techniques used in Electron Microsocopy for the diagnosis of scrapie Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1991 30 September 1996 Biochemical approaches to the differential diagnosis of BSE in the live animal Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 November 1992 31 March 1995 Sensitivity of scrapie-associated fibrils from different breeds of sheep to proteinase K digestion Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 July 1992 31 March 1994 TSE fibril immunolabelling studies Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 July 1992 31 March 1994 Establishment of in-vitro culture of bovine cells for veterinary research Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 January 1993 31 March 1994 Production of sera suitable for the development of immunodiagnostic tests for transmissible spongiform Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1992 31 December 1993 Government during the last three years, which are related to establishing methods for diagnosing BSE in the live animal. Some of the other research projects funded by Government may also contribute to the developments of diagnostic methods, in as much as they contribute to knowledge about the nature of the infectious agent and the response of the infected animal.
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Project title Contractor Start date Proposed end date Gain information on use of resistant rams as method of controlling or eradicating scrapie ADAS, Redesdale 1 April 1992 31 March 1999 Scale up of isolation of abnormal PrP from BSE infected tissue Birmingham University 1 June 1993 31 May 1994 Molecular characterisation of a single stranded (SS) DNA observed in scrapie infected hamster and mouse brain London Hospital Medical College 1 August 1993 31 July 1994 Studies of PrP gene of species naturally and experimentally infected with transmissible spongiform encephalopathies Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1992 31 March 1995 Significance of PrP and putative anti-PrP genes on susceptibility to transmission of spongiform encephalopathies Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1992 31 March 1994 Transcriptional control of the PrP Promotor Central Veterinary Laboratory 1 April 1994 31 March 1997 Antibodies against the BSE agent Reading University, Department of Microbiology 1 February 1994 31 January 1995 Molecular characterisation of Bovine PrP IAH, Compton Laboratory [FPC] 1 April 1994 31 March 1995 Scrapie infection of sheep neural and extraneural cell lines Moredun Research Institute 1 January 1994 31 December 1996