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West Virginia sheep producers are encouraged to have their rams tested for a genetic susceptibility to a mad cow-like illness called scrapie. The West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) is offering the service free of charge as part of a national program aimed at eradicating scrapie.
“A simple blood test can determine if a ram carries the genetic susceptibility to the disease, or if it’s one that has a genetic resistance against scrapie,” said State Veterinarian Gary Kinder. “A resistant ram is good breeding stock because he won’t pass along susceptibility to his offspring.”
The long-term goal of the program is the nationwide eradication of scrapie, which annually causes significant loss of production in infected flocks and limits export marketing.
“Scrapie has plagued the farmers of this state for a long time,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass. “I hope our producers will take advantage of this program, which can go a long way toward eradicating this disease.”
To participate in the voluntary testing program, producers should call the WVDA Animal Health Division at 304-558-2214 to schedule genetic testing for their rams.
Scrapie is a fatal, degenerative disease affecting the central nervous system of sheep and goats. First documented in Great Britain and other countries of Western Europe more than 250 years ago, scrapie has been reported throughout the world. Only two countries are recognized by the United States as being free of scrapie: Australia and New Zealand. Scrapie has been diagnosed in more than 1,000 flocks in this country.
Scrapie – so named because one symptom of the disease involves rubbing against fence posts or trees – is classified as a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE), the same kind of malady that causes mad cow disease in cattle, chronic waste disease in deer and elk, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans.
There is no evidence that scrapie is transmitted to humans through direct contact, or through the consumption of sheep or goat products.
The West Virginia Department of Agriculture protects plant, animal and human health through a variety of scientific, regulatory and consumer protection programs, as mandated by state law. The Commissioner of Agriculture is one of six statewide elected officials in West Virginia. Currently, Commissioner Gus R. Douglass is the longest-serving agriculture commissioner in the nation. For more information, visit www.wvagriculture.org.
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