Specified risk material

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Specified risk material (SRM) is the general term designated for infective tissues that transmit BSE and other TSE prions.

1 BSE
- 1.1 BSE SRMs
- 1.2 Removal of BSE SRMs
2 References
3 See also

[edit] BSE

The BSE infective agent has been found to concentrate in specific tissues of BSE-infected cattle and these tissues are all part of the central nervous system, as BSE has not been shown to infect muscle.

[edit] BSE SRMs

In both the United States (U.S.) and Canada, considered low risk countries, SRMs are defined as: skull, brain, trigeminal ganglia (nerves attached to brain and close to the skull exterior), eyes, spinal cord, distal ileum (a part of the small intestine), and the dorsal root ganglia (nerves attached to the spinal cord and close to the vertebral column) of cattle aged 30 months or older. In the United Kingdom, and other countries classified as moderate to high risk, the OIE code recommends SRM removal as follows: tonsils and intestines in cattle at all ages; brains, eyes, spinal cord, skull and vertebral column form animals over twelve months of age.^[1]

[edit] Removal of BSE SRMs

The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) has established recommendations and guidelines for SRM removal based on the level of risk. In the U.S., tonsils are removed from cattle of all ages. SRMs must be removed at slaughter and disposed as inedible material. The dorsal root ganglia must be removed during the deboning process and in animal older than 30 months, the vertebral column (excluding the vertebrae of the tail, the transverse processes of the lumbar and thoracic vertebrae, and the wings of the sacrum) is removed to be certain the dorsal root ganglia is extracted in its entirety. ^[2]