Wisconsin Dead Cows Mystery Solved

January 31st, 2011 - 8:37 pm ICT by GD  

By Madhuri Dey
alg_cow_death_mysteryJan 31, (THAINDIAN NEWS) The mass death of cows that had wreaked havoc in Wisconsin earlier this month was not due to some infectious virus instead an outcome of the consumption of tainted potatoes. The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory recently stated that the animals died due to a food poisoning. 200 cows had died mysteriously all of a sudden in a farm at the Portage County.

The death of the animals had come across as a severe bolt not only for the farm owner but for every one who came across the news. Scientists of the state lab focused on the issue and after several researches arrived at the conclusion that the animals had died due to the spoiled sweet potatoes. The tainted sweet potatoes were given to the animals as a part of their food course. The owner of the animals at first had said that the cows died due to a common cow virus. However, the reason did not appear to be enough for the researchers who now are claiming that it was possibly a mycotoxin in the tainted sweet potatoes that had affected the health of the cows. Peter Vanderloo, associate director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory cited that the toxin was the reason for the death. He however, has assured that there is no danger to the human health.

Scientists of the lab had conducted tests on the dead cows after which they found out that the toxin was present in the body of the dead cows. Food that is not meant for human consumption is generally offered to the animals which is why these sweet potatoes were never included in the stock for human food supply.

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