The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Tuesday it had confirmed the first new case of mad-cow disease since 2006 after the illness was suspected in a California dairy cow.
The cow was tested as part of the USDA's ongoing surveillance system for the disease. The USDA tests about 40,000 cows per year. This is the fourth case of mad-cow disease reported in the U.S.
Agency officials stressed that no meat from the animal entered the human food supply, though some dairy cows are slaughtered for food. USDA officials said they don't expect any foreign countries to ban U.S. beef because of the new mad-cow case.