Urine test may flag mad cow disease in live cattle

Canadian researchers said on Friday they have found a possible way to test living cattle for mad cow disease, using protein traces in urine.

They found a pattern of proteins in the urine of cattle infected with the disease, known scientifically as bovine spongiform encephalopathy or BSE.

This pattern could form the basis of a urine test that could be used to check cattle for the illness -- which in turn could greatly ease the way cattle are now tested.

Current tests require samples of brain tissue to detect misfolded prions -- a protein fragment that causes BSE and related diseases. They take several days to run and cannot be used on live animals -- or people.

"We are hopeful that the knowledge that we've gained from this study will eventually lead to a live test," Dr. David Knox, a researcher at the Public Health Agency of Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, said in a statement.