The European Union summary report on surveillance for the presence of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies ( TSE ) in 2018

This report presents the results of surveillance on transmissible spongiform encephalopathies ( TSE ) in bovine animals, sheep, goats, cervids and other species, and genotyping in sheep, carried out in 2018 by 28 Member States ( MS ) according to legislation, and by Iceland, North Macedonia, Norway and Switzerland (non‐ MS ). In total, 1,181,934 cattle were tested by MS , a 10% decrease from 2017 and 20,402 by the four non‐ MS . One case of classical bovine spongiform encephalopathy ( BSE ) was reported in 2018 by the UK , born after the enforcement of the total feed ban. Three atypical BSE cases (2 L‐type/1 H‐type) were reported by France. Over the year, a total of 325,386 sheep and 138,128 goats were tested in the EU , an increase of 3.4% and 17.8%, respectively, compared to 2017. In sheep, 934 cases of scrapie were reported: 821 classical (99 index cases and 97.8% with genotypes of susceptible groups) by 7 MS and 113 atypical (105 index cases) by 14 MS . Twenty‐nine ovine scrapie cases were reported by Iceland and Norway. Random genotyping was only reported by eight MS and after excluding Cyprus showed that 18.7% of the genotyped sheep carried genotypes of the susceptible groups. In goats, 523 cases of scrapie were reported: 517 classical (44 index cases) by seven MS and six atypical (all index cases) by four MS . The heterogenous enforcement of a 3‐year surveillance programme for chronic wasting disease ( CWD ) from 1/1/2018 in six MS (Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden) resulted in the testing of 5,110 cervids and the confirmation of the first case of CWD in the EU : a wild moose in Finland. Other six MS tested 3,075 cervids with no positive results. Norway tested 33,037 cervids in 2018, resulting in seven new cases: six reindeer and one moose. In total, 105 animals from three other species were tested by two MS , with negative results.