(Creative Commons)

According to USA Today, there is no danger to humans as the meat never entered the food supply.  The case was discovered through routine testing Monday night after the dairy cow had been sent to a transfer station in Hanford, Calif.

Humans cannot catch mad cow, also known as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), by drinking milk, said Reuters.  Evidence only supports transmission is possible by consuming the tissue of the brain or spine of an infected cow.

The disease stems from changes in a protein and not from a virus, said Bloomberg.  Cases like this are generally rare and atypical--this is only the fourth case of mad-cow found in a U.S. herd.

The NY Times reports the body will remain at the rendering facility where it was transferred to and will be destroyed, likely through incineration, once USDA inspectors finish investigating the incident.

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