Scientifically known as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) or mad cow disease, it was found in screening tests and verified by the national veterinary laboratory.
The infected 15-year-old Holstein-Frisian cow was found on the island of Pico. Its carcass was destroyed immediately following sanitation procedures.
The Azores government also had other animals in contact with the infected cow destroyed.
A variant form of a disease similar to BSE called Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease (CJD) can also inflict humans. It is claimed to be due to consuming contaminated beef products from BSE-diseased cattle.
The head of the Azores agriculture federation, Vergilio Oliveira, said that the effective testing for the latest case of mad cow disease confirms the efficiency of the islands' screening system.
