ACDP |
Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens |
ACVO |
Assistant Chief Veterinary Officer |
ADAS |
Agricultural Development and Advisory Service; formerly an executive arm of MAFF; privatised 1997 |
AFRC |
Agriculture and Food Research Council: became the BBSRC in 1994 |
AHVG |
Animal Health and Veterinary Group |
ARC |
Agricultural Research Council: later the AFRC, then BBSRC |
BABs |
Cattle verified as having been Born After the ruminant feed Ban (18 July 1988) and confirmed to be BSE positive |
BBSRC |
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council |
Bioassay |
Test for disease using a live animal |
BSE |
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy |
BVA |
British Veterinary Association |
CIEH |
Chartered Institute of Environmental Health |
CJD |
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease |
CJDSU |
National CJD Surveillance Unit, Edinburgh |
CMO |
Chief Medical Officer |
CNS |
Central Nervous System |
CSM |
Committee on Safety of Medicines |
CVL |
Central Veterinary Laboratory, Weybridge, Surrey; part of MAFF |
CVO |
Chief Veterinary Officer |
DAFS |
Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland (now SOAEFD: Scottish Office Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries Department) |
Dam |
Female parent of a calf or other animal |
DANI |
Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland |
Dead-end host |
An infectious host which is incapable of, or prevented from, passing the infection to another host |
DES |
Department of Education and Science |
DH |
Department of Health (since 1988; previously part of the Department of Health and Social Security) |
DVO |
Divisional Veterinary Officer |
EC |
European Community (now incorporated into the European Union) |
EHO |
Environmental Health Officer |
ELISA |
Enzyme Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay. Refers here to a test to measure small amounts of a particular protein in solution, using specific antibodies to identify the species origin of protein in animal feed |
EU |
European Union |
Foramen Magnum |
The hole in the base of the skull through which the spinal cord passes |
FSE |
Feline spongiform encephalopathy |
Greaves |
A product of the rendering process, after the extraction of tallow, which is further processed into MBM |
hGH |
Human growth hormone |
HSE |
Health and Safety Executive |
IAH |
Institute for Animal Health |
i.c. |
Intracerebral (into the brain - by injection) |
i.p. |
Intraperitonal (into the abdominal cavity - by injection) |
i.v. |
Intravenous (into a vein - by injection) |
IEHO |
Institution of Environmental Health Officers (later CIEH: Chartered Institute of Environmental Health) |
Kuru |
A human transmissible spongiform encephalopathy |
Lamming Committee |
Expert Group on Animal Feeding stuffs |
MAFF |
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food |
MBM |
Meat and bone meal |
MHS |
Meat Hygiene Service |
MRC |
Medical Research Council |
MRM |
Mechanically recovered meat |
NFU |
National Farmers' Union |
NIBSC |
National Institute for Biological Standards and Control |
NIH |
National Institute(s) of Health, USA |
NPU |
Neuropathogenesis Unit, Edinburgh |
OPs |
Organophosphates, or organophosphorus compounds |
OST |
Office for Science and Technology |
PES |
Public Expenditure Survey |
PFMA |
Pet Food Manufacturers' Association |
PHLS |
Public Health Laboratory Service |
PrP (Prion protein) |
Protease-resistant membrane protein; a normal, host coded protein that becomes protease-resistant and accumulates around CNS lesions in TSEs |
R&D |
Research and Development |
RMHA |
Regional Meat Hygiene Adviser |
Ruminant feed ban |
This banned the use of MBM (unless derived from non-ruminants) in feed for ruminants (mainly cattle and sheep) |
RVO |
Regional Veterinary Officer |
SAF |
Scrapie-associated fibril |
SBO |
Specified Bovine Offal: specified cattle tissues banned for consumption - brain, spinal cord, spleen, thymus, tonsils and intestines |
Scrapie |
A transmissible spongiform encephalopathy endemic in British sheep. Also found in goats |
ScVC |
Scientific Veterinary Committee of the EU |
SE |
Spongiform encephalopathy |
SEAC |
Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee. Set up in April 1990 in response to the Tyrrell Committee's recommendations to advise on matters related to SEs |
SERC |
Spongiform Encephalopathy Research Council |
Slow virus |
A virus whose effects on the nervous system take a long time to show after their initial infection of the host |
SOAEFD |
Scottish Office Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries Department (formerly DAFS: Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland) |
ssDNA |
Single-stranded DNA |
SVS |
State Veterinary Service, MAFF |
Tallow |
The fat produced by the rendering process |
Titration |
Ascertaining the amount of a substance in a solution by measuring the volume of a standard reagent required to react with it |
Titre |
A measure of concentration of a substance in a solution |
TME |
Transmissible mink encephalopathy |
Tolworth |
Headquarters of part of MAFF and of the SVS |
TSE |
Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy |
UKASTA |
UK Agricultural Supply Trade Association |
UKRA |
UK Renderers' Association |
VFS |
Veterinary Field Service |
VIC |
Veterinary Investigation Centre (of the VIS) |
VIS |
Veterinary Investigation Service, MAFF |
WHO |
World Health Organisation |
WOAD |
Welsh Office Agriculture Department |
