A potential case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy has been identified in a Manitoba cow, officials with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Friday.

Dr. Wayne Lees, chief veterinary officer for Manitoba, said the animal, from the Interlake area, was born well before 1997, when Canada imposed a ban on the type of feed associated with BSE.

Lees said the animal did not enter the human or animal food systems.

"It was a cow that would have been bred every year, and then the calves would have been sent for feedlot use down the road," he said, adding that there is almost no chance the cow could have passed the disease to its offspring.

Lees said the animal was showing signs of BSE — including difficulty walking. The owner had it euthanized and it was sent for inspection.

Preliminary screening tests conducted by the provincial government and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency detected the potential case of BSE.

Samples have been sent to the national microbiology laboratory in Winnipeg for further testing, with results expected next week.