A new case of mad cow disease was found in the southwestern Austrian city of Graz, bringing to three the total reported cases of mad cow disease in the country, the health and food security bureau said on Wednesday.

The 60-month-old infected cow was imported from Slovenia and sent to a slaughter house in Graz, the Austrian news agency quoted the bureau as saying.

Local sanitary authorities discovered and confirmed the infection during a routine inspection, it said.

The infected cow had not entered the food chain and thus would not pose a threat to public health, the Ministry for Health and Women's Issues said in a statement.

Mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), is caused by abnormal or misfolded prion proteins in an animal's brain.

Austria's first mad cow disease case was discovered four years ago and a second case was reported in June this year.

Source: Xinhua