LOS ANGELES – Banning beef from Brazil's Parana state is spreading among countries, according to the Los Angeles Times. After Brazil recently revealed the discovery of a cow with proteins that cause bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), Saudi Arabia, Egypt, South Korea, China, South Africa and Japan announced their countries are not buying beef from the region.

The cow in question, which died two years ago, did not die of the disease, Brazil's agriculture ministry reported earlier this month. Animals classified as having "atypical BSE," such as in this case, may or may not get BSE.

Brazil is the world's largest beef exporter and reported total exports of 1 million tons during the first 10 months of 2012.

Earlier this year, a similar case of atypical BSE occurred in California. Like the cow in Parana, that animal did not enter the food chain and there was no major impact on US beef exports. The World Animal Health Organization confirmed the Brazil case of atypical BSE plus maintained its status as a low-risk country for BSE.