For all cattle ages, which materials are specified risk materials?

• A. Tonsils and distal ileum
• B. Skull and vertebral column
• C. Lungs and heart
• D. Liver and kidneys

Answer: (A)

The key idea is which tissues are designated as specified risk materials because they are most likely to harbor BSE prions and must be removed from the food chain. For cattle of all ages, the tissues that are considered SRMs are the tonsils and the distal ileum. These tissues are lymphoid-rich areas where prions can accumulate early, so they’re targeted for removal regardless of the animal’s age to reduce human exposure.

Other tissues like the skull and vertebral column are SRMs too, but only for cattle older than a certain age, not for all ages. Lungs and heart or liver and kidneys are not classified as SRMs under these broad-age rules, so they don’t carry the same prohibition.

So the correct choice reflects tissues that are SRMs across all ages because of their high potential to contain infectious prions.