Canada could be facing another case of the deadly mad cow disease as a "suspicious sample" was under confirmatory tests, said the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) on Sunday.

"We are undergoing such testing on a suspicious sample," CFIA spokesman Mark Van Dusen was quoted as saying by the Canadian Press.

Officials should be able to confirm within 48 hours whether the animal has mad cow disease, also called bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), Dusen said.

However, Dusen said officials did not believe parts of the cow had entered the human-food system, or were used to feed other animals.

The United States opened its borders to Canadian cattle in July, the first time since May 2003, when an Albertan cow tested positive for the BSE. The two-year ban cost the Canadian cattle industry an estimated 7 billion Canadian dollars (about 6 billion US dollars).