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Monkeys at risk for bioterror bacteria put outdoors

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USA TODAY  by Alison Young                                 March 6, 2015

More than 175 monkeys that were potentially exposed to a bioterror bacteria inside a major Louisiana research complex were returned to their outdoor cages before officials knew the deadly pathogen was on the loose from a lab accident.

The new admission by the Tulane National Primate Research Center, in response to repeated questions from USA TODAY, raises further questions about contamination of the environment outside of the massive research campus north of New Orleans. The bacteria, which is not found in the United States and can cause severe disease in people and animals, can live and grow in soil and water.

"Some animals were released from the vet clinic early on, but the key thing is that all the animals have been traced," said Tulane spokesman Michael Strecker. Testing of the animals is ongoing to determine if they have been exposed to the bacterium, Burkholderia pseudomallei.

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http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/03/05/at-risk-monkeys-released-from-tulane-hospital/24471615/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rhesus macaques are the type of monkey potentially exposed to the bacteria.(Photo: Joshua Moglia, AP)

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usatoday.com - by Alison Young - March 5, 2015

A dangerous, often deadly, type of bacteria that lives in soil and water has been released from a high-security laboratory at the Tulane National Primate Research Center in Louisiana. Officials say there is no risk to the public. Yet despite weeks of investigation by multiple federal and state agencies, the cause of the release and the extent of the contamination remain unknown, according to interviews and records obtained by USA TODAY.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

usatoday.com - by Alison Young - March 4, 2015

Tests indicate a fifth monkey had been exposed to deadly bacteria that was somehow released from a high-security lab at the Tulane National Primate Research Center near New Orleans, according to an e-mail circulated among federal and state investigators. The monkey, like the others before it, was not part of an experiment. How the dangerous pathogen got out of its lab remains a mystery.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

Investigators Find Likely Cause of Bioterror Bacteria Transmission at Lab

cbsnews.com - by Jessica Firger - March 13, 2015

Federal health officials say they have completed their investigation into how lethal bioterror bacteria may have been accidentally transferred from a high-containment laboratory to the Tulane National Primate Research Center near New Orleans. The incident caused several primates and one employee at the facility to test positive for burkholderia pseudomalleim. . .

. . . Officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Animal and Plant Inspection Services, say inspectors have discovered there were lapses in appropriate use of personal protective equipment and incorrect use of outerwear at the lab.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

CLICK HERE - CDC - Melioidosis (Whitmore's disease)

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