Spring Break
A&M under investigation after disease transmission
By: Candace Birkelbach
Issue date: 4/24/07 Section: News
The incident occurred when the researcher was cleaning a chamber that contained aerosolized brucella by climbing partially into it, which A&M officials said was inappropriate lab protocol. A&M officials later concluded that the brucella bacteria likely entered her body via her eyes as a result of this improper procedure.
Supervising was David McMurray, an A&M microbial and molecular pathogenesis professor and self-described inventor of the Madison Aerosol Chamber.
This is the third instance of lab-acquired infections related to the Madison chamber that the Sunshine Project has uncovered. Hammond said the others were in Seattle and New York City.
"These accidents do happen and are not uncommon at bio facilities," Moore said.
Hammond said the main concern with these types of incidents is the reporting procedure and that this is not only a problem at A&M.
"The biggest problem is that labs are subject to federal laws, which are flawed," Hammond said. "We need to change them so there is a single reporting requirement that makes sense, that universities and labs will actually obey, and we don't have that right now."
Hammond said this incident also shows how the federal government is encouraging labs to do more aggressive and risky research since Sept. 11.
Sunshine Project reported that more than 400 labs across the country are using bioweapons for research with about 20,000 people at those facilities.
"The two major facilities using bioweapon research in Texas are located at the UT Medical Branch in Galveston and the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical research in San Antonio," Hammond said. "A&M and UT have smaller levels of bioweapon research."
He said A&M is involved with multiple projects using brucella and also the bioweapon, "Q Fever," which is generally not lethal and may have been used in the Cuban Missile Crisis to weaken people.
Because A&M still has not released all the records he requested, Hammond said he filed a complaint with the attorney general in Austin and will be looking into why records are being withheld along with the CDC.
"Based on his assumptions, (Hammond) thinks A&M purposely covered this up, which I agree would cause great concern, but we just want same information out as the CDC," Moore said.
Supervising was David McMurray, an A&M microbial and molecular pathogenesis professor and self-described inventor of the Madison Aerosol Chamber.
This is the third instance of lab-acquired infections related to the Madison chamber that the Sunshine Project has uncovered. Hammond said the others were in Seattle and New York City.
"These accidents do happen and are not uncommon at bio facilities," Moore said.
Hammond said the main concern with these types of incidents is the reporting procedure and that this is not only a problem at A&M.
"The biggest problem is that labs are subject to federal laws, which are flawed," Hammond said. "We need to change them so there is a single reporting requirement that makes sense, that universities and labs will actually obey, and we don't have that right now."
Hammond said this incident also shows how the federal government is encouraging labs to do more aggressive and risky research since Sept. 11.
Sunshine Project reported that more than 400 labs across the country are using bioweapons for research with about 20,000 people at those facilities.
"The two major facilities using bioweapon research in Texas are located at the UT Medical Branch in Galveston and the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical research in San Antonio," Hammond said. "A&M and UT have smaller levels of bioweapon research."
He said A&M is involved with multiple projects using brucella and also the bioweapon, "Q Fever," which is generally not lethal and may have been used in the Cuban Missile Crisis to weaken people.
Because A&M still has not released all the records he requested, Hammond said he filed a complaint with the attorney general in Austin and will be looking into why records are being withheld along with the CDC.
"Based on his assumptions, (Hammond) thinks A&M purposely covered this up, which I agree would cause great concern, but we just want same information out as the CDC," Moore said.
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