BiolabsEscape of deadly bacteria at Louisiana bio-research facility raises concerns

Weeks after federal and state officials launched an investigation into how the burkholderia pseudomallei bacteria which causes life-threatening disease Melioidosis, escaped a laboratory at the Tulane National Primate Research Center in Louisiana, another investigation is now looking into how a veterinary clinic worker might have been exposed to the bacteria.

Humans and primates can become infected with the bacteria if they come in contact with soil or water where the bacteria lives and grows. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the bacteria is native to tropical climates like Southeast Asia and northern Australia where infection rates can be high.

The Washington Post reports that Tulane was conducting vaccine research on the bacteria in a laboratory that requires a biosafety level 3 rating — the second highest security level.

In the first investigation, officials discovered that the bacteria had infected at least five monkeys who later had to be euthanized. Though there is no risk to the general public, the discovery has raised questions about the procedures at several biolabs that are responsible for highly infectious and deadly substances. Last year, the CDC acknowledged that it improperly handled samples and vials of agents including anthrax, botulism bacteria, and bird flu on five separate occasions in the last decade at its Atlanta laboratory.

All five of the rhesus macaque monkeys that tested positive for burkholderia pseudomallei were treated at Tulane’s veterinary clinic, where the clinic worker was also employed. According to Andrew Lackner, the director of the Tulane center, the only commonality among the moneys “was their presence in the veterinary hospital during the same period of time.” He added that the moneys were never a part of any research involving burkholderia pseudomallei and were kept in a building separate from where the bacteria was held.

A USA Today investigation has reported that the CDC and Tulane suspect the moneys were exposed to the bacteria inside the center’s veterinary hospital. It is still unknown how the bacteria got into the clinic.

The clinic worker’s test results are still preliminary and final results will be available early this week. “The amount of antibodies found in the employee was just at the threshold for a verified positive result,” CDC spokesman Jason McDonald told USA Today in an e-mail. “This level is sometimes found in members of the public, even among those who have no history or knowledge of actual exposure.”