Goofy Aggies At It Again.

FirefightnRick · June 27, 2007

A&M covered up bio-weapon infections, group says

By R.A. DYER

rdyer@star-telegram.com

AUSTIN -- Three Texas A&M University researchers became accidentally infected with a highly contagious biological weapons agent last year and then university officials covered it up, an Austin-based watchdog group alleged Tuesday.

The infections were confirmed in April 2006, but the university did not report them to the Centers for Disease Control until recently, in violation of federal law, the watchdog group alleged.

The biological weapons agent is known as Coxiella burnetti, or "Q Fever," according to the watchdog group.

The organization's director said Q Fever is extremely contagious, although fatal in only 1 or 2 percent of cases and is treatable with antibiotics. A university official released a document that indicates the individuals did not become ill.

"A&M's infection of its staff and students with bioweapons agents and its serial violations of (federal regulations) demand law enforcement," said Edward Hammond, director of the Sunshine Project, a bioweapons watchdog group based in Austin. He said the university should be slapped with severe sanctions under the federal Bioterrorism Act.

"Congress surely did not intend biology professors to consider law to prevent bioterrorism optional," said Hammond. His organization earlier became the first to report a separate A&M incident in 2006 in which another worker also became infected with a biological agent.

The university said that elevated indicators of Q-Fever exposure were detected among three individuals during an annual survey for an occupational health plan. "In connection with the ongoing investigation by CDC, the university adopted a procedure in April 2007 that redefines occupational exposure ... (and) we dutifully reported ... to the CDC following the adoption of this procedure," A&M Interim Vice President and Provost Jerry R. Strawser said Tuesday in a prepared statement.

"We are awaiting a CDC response and will have no further comment until that time," he said.

A spokesman for the Atlanta-based CDC said the agency had begun an investigation, and that it appears that notification protocols were not followed. But CDC spokesman Von Roebuck also said it would be left to the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services to assess any necessary fine or penalty. He said he did not know when the CDC investigation would be completed.

Documents that the Sunshine Project said it obtained through the Texas open records law reveal the latest infections were confirmed on April 3, 2006, when representatives of a local hospital called A&M Professor James Samuel as well as university institutional biosafety officer Brent Maddox.

The watchdog group said it remains unclear how the infections occurred, although it noted that Samuel's lab conducts research with pigs. A biosafety officer reported the apparent accident to the co-chairmen of the Texas A&M Institutional Biosafety Committee, according to documents obtained by the watchdog group.

"But no mention of a Q Fever accident appears in Texas A&M's biosafety committee meeting minutes," the organization states. "In fact, Texas A&M has produced zero documentation, such as accident reports, lab paperwork, lessons learned, modified operating procedures, or anything else except a few sparse e-mails for either the Q Fever or the (earlier) accident. This is despite open records requests for such paperwork."

The organization said that federal law would have required A&M to report the infections immediately and to file a federal report within 7 days -- a contention that appears to be supported through information provided to the Star-Telegram by the federal CDC.

"If Texas A&M's replies under the Texas Public Information Act are to be believed," said Hammond, "then four people at the university have been infected with bioweapons agents without responsible A&M professors and other officials even bothering to file a simple incident report, much less alert the community or report to public health officials."

R.A. Dyer reports from the Star-Telegram’s Austin bureau, 512-476-4294

meangreendork · June 27, 2007

"MURPHY! MURPHY!"

Wow, I thought our school had problems, but none of them potentially put the university at risk with a contagion. Thank goodness that lethality is so low.

Stan R · June 28, 2007

A&M covered up bio-weapon infections, group says
By R.A. DYER
rdyer@star-telegram.com
AUSTIN -- Three Texas A&M University researchers became accidentally infected with a highly contagious biological weapons agent last year and then university officials covered it up, an Austin-based watchdog group alleged Tuesday.

Wow, you can't make this kind of stuff up!