How Safe Are Our Bio-Labs? Oct 9, 2007
The CDC then dispatched investigators who uncovered a host of other violations, including unauthorized experiments, failure to report three other infections of Q fever, failure to have all technicians vetted by the FBI, and missing pathogens and infected animals. "Unfortunately, the CDC's August investigation revealed not only shortcomings on Texas Art, but also shortcomings on the part of CDC's own oversight," said Bart Stupak, chairman of the House Oversight and Investigations Committee. (Time.com)
Deadly Germ Labs Unchecked Oct 5, 2007
The major known cover-up came at Texas Are lab officials failed to report worker exposures to Brucella bacteria and Q fever. One worker became seriously ill but recovered. (CBS News)
CDC pledges stepped-up scrutiny for germ labs Oct 5, 2007
The Sunshine Project, through the Texas open records law, discovered not only the Brucella infection but the exposure of three other workers to the agent that causes Q fever, a virulent but uncommon infection linked to another bacterium. Dr. Richard Besser, the CDC's antiterrorism coordinator, told the House hearing that the agency is looking to improve its inspection program. (Boston Globe)
Mishandling of germs on rise at U.S. labs Oct 5, 2007
Texas Aboratory failed to report, until this year, one case of a lab worker's infection from Brucella bacteria last year and three others' previous infection with Q fever - missteps documented in news reports earlier this year. The illnesses are characterized by high fevers and flu-like symptoms that sometimes cause more serious complications. (Herald Online, SC -- Health)
CDC Considers Increased Lab Scrutiny Oct 5, 2007
" The CDC inspects high-security research laboratories once every three years, although there are additional inspections when an accident is reported or a lab changes its research. Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce investigations subcommittee, said CDC inspectors who visited the Texas A&M lab last year - shortly after a worker was exposed to Brucella bacteria - didn't catch the problem. The lab was required to report the exposure to the government immediately,... (Tampa Bay Online, FL -- News)
More than 100 incidents reported at labs handling deadly germs Oct 2, 2007
At Texas A&M, officials failed to report until this year one case of a lab worker's infection from Brucella bacteria last year and the previous infection of 3 others with Q fever. The increase in accidents is raising concerns about the oversight and procedures at high-security labs. (KSLA.com, LA)
CDC Inspections Didnt Find Most Serious Problems At A&M Sep 26, 2007
KWTX.COM Most Popular. The Supreme Court says it will rule on whether execution by lethal injection is constitutional. (KWTX.com, TX)
Texas teen battles back from mystery illness Sep 23, 2007
dozen or more possible explanations Rocky Mountain spotted fever, West Nile virus, Legionnaires disease, Lyme disease, Q fever, tuberculosis, adenovirus, hantavirus and more. As long as it s not the hantavirus, we ll be OK, Bob tells Donna. (KHOU.com, TX)
Outbreak of Q fever investigated Sep 21, 2007
Q fever tends to be more common around the lambing season. An outbreak of a rare illness called Q Fever, which is caught from infected livestock, is being investigated in the Cheltenham area ... Epidemiologist Dr Deirdre Lewis said: "Q fever is generally a mild infection but we know that it can cause complications, so we've been keen to look into this as thoroughly as we can. "We've not had any reported cases of Q fever in Gloucestershire residents since 2002, so seeing 28, mostly from the... (BBC News -- Health)
Cue a mystery as Q fever strikes 28 Sep 21, 2007
A rare but highly infectious outbreak of Q fever is being investigated after health officials confirmed that 28 people in Gloucestershire had contracted the bug, which is spread by livestock ... Contact with livestock or animal products is often enough to catch Q fever, although it is dangerous only in a few cases ... GPs across the area have been asked to consider Q fever when testing any patients who show pneumonia-like symptoms. (Guardian Unlimited)
CDC lab in disease scare upgraded Sep 15, 2007
None of the employees contracted Q fever, an animal disease that can cause high fevers in humans, but the preliminary scare was real enough that all 10 were given both an initial and follow-up blood test, officials said ... "It was limited to only those folks who were in that adjacent space next to the Q fever lab." ... Mechanical failures were also to blame in the Q fever lab. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- World)
A&M President Promises To Fix Bioweapons Lab Problems Sep 7, 2007
The inspections came after one worker was infected last year with Brucella and three others were exposed to Q fever. Both diseases are highly contagious in animals and rarely fatal in humans. (KWTX.com, TX)
Feds Wont Allow A&M To Resume Research On Toxic Agents Sep 5, 2007
The CDC has been investigating practices and conditions at the labs after one worker became infected last year with Brucella and three others were exposed to Q fever. More Stories. (KWTX.com, TX)
Government Won't Let A&M Do Some Toxins Research Sep 5, 2007
The agency, part of the federal Department of Health and Human Services, has been investigating practices and conditions at the labs after one worker became infected last year with Brucella and three others were exposed to Q fever. Both diseases, highly contagious in animals, are rarely fatal in humans but can cause high fever and flulike symptoms. (CBS 11, TX)
CDC publishes investigation report, warns Texas A&M of indefinite ban Sep 5, 2007
Since April, CDC officials have been investigating an Aent researcher, who was exposed to Brucella, while cleaning a lab cage, and three researchers, who were exposed to Q fever, both of which are CDC-listed bioterrorism agents. The University could face a funding suspension or up to $500,000 in fines for failing to report the cases. (The Battalion, TX)
CDC reprimands Texas A&M over lab safety Sep 5, 2007
The CDC report doesn't indicate whether the university will face a penalty for failing to report one lab worker's infection with Brucella and three others' exposure to Q fever last year ... At least seven cases where Texas A&M allowed unauthorized access to select agents, including Brucella and Q fever ... Around that same time, three other researchers received blood tests that showed they had elevated levels of Q fever antibodies, indicating they had been exposed. (KHOU.com, TX)
Infectious bacteria, viruses live in local labs Aug 25, 2007
According to media reports, internal records showed that three lab workers were exposed to Q fever and one became ill after being infected with brucella, both livestock diseases that can infect humans. In 2004, researchers at the Children's Hospital Research Institute in Oakland injected live anthrax from a lab in Maryland into mice. (North County Times)
Pathogens prevalent in unpasteurized milk Aug 21, 2007
Although Coxiella probably doesn't survive the human digestive process, and more than 50 percent of Coxiella seroconversions in humans are asymptomatic, C. burnetii can, nonetheless, cause Q fever in humans. Dr. Gibbons-Burgener noted that in 2004, an elderly Wisconsin dairy farmer developed acute Q fever after assisting with calving ... Q fever is characterized by the sudden onset of one or more of the following symptoms: high fever, severe headache, general malaise, muscle soreness, confusion,... (Scientific American)
Biolabs, CDC get Congress' attention Aug 8, 2007
Davis cited two lab accidents at Texas Aersity that resulted in exposing staff to Brucella and to Q fever. He noted the university waited a year to alert CDC, which has suspended government research on bioterrorism agents there while it investigates. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Vice president for research resigns after CDC investigation Aug 3, 2007
CDC officials were back on campus in June investigating three researchers exposed to Q fever, another CDC-listed bioterrorism agent. Ewing will return to the Department of Mathematics to resume his post of tenured professor. (The Battalion, TX)
Elderly woman dies of rare fever Jul 30, 2007
She was one of five people from the Riverland town of Waikerie to contract Q fever over the past few months, the outbreak linked to a local goat abattoir. All those involved lived near the abattoir. (NEWS.com.au)
Chronic fatigue syndrome finally gains official respect Jul 19, 2007
Studies have linked the onset of chronic fatigue syndrome with an acute bout of Lyme disease, Q fever, Ross River virus, parvovirus, mononucleosis and other infectious diseases. "It's unlikely that this big cluster of people who fit the symptoms all have the same triggers," said Kimberly McCleary, president of the Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome Association of America, the advocacy group in charge of the CDC-sponsored awareness campaign. (International Herald Tribune)
A&M loses bid for biodefense site Jul 13, 2007
The CDC's investigation stemmed from two unreported cases of exposure in 2006 when researchers came in contact with the biological agents brucella and Q Fever. Regulations require incidents to be reported within a week, but Anistrators didn't report the exposures until this past spring. (The Battalion, TX)
Chronic Fatigue: Clues In The Blood Jul 9, 2007
Since 1999, the team has been tracking the long-term health of individuals infected with Ross River virus (RRV), Q fever infection and Epstein-Barr virus, which causes glandular fever. These [35] genes might point to the nature of the disease process that underlies CFS, which is currently unknown, said Professor Lloyd, who is based in the School of Medical Sciences at UNSW. None of them are ones that I would have predicted, except for those relating to neurotransmitters, he concedes. (Science Daily)
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Is Linked to Genes, Infection, Researchers Find Jul 6, 2007
His team of researchers will extend their investigation to determine whether the same genes may be associated with chronic fatigue following bouts of infections such as Ross River virus and Q fever. Infectious mononucleosis is known as glandular fever in Australia and the U.K.. (Bloomberg -- Canada)
Plague of Bioweapons Accidents Afflict U.S. Jul 6, 2007
The Q fever incident took place at Texas Aersity, which has now been while an investigation takes place ... And he claims Texas Acials have said they now regret reporting the Q fever incident. (Newsmax)
Gene cluster linked to chronic fatigue Jul 5, 2007
The work was part of a larger project tracking the long-term health of people infected by three infections - the mosquito borne Ross River virus, Q fever bacterial infection and Epstein-Barr virus, which causes glandular fever - in the central NSW city of Dubbo. Prof Lloyd said the findings were the tentative beginnings of better understanding the disease. (Melbourne Herald Sun)
Texas A&M says communication lapsed in bioagent case Jul 4, 2007
In the other case, three researchers tested positive for exposure to the weapons agent Q fever in April 2006. Davis said he disagrees with the CDC's interpretation of federal reporting guidelines in the Q fever case, which resulted in no illness. (Houston Chronicle)
Biodefence work halted at US university Jul 4, 2007
Texas A&M records recently obtained by the Sunshine Project, a biodefence watchdog based in Austin, Texas, reveal that in April 2006 three workers showed signs of exposure to Coxiella burnetii, a bacterium carried in livestock that causes Q fever in humans ... Speaking in a press conference on Monday, Texas A&M interim president Eddie Davis said the delayed reporting of the Brucella exposure was an administrative mistake, and the Q fever positives resulted from testing beyond CDC requirements. (Nature News Service)
Post the First Comment Jul 4, 2007
Interim President Eddie J. Davis said the brucella and Q fever exposures were never a threat to public health outside the laboratories ... The CDC suspended Ameland security-related research Saturday, following recent investigations involving exposure to bioterrorism agents brucella and Q fever ... The Q fever investigation was sparked by Sunshine Project Director Edward Hammond's allegations that Aed to report the Q fever exposure while the CDC was on campus investigating the brucella incident.... (The Battalion, TX)
OSU's 'nuke' a local cause for concern Jul 3, 2007
The Sunshine Project has reported that Three Texas Aersity biodefense researchers were infected with the biological weapons agent Q Fever in 2006. but Texas Acials did not report (the incident) to the Centers For Disease Control, as required by law. (Corvallis Gazette Times, OR)
CDC halts bioweapon research at Texas A&M Jul 3, 2007
Brucella and Q fever are included in the ban ... The CDC was on campus last week investigating three researchers exposed to Q fever ... The e-mails reported a call made by Scott and White Health Clinic informing the occupational health program that three individuals from Professor James E. Samuel's lab had come in contact with Q fever. (U-Wire.com)
CDC suspends Texas A&M bioweapons research Jul 2, 2007
Three researchers tested positive for exposure to the weapons agent Q fever in April 2006, two months after another researcher fell ill from contact with the another agent, Brucella. The diseases are rarely fatal in humans but can cause high fevers and flulike symptoms. (KSLA.com, LA)
CDC investigates A&M Jun 29, 2007
Texas Ance again under investigation by the Center for Disease Control after three Aarchers were infected with Q fever, a CDC-listed bioterrorism agent ... CDC officials said Tuesday in The Dallas Morning News that they still haven't received documentation on the Q fever case ... The late brucella report and missing Q fever report are "part of what we're investigating," the CDC's Von Roebuck said in The News. (The Battalion, TX)
Cases of Hepatitis C Disease Continue to Increase in County Jun 28, 2007
One case each of Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Q fever have been reported so far this year ... Q fever causes headache, malaise, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. (Missourian Publishing, MO)
More news reports... Jun 28, 2007
Texas Ance again under investigation by the Center for Disease Control after three Aarchers were infected with Q fever, a CDC-listed bioterrorism agent. . (The Battalion, TX)
Health Department reports rise in tick-borne diseases Jun 22, 2007
Moehr said the cases reported in Jasper County have been lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Q fever, an illness that can be spread by ticks, but can also be spread by cattle. Moehr said the tick has to attach itself to a person and remain attached for a long period of time before the person is in danger of catching a tick-borne disease. (Carthage Press, MO)
Rare fever sickens three in Riverland Jun 21, 2007
The South Australian Health Department said a small cluster of people had been diagnosed with Q fever in the Riverland town of Waikerie since early April. SA Communicable Diseases Control Branch director Ann Koehler said three people had been diagnosed with the fever with another probable case expected. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Reports of Tick-Borne Illnesses Continue to Rise in County, State Jun 9, 2007
There have been three Lyme-like disease cases, three Rocky Mountain spotted fever cases and one Q fever case reported in the county ... Q fever is a mild infection spread from infected animals to humans ... People infected with Q fever usually have no symptoms or experience an acute viral infection similar to influenza. (Missourian Publishing, MO)
Cattle council backs Q fever vaccine plant May 18, 2007
The Cattle Council of Australia has welcomed the start of work to build a new plant to produce the Q fever vaccine ... Q fever is caused by contact with livestock. (ABC News Online, Australia -- Health)
Melbourne lab to research Q fever vaccine May 17, 2007
The future production of a vaccine for the debilitating disease Q fever is now more secure ... Q fever primarily affects meat and livestock industry workers, and has caused a number of deaths ... "Q fever is a very big problem in Australia and the vaccination is considered the most preferable way for meat workers to protect themselves against it," she said. (ABC News Online, Australia)
Discovery Could Lead To Better Control Of Hemorrhagic Fever Viruses Feb 13, 2007
(November 20, 2006) -- Clinical signs and pathological changes in guinea pigs following an aerosol challenge with acute Q fever were similar to those seen in human acute Q fever indicating an effective animal model of. . (Science Daily)
Way cleared for overseas meatworkers to start work Dec 7, 2006
"They'll go and have their medical here in Australia, Q fever test, Friday we will put them through our induction program at the plant and these workers will be ready hopefully fresh and frisky for a full day of work on Monday," she said. ABC Top Stories. (ABC News Online, Australia -- Rural)
EMLRC wins state contract for Mobile Simulation Lab education Dec 5, 2006
Biological agents: anthrax, botulinum, hemmorhagic virus, pandemic influenza, plague, ricin, smallpox, staph enterotoxin B, tricothecene mycotoxins, tularemia and Q fever. Chemical agents: blister, cyanide, nerve agent, pulmonary and riot control. (Orlando Business Journal)
Govt to fund CSL's Q fever vaccine factory Nov 30, 2006
The Federal Government is spending $9 million to secure the future supply of a vaccine for Q fever. The manufacturer of the vaccine, CSL, stopped producing the drug because it is no longer profitable. (ABC News Online, Australia)
Sequella executive 'focused' on cures Nov 20, 2006
After completing studies in internal medicine at the University of Connecticut and in infectious disease at the University of California at Irvine in 1981, Dr. Horwith joined the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, where he worked for three years, mainly to combat "Q fever," an airborne infectious disease. After that, Dr. Horwith joined Wyeth, the global pharmaceutical company, where he spent 11 years as a researcher responsible for new advances in disease treatment. (Washington Times, DC)
Tips from the Journals of the American Society for Microbiology Nov 18, 2006
Guinea Pig Aerosol Challenge Presents New Model for Q Fever Research in Humans. Clinical signs and pathological changes in guinea pigs following an aerosol challenge with acute Q fever were similar to those seen in human acute Q fever indicating an effective animal model of human disease say researchers from Texas Aersity ... Q fever, caused by the bacterium Coxiella burnetti, generally infects humans through inhalation with as few as 10 organisms capable of causing disease. (EurekAlert!)
New frontier in research Nov 10, 2006
Anne RymanThe Arizona RepublicNov. Arizona's three state universities are quietly becoming more involved in bioterrorism research, securing tens of millions of dollars in grants. (AZCentral -- News)
[extra: Extra references] Aug 11, 2006
Fournier PE, Casalta JP, Habib G, Messana T, Raoult D. Modification of the diagnostic criteria proposed by the Duke Endocarditis Service to permit improved diagnosis of Q fever endocarditis. Am J Med 1996;100(6):629-33. (British Medical Journal)
Number of Q fever cases at meat factory jumps to 24 Jul 26, 2006
THE number of confirmed cases of Q fever among staff at a meat factory has increased to 24, health officials said yesterday ... GPs in the Forth Valley area have been warned to look out for patients who may have contracted Q fever, which is caused by the Coxiella burnetii organism, which lives in farm animals such as sheep, cattle and goats as well as wild animals and ticks. (Scotsman)
Wodonga records third Q fever case Jul 26, 2006
A third case of Q fever has been confirmed in Wodonga, in north-east Victoria, after two people came down with the potentially fatal disease on Monday. The fever is commonly carried in livestock and transmitted when humans come into contact with infected animals. (ABC News Online, Australia -- Health)
Investigation launched in Wodonga Q fever cases Jul 25, 2006
The Department of Human Services says two cases of Q fever have been confirmed in Wodonga in Victoria's north-east ... "Often those people are vaccinated of course against Q fever, but Q fever is spread usually through airborne dissemination of the organisms in dust.". (ABC News Online, Australia -- Health)
Q fever meat plant expects more cases Jul 21, 2006
The meat-processing plant which has suffered an outbreak of rare Q fever is bracing itself for more cases ... Q fever can result in chronic infection if not treated swiftly with antibiotics ... Adam Muggoch, managing director of Scotbeef, said: "The number of diagnoses of Q fever may still go up. We are still waiting for the results of blood tests on the remainder of the staff. However, we are seeing a steady decline in the number of absences through illness." Scotbeef, he said, has begun plans... (The Herald)
Meat staff contract 'farm fever' Jul 20, 2006
Eleven people who work at a meat processing plant in Bridge of Allan in Stirlingshire have contracted a rare infection known as Q fever ... Q fever is caused by a bacterium called Coxiella burnetti carried by farm animals ... Once Q fever has been diagnosed with a blood test doctors can prescribe antibiotics, which usually allow people to make a full recovery. (BBC News)
Biodefense Lab Fight Heads To Court Jun 14, 2006
The facility would test the agents, which could also include hantavirus, influenza, hepatitis, Q fever, brucellis, herpes and salmonella, among others, on live animals. Two groups representing area residents and other project opponents, Tri-Valley CARES and Nuclear Watch New Mexico, asked a federal court to block the project in 2003. (CBS News)
Q fever vaccine supplies dwindle Apr 21, 2006
Supplies of the vaccine for Q fever are expected to run out within the next three months. Farm workers can catch Q fever from animals and the disease can lead to heart and liver problems. (ABC News Online, Australia -- Just In)
Govt calls for Q fever vaccine tenders Apr 19, 2006
The Federal Government has called for tenders to produce Q fever vaccine as supplies of the drug reach critically low levels. Q fever is a debilitating disease which mainly affects meat and livestock workers, and is transmitted through infected animals. (ABC News Online, Australia -- Health)
Q fever vaccine supply to run out soon Apr 15, 2006
Vaccines against the debilitating Q fever will run out by mid-year despite a commitment from its manufacturer, CSL Limited, to maintain supply, the Federal Government said yesterday. The Government has begun a tender process to find another supplier, but admits it is unlikely to do so in time, with CSL currently the world's sole manufacturer of Q fever vaccine ... CSL is also one of two companies contracted by the Government to produce vaccines against the deadly bird flu, but CSL public affairs... (The Age)
Priority scheme in place for dwindling Q fever vaccine supplies Apr 15, 2006
Meatworkers will be given priority access to the last remaining doses of Q fever vaccine to protect against the debilitating disease that is spread to human through contact with infected feral and domestic livestock. This year's demand for the vaccine is expected to exceed current supplies, and fresh stocks cannot be produced until a new lab opens early next year. (ABC Online)
Chronic fatigue is brain 'hit and run' Mar 4, 2006
Lead researcher Andrew Lloyd, of the University of NSW, said the study was part of the ongoing Dubbo Infection Outcomes Study which was tracking the long-term health of people infected with Ross River virus, Q fever infection and Epstein-Barr virus, which causes glandular fever. The unique study, which began in 1999, was partly funded by the United States government. (Sydney Morning Herald)
