CDC investigates A&M

By: Calli Turner

Posted: 6/28/07

Click here for the e-mails released by Texas A&M

Texas A&M is once again under investigation by the Center for Disease Control after three A&M researchers were infected with Q fever, a CDC-listed bioterrorism agent.

Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Jerry Strawser confirmed the investigation. "Until the findings are released, we can't provide any more information," Strawser said.

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.

Officials with the CDC were on campus in April investigating the late reporting of a student researcher infected with the brucella bacteria.

Strawser said the investigation is related to the prior brucellosis infection.

Both cases have been under the investigation of Sunshine Project, a watchdog organization that tracks biotechnology research. In October 2006, Sunshine Project Director Edward Hammond filed a request for all accidents involving bioweapon agents at A&M.

"I just got the Q fever documents, released them and now the CDC is coming back to Texas A&M again to investigate on the Q fever," Hammond said.

He said the two investigations are not related.

"A&M has put out a statement which is deliberately crafted to cause confusion by combining two incidents. You have two separate incidents of laboratory-acquired infections and you have two separate CDC investigations."

Hammond said the brucella investigation in April has been conducted by the CDC and was awaiting the Health and Human Services inspector general to assess penalties on A&M.

Hammond said A&M officials were at fault in regard to the Q fever incident.

"The infection should not have happened if their safety protocols were adequate and were followed, and Texas A&M violated federal bioterrorism law by not reporting the infection. That's a pretty serious matter and I fully expect them to be penalized by the federal government for it," Hammond said.

Through the Texas Public Information Act, Hammond received e-mails between Biological Safety Officer Brent Mattox and Director for the Office of Research Compliance Angelia Raines.

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.

Samuel declined to comment. Samuel's lab works directly with the pathogen Coxiella burnetii, the agent of Q fever.

Hammond said the federal law requires these infections to be reported immediately to the CDC and the University then must file a written report within seven days.

"A&M did not do that with the brucella and they did not do that with the Q fever, and that is a violation of federal law," Hammond said.

Hammond said A&M could face about $1.5 million in fines, depending on the assessment by the inspector general.

The investigations have occurred during A&M's bid to construct the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF), which aims to research human, zoonotic and foreign animal diseases, such as Q fever.

A month after officials with the CDC investigated the late reporting of the bioterriorism agent brucella in April, officials with the Department of Homeland Security arrived on campus to explore the possibility of A&M hosting the NBAF.

The sites vying for the location will be narrowed down through an environmental impact statement by the end of this month, possibly while the current CDC investigation is under way.

Symptoms of Q fever include high fevers, a sore throat, severe headaches, vomiting and abdominal and chest pain. Most will recover within several months and 1 percent to 2 percent of those infected with Q fever die.

Chronic Q fever, an infection that lasts more than six months results in approximately a 65 percent fatality rate.

Hammond said the two investigations signify a larger issue.

"It indicates that there are severe problems in the biological research program and that there needs to be a serious shake-up in their accident reporting and legal compliance," Hammond said.

Sunshine Project investigates other universities as well. "I have found similar accidents at other universities, so Texas A&M is certainly not alone in having this kind of event happen. What is unique so far is that I can demonstrate Texas A&M failed to report the accidents," Hammond said.

Hammond said Texas is lucky to have the Texas Public Information Act, and if other states had the same access, similar incidents would be reported.

"In a sense Texas A&M is being singled out here but that doesn't change the fact that they also violated the law," Hammond said.