Word: merial
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...government investigation is focusing on two biological research labs at the Pirbright complex, 3 miles (4.8 km) from where this outbreak first appeared. The same strain of FMD found in Surrey's infected cattle is used by the state-run Institute for Animal Health and by the private firm Merial for research and vaccine making...
...While investigators search for answers, both facilities insist there is no evidence anyone spread the virus, and Merial says it doesn't use Pirbright's wastewater system. The government is easing restrictions on the movement of animals, but an E.U. ban on British exports of meat, milk products and live animals could last months, costing the industry up to $20 million a week. This may not be the crisis it was six years ago, but there's still trouble down on the farm...
...report from Britain's Health and Safety Executive failed to determine how the virus may have escaped from the site. Officials spent the last three days scrutinizing Merial Animal Health, the British arm of U.S.-based Merial Ltd, which recently produced 10,000 litres of foot-and-mouth virus culture during vaccine preparation. There have been media speculation that recent flooding in the U.K. helped spread the virus from the Merial lab, but the report said waterborne release had not been confirmed and that release via contamination of a lab employee or visitor remains a "real possibility" (the foot...
...spokesman for Merial Animal Health said Monday there was no indication of a biosecurity breach and investigations continue...
...Nonetheless, the British government yesterday ordered 300,000 doses of FMD vaccine from Merial in case of a wider outbreak, leading to calls in the national press for the private company to be stripped of profits form the sale should it be confirmed as the source of the infection. FMD causes blistering and fevers in cloven-hoofed animals including cows, sheep, pigs and goats, but rarely infects humans. While rarely fatal, it decimates the health of livestock, reducing weight and milk yield...