A University researcher came down with cowpox infection this past summer, and investigators narrowed down the cause to one possible explanation – lab contamination. This worker is the first person in the U.S. to get cowpox, which exists in labs and is most prevalent in Europe and Asia, where rats and other animals carry this infectious disease.
Robin Kaler, associate chancellor for public affairs, said in an e-mail that she can’t disclose the worker’s name and gender due to FERPA and HIPPA laws. But Kaler said the worker first noticed an infected cut in July 2010.
“The worker initially didn’t associate the infection with a possible lab exposure, and didn’t seek medical treatment for several days,” Kaler said.
Kaler added that the doctors at McKinley tested for obvious possible issues, but when none was discovered the doctors called the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to further investigate the infection. The University worked with the CDC and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) in the investigation.
“Within six weeks of the infection, the worker’s cut had completely healed,” Kaler said. “By November, the investigation determined that the infection was caused by cowpox virus and the source had likely been the lab where the worker was employed.”
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Although cowpox isn’t deadly, it can severely affect immunocompromised patients. According to the ScienceInsider, the cowpox patient decided not to get a vaccination because this person had no intention of handling the virus. Furthermore, the lab hadn’t worked on cowpox for 5 years prior to the incident.
In October, a biopsy sent to CDC confirmed that the disease was cowpox and caused by a modified virus strain kept in the lab’s freezer.
Kaler said the lab where the cowpox infection occurred will remain open, but the staff must be re-trained in safety procedures.
In addition to re-training and reinforcing safe practices, the University took these actions:
- Materials are segregated by type to eliminate the possibility of using the wrong material
- Workers now use sealed wraps on boxes that contain these materials
- Workers conduct more frequent wiping down (decontamination) of surfaces in the lab
- Workers wear gloves even when removing materials from the freezer
