Flu Strain Samples Remain at Large

CDC Director Julie L. Gerberding said tougher safety precautions will be expedited. (John Bazemore -- AP)

The company "felt the virus they had was a safe virus" because it had been grown through numerous generations in the laboratory, which often weakens viruses, said Jared Schwartz, a spokesman for the College of American Pathologists, the group that requested the most kits. Schwartz noted that U.S. regulations list the virus in a category that permits companies such as Meridian to ship it.

"They didn't break any regulations, but we can say perhaps they didn't use good judgment," said Schwartz, who added that his organization did not know the company had included this particular strain. "If we had known . . . we would not have sent it out."

Although many viruses become less dangerous after being grown for long periods in the laboratory, Gerberding said, there is no way to know whether that had happened to this virus.

Meridian maintained yesterday in a statement to investors that it was "in compliance with all applicable regulations." Company officials did not make themselves available for interviews despite repeated requests.

Gerberding said that the CDC had been working with the National Institutes of Health to change the classification of dangerous flu viruses to require more stringent safety precautions and that it will now expedite that process.

"We will urgently be recommending a higher level of protection be used for any novel influenza virus," Gerberding said. "We're going to put this on a fast track."

The problem came to light March 26, when Canadian health officials identified the virus during routine testing of a sample from a patient in British Columbia.

Canadian scientists at a national lab in Winnipeg, Manitoba, immediately launched an investigation, which determined that a small amount of the pandemic virus from a test kit had contaminated the patient sample, which was being screened in the same lab area. That discovery prompted Canadian officials to alert the CDC and WHO, setting off the scramble to prevent an outbreak.

In addition to the United States, Canada and the other countries that had already destroyed their samples, contaminated kits had been sent to Brazil, France, Germany, Japan, Belgium, Bermuda, Chile, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Taiwan.

Canadian officials said it was especially worrisome that lab technicians were unaware they were handling a more dangerous virus than they were used to. Although the strain is classified as safe to ship in the United States, it is deemed too dangerous for general certification tests in Canada.