African swine fever outbreak in Spain may have leaked from research lab, officials say

"Spanish authorities investigating the African swine fever outbreak in Catalonia are now looking into the possibility that the disease may have leaked from a research facility and are focusing on five nearby laboratories as potential sources. Thirteen cases of the fever have been confirmed in wild boars in the countryside outside Barcelona since 28 November, prompting Spain the EU's largest pork exporter to scramble to contain the outbreak before it becomes a serious threat to the country's 8.8bn-a-year pork export industry, worth 8.8bn (7.7bn)."

"But Spain's agriculture ministry has opened a new line of inquiry after concluding that the strain of the virus found in the dead boars in Catalonia is not the same as the one reported to be circulating in other EU member states. According to a report, the strain in question is instead similar to one detected in Georgia in 2007."

Thirteen cases of African swine fever have been confirmed in wild boars in the countryside outside Barcelona since 28 November. Spain, the EU's largest pork exporter, is acting to contain the outbreak to protect its €8.8bn-a-year pork export industry. Regional authorities initially suspected contaminated food brought from abroad, such as a discarded meat sandwich, as the source. Spain's agriculture ministry found the virus strain differed from those in other EU states and resembled a strain detected in Georgia in 2007. The Georgia 2007 strain is commonly used in experimental infections in containment facilities. Catalonia ordered audits of five laboratories that work with the virus within 20 km of the outbreak and is not ruling out any possibilities.

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