Posted on 09/18/2002 3:09:05 PM PDT by RCW2001
9/18/02- Someone stole vials of bacteria from an MSU lab, and authorities don't know what they plan to do with it. The bacteria was being processed into a vaccine to fight Pneumonia in pigs when it was stolen late last week. Someone broke into a secure lab, took several vials of the bacteria, a note pad and a computer disk. And nobody seems to know why.
The bacteria was stolen from the Biomedical and Physical Sciences Building on campus sometime between last Thursday evening and Friday morning. The stolen material is called APP, it usually causes respiratory infection in young pigs. The bacteria could be deadly to swine, but veterinarian's say, not to humans.
Lonnie King, DVM, Dean, College of Veterinary Medicine: "You can't be hurt by direct contact with the bacteria, or by eating meat from an infected animal."
MSU officials have already contacted local swine producers and state and federal authorities.
This was the reporter stating this, so I can't vouch for the accuracy of this claim.
Many hog farms have hundreds or thousands of hogs raised in close proximity to each other.
A disease like this could easily be used by either Muslim terrorists or Animal Rights groups.
The cultures I used were kept at about minus 122 to minus 145 IIRC for long term storage.
The same cultures could be shipped by simply packing them in dry ice in a cheap styrofoam cooler.
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