Infected cattle may be linked to lab

LONDON, Aug. 5 (UPI) -- A viral strain found in infected cattle in a foot and mouth outbreak in Britain matches a strain produced by a nearby laboratory, it was reported Sunday.

Scientists at Merial SAS, a vaccine-producing firm, recently produced a vaccine using the same strain as the one found in the diseased cattle, 01 BFS67, which was isolated in a 1967 outbreak of foot and mouth in Britain, The Times of London said.

"If it turns out to be true that the laboratory is the source, then it's almost as if the government has infected its own stock," said Peter Ainsworth, shadow environment secretary.

Merial, in Pirbright near Guildford in Surrey, is three miles from the farm where the outbreak was detected. Sixty cattle from the farm were killed to prevent the spread of the virus.

An emergency ban preventing livestock from being transported in Britain has forced the cancellation of many fairs and agricultural events usually held this time of year.