British authorities searched a research laboratory on Sunday as they continued to investigate an outbreak of highly infectious foot-and-mouth disease.
The strain of the virus found in the outbreak has been identified as the same variety used in the lab, located a few kilometres from the contaminated farm in southern England, the Agriculture Department said late Saturday.
Martin Shirley, director of the Institute for Animal Health in Pirbright, England, speaks to the media following an outbreak of foot and mouth disease at a nearby farm on Sunday.
(Jane Mingay/Associated Press)
The Institute for Animal Health's Pirbright Laboratory in Surrey conducts research into infectious diseases in farm animals. The adjacent Merial Animal Health Ltd., a pharmaceutical company, also uses the lab in its work to develop vaccines against animal diseases.
"This is a promising lead, but we do not know for sure," Environment Secretary Hilary Benn told the British Broadcasting Corp. on Sunday.
The lab said there had been no breaches in its biosecurity procedures. The institute said a check of records found "limited use" in its lab of the strain identified in the cattle that were slaughtered once the disease was discovered.
The Agriculture Department said there had been no movements of livestock from the affected farm, 50 kilometres southwest of London, since July 10, raising hopes the virus might not have spread farther.
Officials confirmed on Saturday that the virus causing foot-and-mouth was found in 60 head of cattle, and the Agriculture Department said the strain was "not one recently found in animals" in Britain.
The disease, which devastated the rural economy when it spread across Britain in 2001, can be transmitted through contact between animals, or on the wind.
The disease affects cloven-hoofed animals including cows, sheep, pigs and goats. In rare cases, humans in close contact with an infected animal may develop rashes.
Canadian Agriculture Minister Chuck Strahl said in a news release Saturday that his government is "taking all necessary steps to safeguard the health of our animals."
"The protection of Canadian livestock and related industry sectors is a top priority for us," Strahl said. "We are encouraged by the swift disease control actions of the United Kingdom and we remain ready to take any further animal health measures required."
Canada halted all imports of animals and animal products from Britain following news of the U.K. outbreak following confirmation of the outbreak on Saturday.
The crisis has also prompted an export ban on livestock and animal products from Britain to the European Union. Japan said it had banned British pork imports.
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