A MOUSE BITE HAD SHOCKING EFFECT ON LAB RESEARCHER
A CARDIFF University researcher was hospitalised after suffering an anaphylactic shock on being bitten by a mouse.
The worker, whose identity is unknown, had the extreme allergic reaction while working at the institution last year.
The incident was uncovered by a Freedom of Information Act request made to the university.
Details were revealed in the minutes of a Cardiff University Biological Standards Committee meeting held on May 31 last year.
The document said staff levels were “suboptimal” because of sickness, detailing “that an experienced animal technician had recently experienced an unexpected anaphylactic shock following an animal bite”.
It expressed concern that the institution’s occupational health providers “have not proved supportive or proactive in dealing with the anaphylactic shock, much to the disappointment of the CU liaison officer”.
A Cardiff University spokeswoman said: “The university has a duty of care to all staff working with animals and takes health and safety seriously.
“Rigorous procedures are in place to ensure a safe working environment and all staff are encouraged to report animal bites, regardless of whether they are considered occupational hazards.
“In 2017, an experienced animal technician suffered an unexpected anaphylactic shock after being bitten by a mouse.
“The incident was dealt with immediately by the university, and the individual hospitalised as a precaution. The individual has fully recovered.
“While the university is satisfied with its own procedures to respond quickly and effectively to incidents of this kind, it has raised concerns with IMASS, the outsourced occupational health provision to the university, due to the protracted nature of their investigations into the incident.”
A meeting of the same committee on March 14 said there were problems with animals being affected by pinworm – which causes anal itching in humans.
There were also incidents of helicobacter. Helicobacter are bacteria found in the intestine and liver and are associated with peptic ulcers, chronic gastritis, duodenitis and stomach cancer.
“The risk of contamination is always present,” the document said.
“This limitation will continue to be both an operational challenge and risk to research.
The university insisted all animalrelated research was done “under strict conditions”.
A spokeswoman said: “Health screening is undertaken several times a year in order to monitor the microbiological status of the animals in our units.
“It is important to know the microbiological status for research purposes. The helicobacter breakdown was identified as part of this screening and was quickly and successfully treated.
“At no point were any staff at risk. The pinworm breakdown was found to be a false positive – not a real breakdown.”
A total 46,743 animals were experimented on last year at the university – down from the 50,264 used in 2016.
This latest figure was made up of 42,660 mice, 2,130 rats, four rabbits, two guinea pigs, 122 frogs and 1,825 fish.
A total of 279 of the experiments were classed as severe, while 707 were dubbed “non-recovery”.
A spokeswoman said: “All animal-related research at Cardiff University is carried out under strict conditions imposed by the UK Government.
“Our research is aimed at the alleviation of human and veterinary disease through the advancement of medical, dental, biological and veterinary understanding – wherever possible, the use of animals is avoided and alternative methods employed.
“Cardiff University is committed to providing open and transparent information about our research involving animals and our standards of animal care and welfare.
“We are fully compliant with and support the intention and purpose of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and in May 2014 we signed the Concordat on Openness on Animal Research in the UK.”
The information was unearthed by campaigners Cardiff Animal Rights.
“Cardiff Animal Rights are very concerned with these findings, severe and non-recovery procedures and serious health and safety failings are of great concern,” a spokeswoman for the group said.
“It is absolutely not acceptable the amount of distress caused to living beings here. We call on Cardiff University to move forward and stop the cruelty and killing.
“There are a great many organisations that concentrate on medical research that do not use animals, as they are aware of the detrimental impact.
“We want to know why it is that Cardiff University will not listen to the public when we say that we want humane, non-animal research, and why it is that they continue to be so secretive about what these animals endure.”