Mr. LivingtstoneTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what work has been carried out by the Public Health Laboratory Service since 1990 to evaluate the health effects of the organism E. coli MRE 162; for what reasons and on whose behalf this work was conducted; when this work was conducted; what was the conclusion of the work; and in which publications, and when, this work was published. [12189]
§ Ms JowellThe Public Health Laboratory Service's laboratory of enteric pathogens received E. coli MRE 162 from the chemical and biological defence establishment at Porton Down in March 1997. There was a request from CBDE to evaluate the organism with respect to the risk posed to human health.
The organism was fully identified as E. coli serotype 08:H9 and tested for a wide range of enteric virulence factors. All tests were negative and it was concluded that the strain was unlikely to cause diarrhoeal disease. A report was sent to CBDE on 22 April 1997. The work carried out has not been published in scientific journals.