Anthrax (Hansard, 20 April 1998)

§ Dr. Reid

The United Kingdom has no offensive chemical or biological warfare capability. The United Kingdom is a State Party to the 1972 Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, and holds no bulk stocks of agents such asBacillus anthracis (B. anthracis) which causes the disease anthrax either in the United Kingdom or abroad.

The Ministry of Defence does fund research with anthrax bacteria as part of its programme to provide effective protection to United Kingdom service personnel should chemical or biological agents be used against them. Such research is conducted on behalf of the Ministry of Defence at the Chemical and Biological Defence Sector (CBD) of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency at Porton Down or is sub-contracted by them to the Centre for Applied Microbiology and Research, which is part of the Department of Health. Both organisations hold only seed stocks of B. anthracis. These are grown in culture when required. Excess material is routinely killed after experiments are completed. B. anthracis can be cultured under a wide variety of conditions and using media typically held in public or private sector microbiology laboratories. CBD Sector does not routinely use specialist media or precursors.

Small outbreaks of animal anthrax occur annually in the UK and, very rarely, human cases also occur. There is, therefore, a need to maintain a diagnostic service and to conduct periodic testing to ensure the efficacy of the vaccine. In this context, a small number of centres in the health service hold strains of B. anthracis for public health purposes.

All laboratories working with B. anthracis have to meet strict health and safety requirements and must be licensed under the Specified Animal Pathogens Order 1998 which lays down strict containment conditions. Nine premises are currently licensed.