Stanford University is secure and there is no threat to campus or public safety from the shipment of a vial last July that may have contained very small quantities of live anthrax spores.  The single vial, not used by the university in 10 months, has been sent to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control for analysis.

Stanford received notice early Tuesday from the CDC that the CDC was investigating the possibility that a number of laboratories around the country may have received minute amounts of an active select agent shipped by the U.S. Department of Defense.  In July 2014, a laboratory at the Stanford School of Medicine received one of the lots being investigated.  The university was informed by the CDC that the agent, Bacillus anthracis, may not have been fully deactivated before shipment.

The CDC has advised the university that the material, which may be present in extremely small quantities, was very unlikely to pose any risk. To date, there are no reports of any adverse reactions and the CDC emphasizes there is no threat to members of the public.  However, the university has taken all necessary precautions to assure the safety of our students and employees.

Once notified, the university immediately launched a thorough safety review of the laboratory where the material was handled by two individuals under appropriate biosafety guidelines. The material was received by the lab July 22, 2014 and last opened by the lab on July 29, 2014.

Stanford secured the vial in question and has shipped it to the CDC for further evaluation to determine whether, in fact, the material was not completely inactivated.

Stanford has not received any reports of incidents or reactions over the ten months since the material was last used in the laboratory. Out of an abundance of caution, the university is offering medical consultations for any lab employee who has concerns. All members of the impacted lab were immediately informed. 

The Stanford laboratory that received the materials is studying immune system responses for potential creation of preventive vaccines and treatments for biological threats.  The research is being conducted for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Stanford will continue to work with federal authorities as they conduct their follow up.  The CDC has informed all of the impacted laboratories that risk to any individual is very unlikely and that no further action is needed.