BU grad student develops infection

It is not yet certain that the researcher’s illness was caused by the bacteria he worked with, but the case immediately invited comparisons to the tularemia infections of three BU scientists in 2004, an episode that revealed sloppy lab practices and a failure to report the illnesses in a timely fashion.

This time, the university notified the city’s health agency within hours of when the ill researcher and his supervisor recognized that the infection might be linked to the germs he was studying, known as Neisseria meningitidis.

“It seems to me that this time, all the people involved with this did all the right things in the right order,’’ said Dr. Thomas J. Moore, associate provost of BU’s South End medical campus. “It’s well known that people who work in research labs are exposed to the risk of infection. It doesn’t always mean they’re sloppy.’’

Still, the researcher’s possible contamination by the bacteria - tests are being conducted to confirm the link - seems likely to embolden foes of a $200 million lab BU has built to work with the world’s deadliest pathogens, including Ebola and plague.

Safety specialists from the Boston Public Health Commission who visited the meningitis lab in the Evans Biomedical Research Center on Albany Street found nothing obvious that suggested risky practices, said Dr. Anita Barry, top disease investigator at the city health agency.

Barry, who was involved in reviewing the tularemia cases, said BU authorities alerted her of their concerns about the researcher’s illness while she was present for an unrelated meeting on the medical campus Tuesday.

“They let me know very quickly,’’ said Barry, who has been sharply critical of health institutions that failed to swiftly notify the city about reportable infectious disease cases. “That way, we can all be on the same page about what’s reasonable to do to protect the health of others who may have been exposed.’’

The scientist, who was not identified by BU because of patient confidentiality, was treated with intravenous antibiotics and is recovering, the university said.

The scientist’s illness came as the federal government continues its latest review of BU’s National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, the controversial facility that sits complete but unoccupied on Albany Street. A Biosafety Level-4 lab, where scientists can work on vaccines and drugs targeting the most lethal of germs, is the centerpiece of the project, largely underwritten by federal dollars.

It has provoked protests, both in the courts and on the streets. In fact, opponents had previously scheduled a protest against the lab for today on BU’s Charles River campus.

Cornelia Sullivan, a retired nurse who is helping organize today’s march, said the scientist’s infection further tarnishes the university’s assertions that it can safely operate the high-security facility.

“How do you trust those people? I don’t think you should,’’ said Sullivan, who lives in the Fenway.

The current review of the Level-4 lab by the National Institutes of Health was precipitated by lawsuits filed by opponents of the lab and resulting court rulings.

Last night, the NIH said it was unclear whether the researcher’s illness would prove relevant to the ongoing safety review of the new lab.

“Any workplace-acquired infection is important and needs to be analyzed to understand its origins, to prevent future occurrences, and ultimately, to protect workers and public safety,’’ the NIH said. “We do not know the facts surrounding this particular event, including whether the infection was laboratory-acquired.’’

The scientist was studying the Neisseria meningitidis bacteria on Tuesday of last week as he continued the lab’s hunt for a vaccine against the disease.

He was working in a Biosafety Level-2 lab, which has less stringent safety procedures than Level-4 labs. In Level-2 labs, scientists must wear gloves, masks, eye protection, and lab coats, and must work with open containers in a covered safety cabinet. Because the researcher is ill, Moore said, university officials have been unable to ascertain whether he hewed to those procedures.

The graduate student became ill during the weekend. By Monday, blood tests confirmed that he was stricken with a bacterial infection, and, on Tuesday, preliminary results suggested it might be the same organism he had been studying in the lab.

The researcher then called the director of the lab.

“He said, ‘You know, I’ve got this rash, and under the microscope, it looks like the kind of bacteria we study in the laboratory,’ ’’ Moore related. “The lab director started making all the appropriate phone calls.’’

The lab director and five other researchers were evaluated, and while none appeared sick, all received the antibiotic Cipro to ward off any latent disease.

In the wake of the 2004 tularemia cases, BU beefed up its training of lab workers - in part because of strengthened regulations adopted by the city’s Public Health Commission. Each lab undergoes a safety inspection annually, and researchers must undergo a safety refresher course at least once a year, a BU spokeswoman said.

If tests confirm a match between the researcher’s infection and material collected from the lab, then the city may further review BU’s safety procedures, Barry said.

Moore speculated that as the scientist worked with the bacteria in liquid, an errant drop might have landed on his glove in the safety cabinet. Later, after removing the glove, the researcher could have been infected with the stray contaminated material.

Dr. David Ozonoff, a Boston University professor who opposes the Level-4 lab, said such episodes are a predictable - if unfortunate - occupational hazard.

“Accidents happen. These things go on all the time,’’ said Ozonoff, whose opposition to the lab revolves around concerns it will be used to brew biological weapons, not safety concerns.

Stephen Smith can be reached at stsmith@globe.com.