dw.com Edited by: Sean Sinico
The prominent Berlin medical institution said the animals had to be killed due to contamination risks. Charite claimed it consulted with city authorities prior to making the decision.
Berlin’s Charite hospital said Friday it had killed over 1,000 test animals due to contamination concerns from the Coxiella bacteria.
What do we know so far?
The medical institution said that “around 1,200 small rodents” were killed in the testing laboratory after contaminants were repeatedly traced to the area where the animals were kept.
Coxiella is asymptomatic in animals, but it can cause Q fever in humans. Humans infected by Q fever typically experience flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills and tiredness.
