A Swine Mess

Chi

nese authorities say they have identified the virulent disease that appeared in Sichuan province in late June, which has sickened a suspected 212 people so far and killed 38: Streptococcus suis, a bacteria in pigs that very rarely infects human beings. Last week, a team of experts from Hong Kong who assisted in the investigation backed the diagnosis. "All the evidence collected at this stage showed that the infections were caused by Streptococcus suis," said Dr. Lam Ping-yan, Hong Kong's Director of Health.

But some international specialists aren't convinced. Strep. suis has never caused an outbreak anywhere near as large as the one in Sichuan, and the high mortality rate and severe symptoms—which include bleeding under the skin in some cases—seem to be entirely new. "I've never before seen an outbreak of this type," says Dr. Thomas Alexander, the retired University of Cambridge veterinary scientist who first identified the bacteria in humans. "It just doesn't sound like Strep." Dr. Marcelo Gottschalk of the University of Montreal, the world's top expert on Strep. suis, says China needs help analyzing the bacteria to see if it has mutated into a more virulent form. But so far, the country hasn't shared the results of any such tests. "This is one of the main problems," he says. "They do not have the expertise, but they do not ask for help."

The World Health Organization (WHO) says it's happy with China's cooperation—and WHO Beijing spokesman Roy Wadia notes that the country isn't required to notify anyone about Strep. suis infections, much less share information. The Ministry of Health says it has the situation under control, although suspicions about China's openness on disease outbreaks, dating back to the 2003 SARS crisis, linger. "The Chinese have got to be transparent," says Robert Webster, a bird-flu expert who has worked with China in the past. If not, neighboring countries—and the world—could pay the price.