Scientists of the Ministry of agriculture of the USA has purchased hundreds of dogs and cats in Asian «meat markets» and conducted experimentsinvolving the feeding of laboratory animals these cats for research.
About these experiments supposedly conducted in the laboratory of the Ministry of agriculture in Maryland, according to the report of project White Coat Waste (WCW). This is a non — profit Agency fighting wasteful government spending on experiments with animals.
«It’s crazy,’ said Jim keen, a former scientist of the Ministry of agriculture of the USA, in an interview with NBC News. — I don’t see the logic».
It is believed that the experiments were aimed at studying the various forms of the parasite that causes toxoplasmosis. The studies were conducted between 2003 and 2015. The animals were killed for use as laboratory fodder were brought from Colombia, Brazil, Vietnam, China and Ethiopia.
«Some of these cats and dogs were acquired by the government for the same Asian meat markets that the U.S. Congress has strongly condemned last year», — stated in the report of the WCW.
The group plans to publish its investigation report to the Congress.
Earlier, the Ministry was accused of killing cats, especially infected with T. Gondii — a parasite that causes toxoplasmosis. This was done, the scientists, to save lives.
The Center for control and prevention of diseases noted that toxoplasmosis is one of the main causes of death from foodborne illnesses in the United States.
Representatives WCW claim that scientists can continue their work with the samples that they already have, and they do not need to continue to infect and kill cats for this.
WCW reports that since the beginning of the tests for toxoplasmosis in laboratories, it killed nearly 4,000 cats and that experiments have cost taxpayers about $22 million.
