Initial tests reveal no contamination in animal feed imported from Germany

The chief veterinarian said yesterday that initial tests on 200 tons of suspect animal feed imported from Germany and tracked down last week had revealed no trace of chloramphenicol. "We are checking the suspect feed and poultry, but so far we have found nothing," Piotr Kolodziej told Reuters. He said final results of the tests would be known in the next two days. "There's no reason to panic, especially since Germany has informed us that they did not find any antibiotic in the suspect fishmeal feed either," he said. German authorities said on Monday a consignment of feed using fish meal contaminated with chloramphenicol, a drug used to treat life-thre atening diseases such as anthrax and typhoid, presented no danger to public health. Chloramphenicol is restricted to such serious infections because of the risk that it might cause a potentially lethal form of anemia. (Reuters)