Police search the facilities of IRTA, the laboratory under investigation for swine fever.

BarcelonaThe Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan Police) and the Guardia Civil (Spanish Civil Guard) are currently conducting a search and seizure operation at the IRTA-CReSA laboratory. This operation was ordered by the Cerdanyola del Vallès Court of Instruction Number 2 as part of the preliminary proceedings, which have been declared secret. Its objective is to collect documentation for the investigation. The search and seizure of these facilities is being carried out following the protocols and security measures required for this type of research center.

In addition to this joint police investigation, there is also another one currently underway. an audit, commissioned by the government of the Generalitat and another investigation led by the Ministry of Agriculture with scientific experts. The objective of all these investigations is to find out the origin, that is, how the outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) began.

At the beginning of the month, the ministry explained that the virus—which has already caused the death of 13 wild boars in Catalonia—is not similar to those currently circulating in neighboring countries. In fact, the ministry indicated in a statement that the virus detected in the wild boars belongs to a new genetic group, 29, which had not been described until now in the European UnionThis led the Spanish government to suspect that it might have come from a biological containment facility, that is, a laboratory where this disease is researched.

The strain detected in the dead wild boars is very similar to the one that circulated in Georgia in 2007 and matches the one commonly used in experimental infections at research centers to evaluate, for example, the effectiveness of vaccines currently being developed to prevent infection. The Catalan government has admitted that these techniques are used in "various" centers. Regarding IRTA-Cresa, although both the laboratory and its own staff maintain that it is very difficult for the virus to leave the center—which they have even described asauthentic bunkerThe truth is that, for now, President Salvador Illa has warned that the investigations are not ruling out any option. Furthermore, in the Collserola area, there are other institutions and research groups pursuing lines of research that may be related, such as the faculties of some university campuses. In fact, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) is located just a few meters from IRTA. These other centers are not experimenting with the virus itself, but knowledgeable sources say that it is possible they will conduct preliminary research, inspections, or sample analyses.