GALVESTON - The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investigating alleged mistreatment of research animals at The University of Texas Medical Branch after an unannounced inspection found four violations of the Animal Welfare Act, a USDA spokesman said.

UTMB on Thursday declined to provide the findings of the seven-month investigation, but the school said in a statement that it disputed some of the investigation's conclusions.

Dave Sacks, a spokesman for the federal agency, said the investigation was continuing and that findings would not be released until its conclusion. The USDA could impose a fine of as much as $10,000 for each violation it finds, Sacks said.

"We take the USDA findings seriously," UTMB said in a statement. "However, we do disagree with some of those findings and may pursue alternate administrative and legal avenues."

The UTMB statement said the school had undertaken training, policy and procedure revision, and increased monitoring to meet the agency's concerns.

The USDA began its investigation after a Jan. 25 inspection in response to a nine-page complaint by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Sacks said. PETA's complaint, filed Jan. 5, was based on information from an anonymous UTMB employee, said Justin Goodman, PETA associate director of lab investigations.

'Cruel and deadly'

PETA said the employee reported neglect and denial of veterinary care to dogs, monkeys, sheep, mice and other animals. The animals were "cut open and mutilated in cruel and deadly experiments, including studies in which sheep, pigs and mice were burned over 40 percent of their bodies," PETA said in statement issued after the complaint.

"It took a whistleblower inside their own facility to make sure issues were addressed that they were happy to look the other way on," Goodman said.

Earlier this week another animal rights organization, Stop Animal Exploitation Now, asked the Agriculture Department to "levy a major fine against this intractable lab."

One indirect violation

The USDA inspection confirmed some of the accusations made by PETA, Goodman said. The inspectors said UTMB failed to adequately keep records and to assess the health and well-being of the animals - including a sheep, dog and ferret - that died, records show.

A May 2 inspection found only a single indirect violation, Sacks said.

After PETA filed its complaint in January, the medical school refused to release records requested by the animal rights organization. The Texas Attorney General's Office in April ordered UTMB to release the information.

harvey.rice@chron.com