The number of laboratories affected by live anthrax shipments from the U.S. has risen to 193 in the U.S. and eight in foreign countries, but none of the newly added labs are in South Korea, the U.S. Defense Department said Thursday.

Of the total, 87 were primary labs that received live anthrax spores directly from a Defense Department lab in Utah, while the other 106 labs are secondary labs that received samples from the primary labs, according to a Pentagon website on the issue.

Affected by the mistaken shipments were all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands as well as eight foreign countries -- Japan, the United Kingdom, Korea, Australia, Canada, Italy, Germany and Norway.

The shipment to Korea was to Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul.

The latest total is a sharp increase from 86 labs that the Pentagon announced two weeks ago on July 23 when it released the outcome of a month-long investigation into the incident and blamed "deficiencies" in protocols for killing anthrax spores before shipments.

"The Defense Department has said all along that numbers could possibly increase. We've continued to ensure that we have tested and even retested all the shipments to make absolutely sure that our data is correct, based on the currently available science," Maj. Eric Badger, a Pentagon spokesperson, said in response to a Yonhap News Agency question why the number spiked.

Badger also noted that while the Pentagon has responsibility for the primary labs affected, the Centers for Disease Control tracks secondary labs. He added that the Pentagon will work with the CDC and the scientific community to drive the development of the proper standards.

Asked if any of the newly discovered labs is in South Korea, the officer said, "No."

"The Defense Department has been transparent throughout this process. However, the process took time -- testing, retesting and tracing batches to lots to samples. We expected numbers to change," he said. "It is important to know the Department is taking responsibility, implementing change and recommending a national standard so this doesn't happen again." (Yonhap)