Things to read when life gets too boring
Bill Irwin
billi@aloha.net
Thu, 18 Oct 2001 09:17:52 -1000
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this interesting information from the link that Roger posted - =
http://www.newscientist.com/hottopics/bioterrorism/bioterrorism.jsp?id=3D=
ns99991418
Home grown?=20
On Wednesday the FBI said in Florida that the anthrax did not exactly =
match any of the reference strains from around the world to which it was =
compared. But it closely resembles the "Ames" strain of laboratory =
cultures, which was originally isolated from a cow in Iowa in 1932. It =
is also close to an Ames strain found circulating in the wild, which =
killed a goat in Texas in 1997.=20
"The Ames strain has never been found in the wild outside North =
America," says Martin Hugh-Jones, an anthrax expert at the University of =
Louisiana at Baton Rouge who helped pioneer the geographic analysis of =
genetic variation in anthrax.
Earlier reports that the anthrax was "manmade", and that it resembled a =
family of strains that includes samples from Haiti, were wrong. But the =
Ames strain is a laboratory workhorse, and has been widely distributed =
to researchers and diagnostic labs all over the world.=20
This means the Florida bacteria could have come from a number of =
sources. "They could have got it off a dead cow this summer, or from a =
diagnostic or college lab," says Hugh-Jones. Anthrax spores are so =
hardy, that even stained specimens can be scraped off a slide used for =
teaching veterinary students, and cultured. Such specimens are poorly =
guarded.
Texan outbreak=20
The anthrax might also have come from a company that sells live bacteria =
to researchers. US companies have sold disease organisms only to =
licensed purchasers since 1997, but the Florida anthrax could have been =
bought before that. And other countries have few restrictions.
Anthrax collected in the wild varies in its ability to sicken humans. =
The Florida strain has killed only one of the three people it seems to =
have infected.=20
Last summer there were outbreaks of anthrax in bison, deer and cattle in =
western Canada and in South Dakota, Minnesota and Texas in the US. =
Animals that die of anthrax have vast numbers of bacteria in their =
blood, which could be easily collected.
----- Original Message -----=20
From: Monty/Judith Herr <herr@home.com>
To: <rcbaker@eden.infohwy.com>; <austin-ghetto-list@pairlist.net>
Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2001 7:22 AM
Subject: RE: Things to read when life gets too boring
> But, anthrax cannot be effectively distributed by air.
>=20
> Judith M. Herr
> Well Chosen Words
> herrj@home.com
> 925-443-4514
> 925-989-3723 (cellular)
>=20
>=20
> -----Original Message-----
> From: austin-ghetto-list-admin@pairlist.net
> [mailto:austin-ghetto-list-admin@pairlist.net]On Behalf Of Roger Baker
> Sent: Wednesday, October 17, 2001 10:41 PM
> To: austin-ghetto-list@pairlist.net
> Subject: Things to read when life gets too boring
>=20
>=20
>=20
> One of many things you can learn from this collection of links
>=20
> http://www.newscientist.com/hottopics/bioterrorism/
>=20
> "...The prospect of an anthrax attack was investigated in the 1990s by =
the
> US Office of Technological Assessment. They concluded that 100 =
kilograms of
> virulent anthrax effectively dispersed at night over Washington DC =
could
> cause between one and three million deaths. Crop-dusters can carry up =
to
> twice that capacity..."
>=20
>=20
>=20
>=20
>=20
> Bottom line: The best protection from determined terrorists over the =
long
> run
> is prevention; is to reduce the motivation to conduct terrorism. It is =
in
> the
> nature of complex and advanced societies to create so many points of
> potential
> vulnerability by well-organized terrorist groups that they cannot all =
be
> guarded
> effectively, no matter how many security precautions are taken. -- =
Roger
>=20
>=20
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<DIV><FONT size=3D2>this interesting information from the link that =
Roger posted -=20
<A=20
href=3D"http://www.newscientist.com/hottopics/bioterrorism/bioterrorism.j=
sp?id=3Dns99991418">http://www.newscientist.com/hottopics/bioterrorism/bi=
oterrorism.jsp?id=3Dns99991418</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><BR><STRONG>Home grown? </STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><BR><FONT size=3D2>On Wednesday the FBI said in Florida that the =
anthrax did=20
not exactly match any of the reference strains from around the world to =
which it=20
was compared. But it closely resembles the "Ames" strain of laboratory =
cultures,=20
which was originally isolated from a cow in Iowa in 1932. It is also =
close to an=20
Ames strain found circulating in the wild, which <FONT =
size=3D3><STRONG>killed a=20
goat in Texas in 1997</STRONG></FONT>. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>"The Ames strain has never been found in the wild =
outside=20
North America," says Martin Hugh-Jones, an anthrax expert at the =
University of=20
Louisiana at Baton Rouge who helped pioneer the geographic analysis of =
genetic=20
variation in anthrax.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>Earlier reports that the anthrax was "manmade", and =
that it=20
resembled a family of strains that includes samples from Haiti, were =
wrong. But=20
the Ames strain is a laboratory workhorse, and has been widely =
distributed to=20
researchers and diagnostic labs all over the world. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>This means the Florida bacteria could have come from =
a number=20
of sources. "They could have got it off a dead cow this summer, or from =
a=20
diagnostic or college lab," says Hugh-Jones. Anthrax spores are so =
hardy, that=20
even stained specimens can be scraped off a slide used for teaching =
veterinary=20
students, and cultured. Such specimens are poorly guarded.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><BR><FONT size=3D2><STRONG>Texan outbreak </STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>The anthrax might also have come from a company that =
sells=20
live bacteria to researchers. US companies have sold disease organisms =
only to=20
licensed purchasers since 1997, but the Florida anthrax could have been =
bought=20
before that. And other countries have few restrictions.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>Anthrax collected in the wild varies in its ability =
to sicken=20
humans. The Florida strain has killed only one of the three people it =
seems to=20
have infected. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>Last summer there were outbreaks of anthrax in =
bison, deer and=20
cattle in western Canada and in South Dakota, Minnesota and =
<STRONG>Texas=20
</STRONG>in the US. Animals that die of anthrax have vast numbers of =
bacteria in=20
their blood, which could be easily collected.<BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>----- Original Message ----- </FONT>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>From: Monty/Judith Herr <<A=20
href=3D"mailto:herr@home.com">herr@home.com</A>></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>To: <<A=20
href=3D"mailto:rcbaker@eden.infohwy.com">rcbaker@eden.infohwy.com</A>>=
; <<A=20
href=3D"mailto:austin-ghetto-list@pairlist.net">austin-ghetto-list@pairli=
st.net</A>></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2001 7:22 =
AM</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>Subject: RE: Things to read when life gets too=20
boring</FONT></DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><FONT size=3D2>> But, anthrax cannot be effectively =
distributed=20
by air.<BR>> <BR>> Judith M. Herr<BR>> Well Chosen =
Words<BR>> <A=20
href=3D"mailto:herrj@home.com">herrj@home.com</A><BR>> =
925-443-4514<BR>>=20
925-989-3723 (cellular)<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> -----Original=20
Message-----<BR>> From: <A=20
href=3D"mailto:austin-ghetto-list-admin@pairlist.net">austin-ghetto-list-=
admin@pairlist.net</A><BR>>=20
[<A=20
href=3D"mailto:austin-ghetto-list-admin@pairlist.net">mailto:austin-ghett=
o-list-admin@pairlist.net</A>]On=20
Behalf Of Roger Baker<BR>> Sent: Wednesday, October 17, 2001 10:41 =
PM<BR>>=20
To: <A=20
href=3D"mailto:austin-ghetto-list@pairlist.net">austin-ghetto-list@pairli=
st.net</A><BR>>=20
Subject: Things to read when life gets too boring<BR>> <BR>> =
<BR>>=20
<BR>> One of many things you can learn from this collection of =
links<BR>>=20
<BR>> <A=20
href=3D"http://www.newscientist.com/hottopics/bioterrorism/">http://www.n=
ewscientist.com/hottopics/bioterrorism/</A><BR>>=20
<BR>> "...The prospect of an anthrax attack was investigated in the =
1990s by=20
the<BR>> US Office of Technological Assessment. They concluded that =
100=20
kilograms of<BR>> virulent anthrax effectively dispersed at night =
over=20
Washington DC could<BR>> cause between one and three million deaths.=20
Crop-dusters can carry up to<BR>> twice that capacity..."<BR>> =
<BR>>=20
<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> Bottom line: The best protection =
from=20
determined terrorists over the long<BR>> run<BR>> is prevention; =
is to=20
reduce the motivation to conduct terrorism. It is in<BR>> the<BR>> =
nature=20
of complex and advanced societies to create so many points of<BR>>=20
potential<BR>> vulnerability by well-organized terrorist groups that =
they=20
cannot all be<BR>> guarded<BR>> effectively, no matter how many =
security=20
precautions are taken. -- Roger<BR>> <BR>> </FONT></BODY></HTML>
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