Anthrax

Dr. William "Bill" C. Patrick III, 1926-2010 (Credit: fredericknewspost.com)

Dr. William “Bill” C. Patrick III, 84, passed away on Friday, Oct. 1, 2010.

Born on July, 24, 1926 in Southhampton, SC, Patrick was a U.S. veteran and influential microbiologist that devoted over three decades of service to the U.S. Army’s headquarters for biological weapons research in Fort Detrick, MD.

After serving in the Army during World War II, Patrick received a graduate degree from the University of South Carolina (1948) and a master’s degree in microbiology and biochemistry from the University of Tennessee (1949).

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) will conduct an examination of the scientific and technical methods used by the FBI during its investigation of 2001 anthrax attacks, in response to a request made by U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (NJ-D) earlier this year.

After an eight year-long investigation, the FBI closed the Amerithrax case back in February and concluded that Bruce Ivins, a troubled lab worker at Ft. Detrick, was solely responsible for the anthrax mailings that killed five people in 2001. However, skepticism has long lingered the minds of many on the science and validity behind these conclusions, particularly after Ivin’s suicide in 2008.

Cow in Bangladesh (Credit: AFP)

An anthrax outbreak in Bangladesh has infected more than 500 individuals since August 18^th.  The infections were acquired from eating or handling contaminated cattle.   In one instance, a man purchased a cow which became ill a few days later.  He brought the cow to a veterinarian where it was vaccinated against anthrax.  This would have been protective against future infections if the cow survived, but it did not treat the current infection.  The man slaughtered the cow when its condition deteriorated, and unknowingly fed the contaminated meat to over 40 families.  Contaminated meat is also being sold in the market, which has caused cattle and livestock sales to be around 1/10 of the expected levels.  Considering that around three quarters of the population rely at least partially on livestock for their livelihood, this outbreak is sure to take a heavy toll on the health of both the population and the economy.

Dead hippopotamus in Lake George, Uganda. (Source: New Vision)

In late June, 30 hippopotamuses died of anthrax in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda, a popular safari location. These hippopotamuses likely contracted Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, from spores that had been lying dormant in the lake shore soil for 6 years, originating from an anthrax outbreak in 2004 which killed approximately 300 hippos. Because B. anthracis spores are hardy and can survive for decades in the soil, proper disposal of infected carcasses is very important to control future outbreaks. The New Vision reports that the State Minister for the Animal Industry in Uganda, Major Rwamirama, recommended that the carcasses should be moved and the infected areas sprayed – the article did not mention with what. Major Rwamirama also mentioned that burying the carcasses was expensive, ~$440 per carcass, and unreliable, since burial does not kill the hardy spores.

Plaques formed by Bacillus anthracis on Sheep Blood Agar (Credit: http://phil.cdc.gov/phil/home.asp)

Two leading Russian biological weapons scientists presented their inside view of the Soviet bioweapons program at a March 29^th panel sponsored by the George Mason University Biodefense Program.  Dr. Guennady Lepioshkin, who headed the Anthrax production plant at Stepnogorsk in Kazakhstan, and GMU Professor Sergey Popov, who headed projects at the Vector Institute and other laboratories in Obolensk, Russia, presented candid personal accounts of life as bioweapons researchers.   Beyond their individual tales, the session offered several lessons that remain relevant to the modern discussion of biosecurity – cautionary tales about the publication of dual use research and the destructive potential of synthetic biology.